Carlos Caro among intriguing names getting late season promotion

Pirates make some late season promotions in the lower levels

Photo Credit: WTM

The Pittsburgh Pirates did some late-season roster shuffling, especially in the lower level of the minors.

Termarr Johnson is the most notable, as he heads from Greensboro to Altoona, where he debuted on Tuesday. He went 0-2 with a pair of walks and a stolen base, slotting second in the lineup and playing second base.

He wasn’t the only player on the move. The remainder happened between Greensboro and Bradenton.

Carlos Caro

Their infield led the Pirates’ FCL team, and while it was easy to overlook Caro with Jhonny Severino, Yordany De Los Santos, and Tony Blanco Jr. there, he more than held his own.

In fact, of all hitters on the team with at least 100 plate appearances, only Severino, De Los Santos, and Blanco had a better wRC+.

At 19 years old, Caro hit .305/.410/.443 with two home runs and nine stolen bases on 12 attempts. He also walked (22) nearly as many times as he struck out (24).

Caro is an under-the-radar type prospect who got some recognition on FanGraphs, coming in as their 37th-ranked prospect in the Pirates’ system.

I got a chance to watch him some more in the ‘Bridge League’ games, and it was clear he was ready for a shot at Bradenton, which he will get after getting promoted on Tuesday.

The question will be how much impact he will have with the bat. He’s still just 19 and could perhaps grow into more power, but it’s looking like, at best, below-average power.

Regardless, he mastered the complex level and can now join Severino and De Los Santos in Bradenton with the Marauders.

He’s a prospect that I’m hovering my hand over the ‘buy’ button depending on how some of the numbers come back in Bradenton.

Javier Rivas

There was a point when Rivas was the worst-qualified hitter in the minors, registering a negative wRC+. That pretty much put him in a position where his stat line would never recover, but there have been improvements.

Rivas has put up reasonably strong exit velocity numbers, he always has, it’s been a matter of him being able to elevate the ball a little more. He’s done that this year, and you are seeing a career-best power output, which includes 12 home runs.

The issue remains that he chases too often out of the zone and doesn’t make enough contact inside it.

He will remain an intriguing prospect due to his glove and size. He’s perhaps the best defensive infielder in the system that isn’t a healthy Ke’Bryan Hayes. More than capable at shortstop, he will give Greensboro a legitimate option there defensively for the late-season/playoff run.

This will also free up more opportunities for Mitch Jebb to play in the outfield, which he did on Tuesday while Rivas played shortstop.

Michael Kennedy

The 19-year-old Kennedy has had a fantastic season in Bradenton, posting a walk rate of just 5.3% while striking out 26.6% of the batters he faced.

He doesn’t have the traditional velocity you want to see, but he gets good carry up in the zone due to his release height and above-average extension.

The added velocity is there, but he’s opted to work on cleaning up his delivery and arm path for added consistency, which has worked. He walked 13% of the hitters he faced between the complex and Bradenton last year.

He can throw the sweeper for strikes and has shown a solid ability to lead with that and work the fastball off it.

It will be interesting to see if he lets loose a little more as we reach the final few starts of his season.

Carlos Jimenez

If you have followed me long enough, you’ve heard this name before, but Jimenez is finally getting out of Bradenton after pitching there since 2022.

The stuff has never been the question, even if some of the pitch models don’t like it. It has always been about control.

His change-up is among the best in the system, and it’s generating an insane 45.3% whiff rate. The curveball has stepped up a bit this year, also getting a whiff rate of 40%.

Jimenez’s release is a little higher than average and has below-average extension, which hurts the fastball characteristics.

He’s been better this year, or at least has learned how to embrace his wildness fully. The best you can probably hope for right now is a reliever, but with two pitches that can miss bats at those rates, he could be a decent one should he learn how to throw enough strikes.

Duce Gourson

One of the first 2024 draft picks to make their official pro debuts, he becomes the first to get to Greensboro.

His performance last week was a big part of that. He had a three-hit game, including a double, two RBIs, and a walk.

Half of his hits in Bradenton were doubles, but he didn’t drive the ball for much power—instead, relying on hitting the gaps or down the line.

He’s an incredibly passive hitter with a low swing rate, but he makes contact in the zone and doesn’t chase out of it. He walked (10) as much as he struck out (10), and his wOBA and xwOBA were identical.

There are some bat-to-ball skills here, and he has the ‘small sample size’ argument on his side when it comes to the low exit velocity readings or rough numbers against non-fastballs, so it will be interesting to see how he handles High-A this early into his pro career.

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