Agression on the bases a common theme as Pirates' affiliates start play
Pittsburgh Pirates steal 14 bases in one day as an organization
For the first time this season, all four of the Pittsburgh Pirates’ full-season affiliates were in action, and once again, a common theme emerged that matched the major league team.
The Pirates currently lead the majors in stolen bases, 20, with Oneil Cruz leading all of baseball with seven (Isiah Kiner-Falefa is tied for third with four). In the absence of power, their .301 slugging percentage is the fourth worst in baseball, but they’ve at least tried to find a way to put more runners in an advantageous position.
The minor league teams have followed suit, especially in the lower levels. Across five teams—including the Pirates—there were 14 total stolen bases recorded.
Greensboro and Bradenton accounted for nine of those, with infielder Duce Gourson getting four of them in the first two innings of their game.
Konnor Griffin, who made his official pro debut on Friday, went 2-4 but also stole a pair of bases. He eventually scored both times.
Yordany De Los Santos (34 in 2024) and Termarr Johnson (22 in 2024) also picked up their first steals of 2025.
The aggressiveness helped put hitters in scoring position, as Greensboro put up 12 runs and Bradenton added another six.
There aren’t many traditional power hitters in the Pirates’ system, but at least there seems (Yes, it’s one game for most) to be a collective effort throughout to be more aggressive on the bases.
One look through the organization, and it fits.
Let’s see how much they continue this.
Antwone Kelly was strong in his season debut, getting the nod for the Grasshoppers. He struck out six over three innings, allowing one run on two hits and two walks. He threw 52 pitches, 33 of which went for strikes.
I saw him pitch a couple of innings at Pirate City while I was down there, and he looked good. He commanded the fastball well in his three innings, and the slider looked good.
He’s an interesting arm to watch after getting the push to High-A despite missing a chunk of time last year.
Daytona went backward and removed their stream, so we'll have to wait until next week to check out the Marauders.
Oh, yeah, that includes Konnor Griffin, who picked up two hits and two stolen bases in his debut.
It also included Will Taylor, who hit an RBI double. I’m surprised they didn’t push him straight to Greensboro, but I suppose getting a chance to get settled more isn’t the worst idea.
He’s super athletic, even after the injuries he suffered playing football, and was right up there with Bubba Chandler in the 2021 draft class among prep players.
Circle that name.
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