From the Backfields: Minor League Spring Training Nears Its End
Carson Fulmer and Sean Sullivan get some innings.
The Pirates’ lower-level minor leaguers finished out their home exhibitions with games on Wednesday and Thursday. On Wednesday, they took on arch-rival Baltimore, and the next day, for a rare change, they played the Braves.
On Wednesday, the starters were Carson Fulmer and Carlos Castillo. I was more interested in Castillo, so I didn’t see much of Fulmer’s outing, which, of course, was just a veteran tuning up against lower-level guys. I did notice that he went five and none of his innings lasted very long.
Castillo had a strong start. He’s not overpowering, throwing in the low 90s, but he’s probably got projection left, being just 19 still. His command is much better than what you typically see at the low levels these days (Castillo got about a month with Bradenton late last year, although it didn’t go well), and he gets good spin. He throws the four basic pitches, mixes it up a lot, and moves the ball around the strike zone.
Castillo sort of went five innings. I say “sort-of” because he got “extra” outs in at least two innings, which they do in these games when the pitcher has a very short inning. In his last inning, Castillo got five quick outs and the bench left him in to try for a sixth. Alas, the guy went deep. Castillo had the hitters off-balance a lot of the time and got lots of called strikes, including four for strike three. I think he fanned at least six total.
Konnor Griffin was at short in the Castillo game. For some reason, national writers are referring to Griffin as a center fielder now. Do the Pirates know about this? The last 2-3 times I’ve seen Griffin, he was at short. Pretty likely he’ll do both for now.
Speaking of center, it was quite a day there on Wednesday. Braylon Bishop laid full out on a diving catch in the gap, as good a one as you’ll see. He came out for Andrew Patrick mid-game and, on the second hitter after he took over, Patrick made an identical catch, only in the other gap. Pretty sure I’ve never seen two catches like that in the same game.
And speaking of Patrick, the Pirates in 2024 drafted some bat-first college guys with their late picks, something they haven’t done so much in the past. Specifically, Duce Gourson (9th round), Ian Farrow (14), Ethan Lege (15), and Patrick (17). All but Farrow played for Bradenton after the draft, and Gourson got a little time at Greensboro. I’ve seen very little of these guys in the exhibition games. Could be chance, of course, but it’s a bit puzzling. I’ve seen Patrick bat a few times. Gourson and Farrow, I’ve seen only in Thursday’s game. Gourson had a single and a 410-foot fly out. Farrow singled, walked, and struck out.
Castillo was followed by Brennan Malone, who threw one inning. His control was off initially, but he settled down quickly and got a strikeout and two weakly hit outs. No gun readings, but he definitely wasn’t close to the mid-90s, which is how hard he supposedly threw when the Pirates acquired him. He threw a lot of sliders, and the pitch was very effective.
One other pitcher of note, in the Fulmer game, was Jarod Bayless. He was a 33rd-round draft pick of the Mariners in 2019 and signed with the Pirates as a minor league free agent. I bring this up only because Bayless is yet another pitcher who throws sidearm. Is that just more common these days, or is it something that suddenly interests the Pirates a lot?
On Thursday, Sean Sullivan started one game and threw one inning. He didn’t have much trouble. He was shut down early in the spring; I don’t know how long he’s been throwing again, so he could be in the early stages of getting stretched out.
Hung-Leng Chang followed Sullivan and threw, I think, three innings. He had some control trouble and at least one inning that wasn’t too good. He really needed to add some velocity and that’s not happening.
Along with the two Braves games on Thursday, there was a rookie-level intrasquad game. Wyatt Sanford played short in that one. He’s also been in some AA games as a sub. He seems very likely to be in the FCL to start the season.
Other players in the intrasquad game were Kendrick Herrera and Eddie Rynders in the infield, and Cristian Jauregui and Carl Calixte in the outfield. That’s probably a good, partial idea of what the FCL team will look like this year.
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I had a pretty good source tell me in early March the Pirates want Griffin to play both short and center this year. (The source was Konnor Griffin.) I'm guessing the national writers are just basing it off of his spring major league games.
I saw Brennan Malone pitch, too. What is his story? Came in the 2020 Marte trade, right? With Peggy. How was he not the headliner, since he was a first-rounder, (iirc)?
My wife talked a bit with Brennan's wife/girlfriend, who was there with their cute baby.
Go Bucs