The first weekend with each minor league affiliate in action saw some impressive pitching performances, especially from the starting pitchers.
In quite a few cases, it was really one play that completely altered the outcome of that particular game for that pitcher.
For Kyle Nicolas and Jared Jones, they allowed just a single hit each. It just happened that runs were scored on those given plays. Nicolas allowed a bases clearing hit after walking the bases loaded, while Jones gave up a two-run home run. Both pitched 4.2 innings, finishing with five strikeouts for Nicolas and six for Jones.
Thomas Harrington (pictured above) made his professional debut, and showed that he may be a little advanced for Single-A already.
Luis Ortiz carried a no-hitter in the fifth inning, finishing with seven strikeouts on the night. Anthony Solometo got the nod in the opening game for Greensboro. He pitched four innings, allowing two hits and one run, while striking out five. He hung a slider that was punished for a home run, but was solid outside of that.
Quinn Priester got off to a somewhat rocky start in his second outing of the season. He struck out the side in the first, but also walked two and needed 28 pitches to get out of the inning.
While it seems he gets punished among the national media outlets for not putting up the strikeout numbers you’d expect from a top prospect, Priester showed exactly how he can still be a successful pitcher the rest of the way out.
He needed just 45 pitches to finish the next four innings, and got seven outs with ground balls (two were a double play).
It will be an interesting year, as the Pirates may really be on to something with their pitching depth. We haven’t seen some other promising arms yet, and Braxton Ashcraft is just now getting acclimated back on the field.
They may be top heavy with hitting prospects, but the depth in system could very well be on the mound.
–Speaking of Ashcraft, he made his first appearance in a live game since July of 2021, and looked fantastic, striking out five over three innings. He hit 97 mph on his fastball, and got plenty of whiffs on the breaking ball. He’ll be one to watch as they ease him back into the fold.
— The Oneil Cruz injury stinks, not just for the Pirates, but baseball in general. Such a promising talent missing any amount of time is unfortunate, but losing someone who can do what he can do hurts the game.
We can argue over the slide, or the blocking of the plate. The point is that it happened. Hopefully he can make a full recovery, and doesn’t have any lasting effects from it.
— While it’s going to take a collective team effort to replace his production, the Pirates do have another player that should slide into the lead-off spot perfectly, Ji-Hwan Bae. I wrote about him the other day, and the impact he is having at the bottom of the lineup. There’s even more potential there hitting directly in front of Bryan Reynolds, as opposed to Jason Delay.
Daily Video Rundown
Jase Bowen had a strong opening weekend at the plate, but also chipped in defensively, making this nice catch.
WHAT A CATCH BY JASE BOWEN! pic.twitter.com/2FiFGhFKWI
— John Brophy (@jbrophybaseball) April 9, 2023
Travis Swaggerty continues to hit the ball hard from the lead-off spot. Here he drives in a pair of runs on a triple.
Travis Swaggerty hits this one 108.3 off the bat, the RF couldn’t get to it and he ends up on third with a two run triple #LetsGoBucs pic.twitter.com/eUSLogemuS
— Anthony Murphy (@__Murphy88) April 9, 2023
On the very first pitch of the game, Greensboro infielder Mike Jarvis hits his first home run of the season. The Grasshoppers would go on to win the game.
Mike Jarvis takes the first pitch of the day over the fence for a leadoff home run #LetsGoBucs pic.twitter.com/K7sOwXRlOH
— Anthony Murphy (@__Murphy88) April 9, 2023
Pirates Prospects Daily
By John Dreker
The Oneil Cruz injury is obviously the big news item from yesterday, but there was a lot more going on.
The Pirates won their game, and they saw a potential high upside pitcher return from Tommy John surgery.
The Houston Astros come into town for a three-game series, starting tonight.
**Williams: The Middlegame of the 2023 Pirates Season
**Ben Cherington Gives Update on Mike Burrows
**Minor Moves: Braxton Ashcraft and Kent Emanuel Join Bradenton
**Pirates Prospects Daily: Maikol Escotto has an Encouraging Day at the Plate
Song of the Day
Anthony began writing over 10 years ago, starting a personal blog to cover the 2011 MLB draft, where the Pirates selected first overall. After bouncing around many websites covering hockey, he refocused his attention to baseball, his first love when it comes to sports. He eventually found himself here at Pirates Prospects in late 2021, where he covers the team’s four full season minor league affiliates.
Can’t wait til Solo gets the Statcast treatment, a real eye opener for Harrington, Ashcraft, and Massey. Definitely has changed how I watch minor league ball.
assuming you are seeing good things?
for the three I mentioned!
Who is this Swaggerty? He is not real, if he was he would be up in the majors playing Center Field for a team in much need of a Center Fielder.
You make Swaggerty sounds like a top ten prospects in baseball, he’s not even a top ten prospect in our system!!! This is coming from one of his biggest believer!
Well, since February he has outplayed all other Pirate prospects at the AAA/Majors level (including Endy), and he has definitely outplayed all Pirate CFers not named Reynolds at the AAA and Majors level. I find it sadly amusing how the Pirates FO is dancing around not calling him up when the major league team has an obvious hole in CF (assuming B-Rey is in LF). Raked in ST, Raking in AAA, has speed, range and a good arm, and yet he is basically the only OF AAA prospect that “needs more time in AAA”.
And we are talking about spring training, remember when Matt Hague hit ten home runs that ST, how many games did he played in the bigs. Dude there’s no service time manipulation, those happens to top, top prospects, not an average player.
Did i say it was service time manipulation here? I just pointed out how non-sensical it is for him to be down at AAA right now, given our current lineup and needs.
Here’s a guess for Marcano coming up to play some SS/2B. Owings takes over SS in AAA. Maggi moves up from AA to AAA just because. Peguero stays in AA.
I am good with this, or with the Swags scenario mcferren mentioned (unlikely as that probably is). Kick up one of the prospect guys; the org has been so pushing positional flexibility that there are lots of permutations you could make work with young guys.
Just please, please, (for the love of God PLEASE) not ‘random journeyman emergency depth guy’. That guy should only be in Pittsburgh if, say, the entire lineup succumbs to a series of events like Mr. Burns’ ringer company softball team. Sure, then go there. Until then, let any young guys that are ready or even close to ready, show what they have or don’t have at this level. Maybe they won’t be great (neither will random depth guy)…or maybe you find your next Brian Reynolds. If the team had at that time plugged in some random AAAA dude in the outfield, how long would Brian have been stuck in semi anonymity in Altoona and/or Indy?
In 2019 Bryan Reynolds was the sixth outfielder to get a start in LF, behind the likes of Melky Cabrera, Colin Moran, and JB Schuck.
Talent always finds a way, brother.
“ Talent always finds a way, brother”
Yeah, you’re right, I just hope it doesn’t take too long to do so.
The MelkMan at least had a little something in his tank careerwise at the time, but I get your point. 🙂
I´d accept a trade for JayHay in the journeyman scenario
since Cruz hasn´t hit for much homerun power over the past week, then sliding Swaggerty directly into his leadoff spot would be a pretty seamless transition into the way we have been playing of late
would rather keep Bae and the bottom three of our order in tact as those three dudes have been hitting very well with that setup
I’m pretty sure it will be Mathias.
That will mean that Castro, who couldn’t hack it as a SS in the minors will be our SS!
Yeah short is gonna be a mess…
going with swaggerty is the best way not to disrupt the approach we have been riding with recent success
0% chance they’re calling up Swaggerty to replace Cruz. I’ll be surprised if it’s not Marcano who is brought up to be the Super U player, with Bae and Castro being the regular starting SS/2B. Castro likely the SS on days he plays.
One other note on Nicholas. Was at the game pretty sure the one hit was a foul ball down the third bsse line.
Unfortunately he walked the 3 batters immediately before the questionable hit.