Best early season pitching performances in the Pirates system
Which pitching performances have stood out this early in the season?
The minor league baseball season has been just long enough for each team to go through its rotation once.
While it’s way too early to assess any one player, we can go back and review some of the better pitching performances that we have seen in the Pirates system so far in 2025.
Triple-A technically has an advantage due to starting their season about a week sooner, but Indianapolis has been haunted by inclement weather early on, postponing several games.
Regardless, here’s a look back at some of the better pitching performances from the early season:
April 1, 2025: Mike Burrows
3.2 IP, 3 H, 4 K
After rain washed out two of the three games of the opening weekend for Indianapolis, this was the second game of the season for the Pirates’ Triple-A team, and the first from Mike Burrows.
While most pitchers were on a strict pitch limit the first time around, Burrows made the most of his opportunity. In 3.2 innings pitched, Burrows allowed three hits and struck out four batters. He got 11 whiffs (on 29 swings), six of which came from his slider.
April 4, 2025: Carson Fulmer
5 IP, 5 H, 6 K
The Triple-A rotation is stacked with some of the better prospects in the Pirates system, so it’s easy to lose track of a veteran like Carson Fulmer. He made the best out of his first start, tossing five shutout innings while striking out six, with 47 of his 68 pitches going for strikes.
April 5, 2025: Wilber Dotel
5 IP, 2 H, 4 K
The results haven’t exactly reflected the stuff for Wilber Dotel early in his pro career. He has a fastball that can reach triple-digits but doesn’t quite get the strikeouts you’d hope for.
That makes the five shutout innings he tossed in his first start with Double-A Altoona much more impressive. He didn’t walk a batter, allowed just two hits while needing just 53 pitches (41 strikes) to get through his outing.
He also got nine whiffs, good for a 17% swinging strike rate, a strong mark for his efficiency.
April 5, 2025: Garrett McMillan
5 IP, 2 H, ER, 8 K
After working the majority of 2024 as a swingman, Garrett McMillan has slid into the Greensboro rotation and struck out eight over his five innings, picking up the win.
He allowed just two hits and a run, not walking a batter. His 12 whiffs on 68 pitches gave him a 17.6% swinging strike rate.
April 6, 2025: Anthony Solometo
5 IP, H, 3 BB, 2 K
Perhaps no other starting pitching prospect needed to get off to a good start more than Anthony Solometo after a disastrous 2024 season. So, getting five shutout innings while allowing just one hit is nearly as good a start as possible.
He did walk one more (3) than he struck out (2), but he did also record 10 whiffs (14.7 SwStr%).
April 8, 2025: Peyton Stumbo
4 IP, 5 K
Working primarily as a reliever in 2024, Peyton Stumbo stepped into the Marauders’ rotation to begin things and couldn’t have asked for a better start to the season.
He tied a career-high with four innings pitched, striking out five batters, and the only baserunner he allowed was from an error by the first baseman. He got a total of six whiffs in 51 pitches, half of which came from his curveball.
April 8, 2025: Bubba Chandler
4 IP, H, 2 BB, 8 K
Bubba Chandler’s first start was a bit rough, even though he was still able to display his elite stuff. The second time around was even better, as he hit triple-digits with his fastball and struck out eight batters over four innings pitched.
He recorded 12 whiffs, half from his fastball (37.5% Whiff), which averaged over 98 mph. Looking at his early-season run, he’s allowed just one hit and struck out 12 over 6.2 innings pitched.
April 9, 2025: Braxton Ashcraft
5 IP, 3 H, ER, 6 K
It didn’t start the best, as Braxton Ashcraft allowed a home run on the first pitch he threw. He was locked in after that, allowing just two hits the rest of his five innings and striking out six batters.
He picked up 11 whiffs, nine of which were from his slider, which recorded a 75% whiff rate on the day.
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BA has a list of 10 young prospects who got their attention in April. They included Esmerlyn Valdez. Tiny sample size, but much less swing and miss so far.
Giving myself credit -- When Tyler Kennedy came in for Bradenton, I immediately left. He faced nine hitters. Walked five and hit one. Score is 18-0.