One day after Jase Bowen had himself a day in Australia, Sammy Siani had a huge finish to the week on Sunday. Five Pittsburgh Pirates saw action in Australia. Two saw playoff action in a clincher game in Colombia, while the playoff series finale in Puerto Rico was rained out. Here’s the recap.
Australia
Sammy Siani went 3-for-6 with two runs, two homers and six RBIs in his team’s 11-3 win. He’s up to a .295 average in 36 games, with nine doubles, eight homers and 28 RBIs.
Here’s the first homer:
Grand Slammin' Siani!
The Blue Sox are in the driver's seat early. pic.twitter.com/NTAwIkRHVX— Australian Baseball League (@ABL) January 15, 2023
Second homer:
Slammin' Sammy Siani does it again!
The @SydneyBlueSox extend their lead. pic.twitter.com/wSFcWFGx9p— Australian Baseball League (@ABL) January 15, 2023
Jase Bowen went 2-for-5 with two singles. He’s now hitting .263 in 32 games, with five doubles, two triples and three homers. He was the featured player in our weekly Winter Report article.
Ernny Ordonez went 3-for-4, with a run, RBI, walk and two stolen bases, giving him six steals. He is now hitting .289 in 36 games, with six doubles and two homers.
Dylan Shockley went 0-for-4 with a walk and run scored. He has a .218 average in 33 games, with six doubles, three homers and 14 walks.
Jesus Castillo went 1-for-4 with two runs, a walk and an RBI. He is now hitting .142 in 32 games, with a double, triple and 12 walks.
Colombia
Andres Alvarez went 1-for-4 with a run scored in his team’s 5-4 loss, which eliminated them. He went 5-for-17 with a double and two walks in five playoff games.
Francisco Acuna went 1-for-4 with a solo homer in the eighth, which proved to be the difference in the game. He went 2-for-17 with a homer and two walks in five playoff games.
John started working at Pirates Prospects in 2009, but his connection to the Pittsburgh Pirates started exactly 100 years earlier when Dots Miller debuted for the 1909 World Series champions. John was born in Kearny, NJ, two blocks from the house where Dots Miller grew up. From that hometown hero connection came a love of Pirates history, as well as the sport of baseball.
When he didn't make it as a lefty pitcher with an 80+ MPH fastball and a slider that needed work, John turned to covering the game, eventually focusing in on the prospects side, where his interest was pushed by the big league team being below .500 for so long. John has covered the minors in some form since the 2002 season, and leads the draft and international coverage on Pirates Prospects. He writes daily on Pittsburgh Baseball History, when he's not covering the entire system daily throughout the entire year on Pirates Prospects.
“Emma, it’s your Sammy, from Alabamy!” I miss the Looney Tunes!
Siani, Connor Scott and Lolo are starting in the outfield for Altoona to start the year?
Probably need to put Gorski and Fraizer in that group too. Can’t see either moving up to Indy to start the year due to lost time from injury (Gorski) and underwhelming performance (Fraizer). Especially with how crowded the Indy OF is already.
I’ve said it before, but he is hitting his way out of my doghouse.
I want to play summer baseball in Australia during the winter. How can I make that happen? Is there a league for 40 year olds with bad backs? I’d also prefer to avoid snakes and scorpions, if possible.
What’s the competitive level of the Austrailian league, approx High A ball?
You have a better chance of making a team, than being far away from poison snakes and scorpions. Just sayin.
I was lucky to visit, actually it was a Naval deployment stop for a week in Fremantle which is the port city next to Perth. Good times for a 20 year old Marine to be have!
You forgot the killer jelly fish and man eating sharks.
And dingoes that steal babies, I’ll feel better about the snakes if I bring my pet mongoose
It’s approximately High-A ball, maybe weak Double-A. You’re going to occasionally see MLB players, minor league vets who reached Triple-A, but then there are also players like Jesus Castillo, who is too young for the league. I will say this about Castillo, his defense has been outstanding. One error in 132 chances at shortstop.
I’d seen Sam Kennelly is still playing, but seemingly less and less over the years. That family seems to be an ABL staple lol
Looking forward to see what Siani does state-side. Hoping to see a breakout year.
I know his,1st Homer was a fat pitch, but I liked the way he stays in on left handed pitching.
Siani has a nice swing but I’m not sure that big leg kick is gonna translate to the upper levels
Wonder if they take the Gorski route and have him start in Hi A again?
I think that’d be a smart move. If he starts tearing it up at high A then bump to Altoona and see how he goes from there