Farm Report: Hunter Barco strings together solid multi-start week
Top performers from the previous week
It hasn’t been the kindest of seasons for Hunter Barco, a former second-round pick by the Pirates out of the University of Florida. After making his major league debut in 2025, Barco began this season in the bullpen for the Pirates.
He’s posted an ERA of over seven in six games in the majors this year, and things haven’t gone much better at Triple-A.
This week he was able to string a couple of solid games together while facing the Iowa Cubs. Barco, 25, went 1-0 with an 0.87 ERA in two starts, allowing just one earned run on three hits and six walks while striking out five over 10.1 innings pitched.
In his first start, Barco allowed one run over 4.1 innings pitched, striking out two batters. He wrapped up the week strong with one of the best pitching performances he’s had this year, tossing six shutout innings and allowing just one hit and two walks.
He hasn’t missed many bats this year, and that has continued this week, but he was able to get the job done twice. His fastball generated just six whiffs on 37 swings (16.2%). His breaking/off-speed pitches produced a whiff rate of just 22%.
Despite that, he was still able to generate weak contact by attacking the zone with the fastball, slider, and change-up, allowing him to have the success that he had.
Other top performances
LHP Connor Wietgrefe
6 IP, 4 H, ER, 3 BB, 6 K
RHP Jack Anker
1-0, 6.2 IP, 6 H, ER, BB, 6 K
RHP Dariel Francia
1-0, 3.1 IP, H, 2 BB, 7 K
OF Mitch Jebb
8-20 (.400/.538/.650), 5 R, 2B, 2 3B, 2 RBI, 5 BB, 4 K, 1/2 SB
2B/OF Dylan Palmer
7-16 (.438/.526/.500), 4 R, 2B, 4 RBI, 3 BB, 2 K, 1/2 SB
OF Lonnie White Jr.
10-19 (.526/.609/.737), 6 R, 2B, HR, 3 RBI, 3 BB, 5 K
Top 10 DEBUTED Prospects
Derek Curiel finds his way on here at some point, but until he debuts, I wanted to highlight as many prospects as possible. With Esmerlyn Valdez graduating, I did some shuffling with the Top-10.
RHP Seth Hernandez, Greensboro
Last Week: Did not pitch, IL
OF Edward Florentino, Greensboro
Last Week: 7-29 (.241/.241/.483), 2 R, 4 2B, HR, 7 RBI, 0 BB, 3 K, 1/2 SB
RHP Wilber Dotel, Pittsburgh
Last Week: 1/0, 2 IP, 3 H, ER, BB, 3 K, 4.50 ERA
RHP Khristian Curtis, Indianapolis
Last Week: Did not pitch, IL
C Easton Carmichael, Altoona
Last Week: 3-17 (.176/.2222/.235), R, 2B, 4 RBI, BB, 3 K
3B Murf Gray, Altoona
Last Week: 3-14 (.214/.389/.500), R, 2B, HR, 2 RBI, 3 BB, 5 K
SS Wyatt Sanford, Bradenton/Greensboro
Last Week: 5-17 (.294/.478/.647), 4 R, 2 HR, 2 RBI, 2/2 SB, 4 BB, 10 K
C Axiel Plaz, Greensboro
Last Week: 5-19 (.263/.300/.316), R, 2B, 2 RBI, BB, K
INF Duce Gourson, Indianapolis
Last Week: 4-18 (.222/.348/.222), 5 R, 2 RBI, 4 BB, 7 K, 1/1 SB
C/1B Rafael Flores, Pittsburgh
Last Week: 1-6 (.167/.375/.167), 2 BB, 4 K
Richard Ramirez displayed all fields power in standout July
Richard Ramirez had himself quite the July for the Bradenton Marauders, taking home Player of the Month here at Bucs on Deck.
Barco has had a very uneven year, but Wietgrefe seems to have had more consistent success getting the same AAA hitters out. With Jones apparently hitting a wall after 80 innings pitched coming off surgery, Ashcraft getting into uncharted innings water and Mlodzinski still struggling the third time through a lineup, would it be a reasonable option for the Pirates to give Wietgrefe a start or two down the stretch? Will he need to be protected any way this offseason from the Rule 5 draft? Considering the Pirates playoff hopes are remote, why not alternate Barco and Wietgrefe in the rotation over the rest of the season? See what they can do. I think a very under the radar problem with the Pirates season is that they did not have a lefty in the rotation. Look how horrible the Pirates have fared when facing lefty starters. It’s not just the Pirates. Other teams can’t beat lefties either and the Pirates didn’t have that advantage, putting more pressure on the rest of the staff.
Is nearing the point when we have to start talking about Jebb. I’m curious to know more about what’s going on there. Doesn’t seem like a swing change, at least a drastic one, and last time he tried to impact the ball harder didn’t go well, maturing?