Pirates' 2023 Minor League Recaps: Indianapolis Indians

AKA, Who DIDN'T play for Indy?

Oct 02, 2023

Doing a “recap” for a AAA team is something of a chimera. Indianapolis employed 36 hitters and 44 pitchers (one was the same guy) in the course of a 70-78 season. (The Indians scored more runs than they allowed; their Pythagorean record was 76-72.) It was a substantially different team almost from week to week. Even the Pirates themselves used just 29 hitters and 29 pitchers.

You wonder how the manager and coaches even keep track of all the guys just passing through. From top prospects — Henry Davis and Liover Peguero got into only 14 and seven Indy games, respectively — to low-level organizational guys just filling in for a couple days. Or guys rehabbing for a few days. Or late-season promotions. Or players picked up late in the season just to add needed bodies. Indy had 11 hitters and 18 pitchers appear in fewer than ten games each.

Indy was 14th in the 20-team league in runs. The hitters were the league’s fifth-youngest, about a year under the average. (Average age means less in AAA, because by design most teams have lots of veteran depth guys.) Indy was fourth in average and fifth in OBP, but tenth in slugging and 15th in home runs. Their hitters drew the seventh fewest walks and had the sixth most strikeouts.

The Indy pitchers were ninth in ERA and were the fourth youngest. They had the sixth lowest walk rate and the seventh highest strikeout rate. They allowed the third fewest home runs.

HITTERS

Even excluding rehab cases, a lot of hitters were in Indianapolis too briefly to merit discussion. Davis and Peguero, obviously, but also Ji Hwan Bae, Tucupita Marcano and Jason Delay. Some are gone from the organization now, like Tyler Heineman, Rodolfo Castro, Travis Swaggerty and Mark Mathias.

Chris Owings and Ryan Vilade spent most or all of the season in Indy after being dfa’d. They put in solid performances but aren’t likely to be around much longer. The same could be true of Vinny Capra, who had an .851 OPS for Indy, reached the majors, but was optioned back to AAA a couple weeks ago.

The Mid-Season Callups

Endy Rodriguez, C: After his huge 2022, Rodriguez didn’t start 2023 well. He muddled along with a .726 OPS in April and .708 in May. Starting in late June, he hit .371 over a 15-game stretch, with eight extra-base hits. That got him called up and he’s now the Pirates’ starting catcher. Rodriguez threw out only 14% of base stealers at Indy, but that was far out of line with his career norms. For the Pirates he’s thrown out 30%. He played just eight games at first in AAA, two innings for the Pirates. He’s played 28 games at second in the minors, but none this year.

Jared Triolo, IF: Triolo was out early in the year due to hamate surgery. He returned quickly, rehabbing in early May and reaching Indy on the 9th. He didn’t show any ill effects in the minors, hitting well right away and finishing with an .844 OPS in AAA, including a lot of doubles but only two home runs in 54 games there. As we all know, he got the call in June, got sent back down in mid-August because the Pirates needed Vinny Capra, then returned in early September and got blistering hot. The power seems to be coming around, which is consistent both with hamate injuries and Triolo’s history of needing adjustment time at new levels. He looks like an important piece of the puzzle going forward.

Joshua Palacios, OF: Palacios was a waiver claim by the Pirates last December. He started the season in Altoona and didn’t do much over eight games, then moved up to Indy and started destroying the ball. Since May 9 he’s been with the Pirates except for a short stretch in July. Palacios so far has been a well-below-average hitter in the majors, but he’s had uncanny success in late & close situations.

Bashing Their Way to the Majors

Miguel Andujar, OF: Andujar got stuck in AAA because, every time the Pirates dfa’d him, he had to accept assignment to avoid losing his $1.525M contract. He opened in Indy, crushed the ball, then came to Pittsburgh at the end of April. He homered in each game of a doubleheader on his first day (one came against a position player), then went 1-for-26 and got sent back down. He kept mashing; on the season he was the main cog in Indy’s offense, batting 338/404/536 with 86 RBIs in just 103 games. That got him back to the majors for the month of September and hit 302/351/528, seldom striking out. Defensively . . . he’s hitting well.

Alika Williams, SS: The Pirates got Williams from Tampa Bay for Robert Stephenson, who naturally has since become one of the top relievers in baseball. Williams is a very good defensive player who’s never hit. In 36 games at Indianapolis, he became a different player entirely, batting 305/384/531, even connecting for seven home runs. In 46 games with the Pirates, he went back to not being able to hit.

Trying to Bash Their Way to the Majors

Nick Gonzales, 2B: Gonzales opened the season in Indy, then came to Pittsburgh from late June through the beginning of August. All that time, the concerns about his hitting remained: Even though he’s supposed to have an excellent hit tool, he swung and missed a ton and didn’t hit for average. His K rate through June was 28.9%. When he went back to Indy in August, though, he started hitting like the Pirates no doubt hoped. He hit 316/390/592, with a reduced K rate. The Pirates called him up when the AAA season ended and he figures to join a fierce competition at second base.

Canaan Smith-Njigba, OF: A product of the Jameson Taillon trade, the Pirates liked CSN for his patience and his raw power, but he’s been hampered by two problems: he takes so many pitches he gets in bad counts, and he hits far too many balls on the ground. He started the season with the Pirates and was overwhelmed, batting .125 with strikeouts in exactly half his ABs. He went to Indy at the end of April and stayed there. He was having a solid season until a red-hot September raised his line to 280/366/473. He’s getting the ball in the air more, as 15 longballs show. He did not get a September callup. It’s hard to see a path forward for CSN. He’s four years younger than Palacios and, despite the perception that he’s failed in the majors, he has only 44 major league plate appearances. But Palacios’ remarkable late-inning feats are in his way.

Malcom Nunez, 1B: Nunez this year just hasn’t shown the bat that led the Pirates to acquire him in the Jose Quintana trade. He missed about half the season with an injury, but he got 271 PAs in AAA and hit just 237/314/357. He’s still only 22 so things could change, but he went unclaimed in the Rule 5 draft last year and that won’t change this year.

Cal Mitchell, OF: Like CSN, Mitchell is a bat-first outfield prospect who’s struggled to get his offense to a high enough level. Unlike CSN, he’s had 237 plate appearances in the majors, so the failure to hit there means more. He spent almost all of this year in AAA, except for missing about six weeks with an injury. He hit decently, with a .748 OPS, but that wasn’t enough to keep the Pirates from dfa’ing him, or to lead any other team to claim him. He’ll be a free agent this fall.

Long-Time Organizational Players Trying to Make a Mark

Several players who’ve been with the Pirates quite some time — all are 26 now — saw a lot of action for Indy. 1B/2B Aaron Shackelford showed very good power at the mid-levels of the system, including 48 home runs between 2021 and 2022, but his 223/344/406 line with Indy was just decent. C Grant Koch was drafted as an offense-oriented catcher, but never hit at all until posting a respectable .708 OPS in 60 games with Indy this year. He only threw out eight of 69 base stealers. IF Josh Bissonette had a .600 OPS in 51 games. Koch has a year to go until free agency, the other two each have two.

Depth Pickups

The Pirates acquired OF Chavez Young from Toronto for Zach Thompson. He had a history of hitting adequately and, more importantly, was in the Jays’ organization when Ben Cherington was there. He split his season between Altoona and Indy and put up just a .597 OPS in AA and .692 in AAA. IF Domingo Leyba has been a bat-first infielder in various organizations. He missed some time with an injury. In 30 games with Altoona (he was too experienced for that level) he had a .903 OPS, then he put up a .753 OPS in 42 games for Indy. They’ll probably both move on. 3B Joe Perez was a more interesting pickup. He’s a former Astros’ second round draft pick and just turned 24. He’s generally been a solid hitter and totaled 20 home runs this year between three teams (Altoona, Indy and Houston’s AAA affiliate) and two levels. He raked for the Curve, then had an .830 OPS in nine games for Indy. He’s also eligible for minor league free agency.

PITCHERS

Indy’s 2023 pitching is heavily intertwined with the Pirates’ 2023 pitching. If you check the Pirates’ top 25 pitchers in total appearances, over half spent substantial time at Indianapolis. Some guys who spent a fair amount of time at Indy are gone, like Rob Zastryzny, Yohan Ramirez and Kent Emanuel. I doubt anybody’s dying to get a recap of how they did in AAA. Other guys almost certainly will be gone, like Wil Crowe, Chase De Jong, Duane Underwood, Jr., Daniel Zamora, and Caleb Smith. We can skip them, too.

The Big Prospects

Roansy Contreras, RHP: Contreras’ time at Indy wasn’t exactly comforting. He didn’t relocate his fastball velocity or his slider. Some of his numbers were fine: 1.19 WHIP, 3.0 BB/9, 2.33 opponents’ average. He had an 8.3 K/9, which doesn’t reflect the sort of stuff that made him such an exciting pitcher. His 4.96 ERA resulted largely from a serious gopher ball problem, one every four innings. He’s out of options.

Luis Ortiz, RHP: Like Contreras’, Ortiz’ time in AAA wasn’t reassuring. His control wasn’t good and the strikeouts weren’t what his stuff should produce: 4.3 BB/9, 8.6 K/9. He also got hit more than you’d expect, leading to a 1.39 WHIP and 4.61 ERA.

Quinn Priester, RHP: Priester had more success at Indy than the two above, but it was far from overwhelming. He had a 4.00 ERA, 1.33 WHIP, 3.9 BB/9 and 9.7 K/9. The numbers got skewed by a terrible month of April, when he had a 7.78 ERA. He pitched very well in May and June, and also in four starts when he was sent back down in mid-August.

Jared Jones, RHP: Jones, of course, started in AA and dominated. His 4.72 ERA in 16 games for Indy was nearly identical to his ERAs in 2021 and 2022, and like those seasons, his numbers reflected his outstanding stuff. His BB/9 and K/9 were good at 3.7 and 10.9. Opponents batted .240 against him, which is hardly alarming. He actually pitched very well except for a bad month in August, when opponents put up a .913 OPS against him. That number was .561 in four September starts. And Jones just turned 22.

Bullpen Depth

As you can imagine, a lot of relievers spent significant time in both Indy and Pittsburgh. Several, including LHP Jose Hernandez, and RHPs Dauri Moreta and Andre Jackson, were in Indy only briefly. (Hernandez and Jackson pitched well there, Moreta was really awful.) Some carved out roles, or at least seemed to do so, in the majors:

Angel Perdomo, LHP: With Indy, Perdomo looked like he always has, extremely hard to hit but a lot of walks. With the Pirates, he somehow got the BB/9 down to 3.4, while still doing all the other stuff, like whiffing tons of guys. We’ll just have to hope the elbow problem isn’t a big thing.

Carmen Mlodzinski, RHP: Mlodzinski pitched well but didn’t dominate in 20 AAA games, with a 3.04 ERA but a 1.43 WHIP. It’s been the same in the majors. His xFIP was a run higher than his ERA with Indy and it’s been two runs higher with the Pirates. He doesn’t have a ton of pro experience yet, and only a year as a reliever. His work for the Pirates has been encouraging, but he’s still probably a work in progress.

Ryan Borucki, LHP: After the Cubs cut him loose in May, Borucki went to Indy and allowed no runs in 8.1 IP, although he did walk six while striking out only four. With the Pirates he’s been really good, although some of it has been a .218 BABIP. Borucki was plagued by injuries while coming up through the minors as a starter. After moving to the bullpen, he was plagued by control problems. He seems to be getting a handle on the latter (0.9 BB/9 with the Pirates), so it’s not improbable that he could simply find himself at age 29.

Colin Selby, RHP: Selby has terrific stuff, shown by a 12.2 K/9 in AAA and 10.7 in 19 games with the Pirates. His command is definitely a work in progress; opponents in AAA managed only 19 hits in 30.1 IP, but he walked 22. With the Pirates, he’s gotten hit around at times, including gopher ball issues. He didn’t allow any of those with Indy. It’s worth remembering that 2021 was his Tommy John recovery year and he missed about half of 2022 with an injury. He hasn’t had a ton of time to get established.

Some other relievers are arguably still a little further from making a mark:

Cody Bolton, RHP: Bolton had a great month of April, with an 0.75 ERA and peripherals to match. Then he boarded the shuttle bus; he’s now on his seventh separate stint with the Pirates. You have to wonder whether that’s affected him. Overall, he’s put up very solid numbers in 34 Indy games: 3.86 ERA, 1.22 WHIP, 3.5 BB/9, 9.1 K/9. With the Pirates, he’s been very hittable.

Hunter Stratton, RHP: Stratton has generally had high K rates, usually well into double figures. He’s been undone all along by control problems. This year, after a very bad month of June, he suddenly started throwing strikes. He pitched himself into a spot in the majors and he’s done well for the Pirates so far. He’s almost 27, but it works that way with relievers some times.

Yerry De Los Santos, RHP: De Los Santos has had a strange season. After a terrible spring cost him what seemed like a lock for the big league bullpen, he went to Indy and was awful there. Awful like, a 6.12 ERA and 2.24 (!!!) WHIP. Oddly, in 22 games in the majors he has a 3.33 ERA, although his walk and K rates are bad. He was hurt at the end of last season, then went out for the year in mid-August this year, so I wonder whether health issues have been a factor. The Pirates could have dfa’d him at various points, but haven’t, so they must still think he can get back to where he was in 2022.

Kyle Nicolas, RHP: Nicolas made enough progress in Altoona that he moved up to Indy in mid-June. The problems with command continued, big-time, with him starting, so the Pirates moved him to the bullpen. In six starts with Indy, he had an ERA of 10.00, with 17 walks in 18 innings. In 17 relief appearances, 3.67 with 13 walks in 27 innings. That got him a callup, which got off to a shaky start but got better afterward.

Trying to Break Through

Max Kranick, RHP: Tommy John surgery kept Kranick out from early 2022 until mid-August of this year. After a couple outings for Bradenton, he made seven “starts” for Indy, totaling 16.1 IP. His velocity wasn’t back to the mid-90s level he was at before the injury, instead sitting around 92. He was effective, though, allowing just seven hits and six walks. He still has two options left.

Osvaldo Bido, RHP: Bido’s always had severe ups and downs. His stuff is good enough that he can dominate for significant periods of time, but sooner or later his command disappears and he struggles badly. He wasn’t pitching well for Indy when the Pirates called him up. In fact, in the four games before his callup, he’d allowed 15 earned runs in 20 innings. (In the three games before that, he’d allowed two earned runs in 16 innings.) After he went back down, he was used in one-inning outings, giving up just one run in seven and a third.

Depth Guys

Cam Alldred, LHP: Alldred looked in 2021-22 like he could be a depth option as a middle reliever. This year, though, he ended up in the Indy rotation for 17 starts, mainly because TBD was busy starting three times a week in Pittsburgh. Oddly, Alldred was far better as a starter, with a 4.44 ERA as opposed to 7.43 in 14 relief appearances. He was having a good season through June, but he had a 6.75 ERA from July on. His innings total was easily a pro high for him, so that could have been a factor.

John O’Reilly, RHP: O’Reilly was basically an innings-eater as a reliever for Indy. In 50 games and 69 innings, he gave up 90 hits and 34 walks, so that didn’t go well. In fact, he just got released.

J.C. Flowers, RHP: Flowers looked like a possible prospect as recently as last year, when he had a 2.88 ERA in relief for Altoona, but this year was a disaster. He had a 9.39 ERA, 2.28 WHIP, .996 opponents’ OPS . . . just all bad.