Players I'd Promote in the Pirates' System
Players I'd Promote in the Pirates' System
Upward movement has to start . . . moving . . . doesn't it?
With the minor league season about half over for most leagues, we’ve reached a point where you start seeing some promotions in most years. I thought I’d list the players who seem to be top candidates now. Of course, we can’t see what the coaches are seeing, so this exercise is admittedly not based on a full data review.
I’m also not trying to do a 1-for-1. Everybody moving up has to be replaced, and everybody arriving has to have a place to take. I’m operating on the assumption that the Pirates can move some organizational types around to fill out the rosters. At the upper levels, there are, unfortunately, a lot of guys with Indianapolis and Altoona who could be released without consequence.
I’ve added links to bb-ref rather than list all the players’ stats.
FCL Pirates
The Pirates just promoted Miguel Sosa to Bradenton, a move that seemed overdue. But there are some other candidates.
Yordany De Los Santos: De Los Santos is mashing again, like he did in a brief stay in the FCL last year. He was overmatched in 38 games in the Florida State League last year, but I’m not sure what else he can accomplish in rookie ball.
Carlos Caro: Caro was older than the norm when he signed — he’ll be 20 in November — but he has an advanced approach at the plate. He generally takes a big cut, but he tones it down to avoid strikeouts (a throwback!). The approach seems to work, as he’s hitting over .300 with decent power, and his strikeout and walk totals have stayed about the same this year. It’d be nice to give him a look at a higher level so he doesn’t get sidetracked with concerns about being old for his levels.
I wouldn’t promote Jhonny Severino just yet, although I probably would after the FCL season ends in late July. He only got into 15 games last year due to a broken hamate, so it’s not like he’s repeating the level. I also wouldn’t promote Richard Ramirez for the time being, as the swing-and-miss is getting out of hand.
There aren’t any pitchers I’d promote now. (Of course, somebody is bound to get promoted to Bradenton to fill in due to injuries and/or other promotions.) Zander Mueth is the team’s top pitching prospect, and overall, he’s having a good year, but his control still comes and goes. He could be a candidate for a few late-season appearances with the Marauders, as could Carlos Castillo. That’s what they did with Michael Kennedy last year. David Matoma is on the IL-7 now, but if he weren’t, I wouldn’t have promoted him because his secondary stuff needs work.
Bradenton
It’s not that easy to find promotion candidates on the Marauders. “Uneven” is the best way to describe the track records of nearly all their players. This is a team that leads the league in home runs but stands next-to-last in OPS and runs.
Omar Alfonzo: Probably the one position player I’d consider promoting now, Alfonzo’s been very solid at the plate. The swing-and-miss is too high, like just about every hitter with the Marauders; they easily lead the league in whiffs. They need to start getting some separation with their low-level catchers, as they have quite a few who are showing some promise. Shawn Ross is having a crazy three-true-outcomes season at Greensboro and his backup, Geovanny Planchart, has been one of the team’s best hitters when he’s gotten to play. The Pirates have Axiel Plaz and the currently injured Garret Forrester at Bradenton as well as Ramirez and Luke Scherrer in the FCL. The scouting reports for pretty much all of these guys say they need to upgrade their receiving and I don’t see how that happens without them getting regular, in-game experience.
At some point, the Pirates should consider promoting Javier Rivas. He’s had such a blistering hot June that, after a nightmarish April (.090) and not-much-better May, his OPS is up around league average. And the glove is his carrying tool. I’d want to be sure it wasn’t just one hot month.
The Marauders’ pitching staff presents similar issues. Most of the starters have shown ability, but their performances have been uneven. The closest would be Carlson Reed, who’s having a very good season. His control still comes and goes, though, which led to a second-inning exit from his July 2 start.
Mike Walsh: A ninth-round 2022 pick from Yale, Walsh missed over a month early this season, but he’s been lights-out in 11 relief appearances since returning. He’s 23 and ought to be able to handle the next level.
Greensboro
The most obvious guy here, Charles McAdoo, has already moved up. The ostensible top prospects, Termarr Johnson, Jack Brannigan, Lonnie White, Jr., and Mitch Jebb, are having poor to middling seasons. Still, there are a couple of guys who deserve a shot.
Nick Cimillo: Cimillo is hitting even better than McAdoo was. A 16th-round draft pick, he doesn’t have the top prospect aura, but the point of the farm system is to find talent for the majors, not to have guys settle in as organizational players. Cimillo is 24 now, and he’s always hit a ton when the Pirates let him on the field. It seems like a good time to determine whether he can keep moving forward.
Shawn Ross: Signed out of independent ball as an infielder, Ross is now a catcher and having probably the strangest season in the system. As of July 2, 61% of his plate appearances have resulted in a walk, strikeout, or home run. He’s barely had a peek above the Mendoza line, but he’s leading the SAL in home runs and is among the leaders in OPS. The Pirates are playing him more often than Planchart, who’s having a good season, so they must think there’s a real possibility. Ross will be 25 at the end of September, so like Cimillo, they should give him a chance.
The Hoppers’ pitching staff is where it gets really interesting, because . . . LEFTIES! For a system that’s had a near-void under the LHP column for ages, Greensboro suddenly became Lefty Central. Two lefty relievers, Luis Peralta and Jaden Woods, already moved up. Woods’ first few games in AA were a bit rough, but Peralta picked up right where he left off, which was dominating. It’d be nice to see him get some AAA time this year. Relievers develop unpredictably, so he might be able to help the Pirates soon. Plus, he’ll be eligible for minor league free agency after this season, so the Pirates will have to make a roster decision on him regardless.
Hunter Barco: Even rarer for the Pirates — a lefty starter. Barco’s in his first full season following Tommy John surgery as a college junior. He’s put up strong numbers across the board. Most impressive, given the home park: three home runs allowed in 57 innings.
Cy Nielson: This is Nielson’s second season in the Greensboro bullpen. It’s been a major improvement, mainly because his control has improved.
Dominic Perachi: Last year, Perachi wasn’t impressive as a starter with Bradenton, but he suddenly took off with a move to relief. Now he’s starting again and still pitching very well. He got into three games for Altoona a couple of months ago when they were shorthanded. The first two were shaky, but he threw four one-hit innings in the third one but got sent back down. With a 0.89 WHIP for the Hoppers, it seems like he could try it again.
I’m going to stop here. Decisions on whether to promote from Altoona are more complicated than just looking at performance. The ultimate path to the majors probably plays a big role. That’ll especially come into play with Bubba Chandler, who could theoretically follow the Jared Jones path in 2025.
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Sorry I missed this yesterday. The FCL is absolutely loaded and I would not hesitate to promote both Jhonny Severino and YDLS. Severino did not get his feet on the ground with the Pirates in '23 due to being part of the trade from Milwaukee at the deadline for Santana. A glance at the '24 stats in the FCL show that Severino leads the FCL with 10 HR, and is 3rd overall in OPS. YDLS is probably also in the Top 10 for OPS, but not sure about HR's. Also between the two, Severino also has the better BB/K rate. However, unlike most Pirate prospects he hits a lot better than he fields, and he should be a perfect candidate for a lot of intense fielding instruction at A and after the season ends if he stays in the IF. He has footspeed and a strong arm - could he be a candidate for CF?
You indicated that Rivas should be promoted - I would disagree. He is a gifted fielder at both SS and 3B, but his bat has lagged at the A level. He has cut down on his K's, but only from 39% in '23 to now 31.7% in '24, and it is not because he is a power hitter in game play. None of that gives me a warm and fuzzy that he will be able to hit better at A+. That said, he will turn 22 on Sep 1, and both Severino and YDLS are legit 19 year olds, and both hit much better than Rivas at this point. Time to fish or cut bait!
I’d promote Matoma(when healthy) and Severino from the complex to Bradenton
(Bradenton could use help at 3B).
From Bradenton, I’d promote Forrester(when healthy), Landon Tomkins(when healthy) and Mike Walsh(like you wrote). Also, if Terrero gets even a little bit hot, I’d promote him.
Form Greensboro’s I’d promote, Cimillo, Barco, Perachi, Neilson and Hilson(Altoona is in desperate need of a backup RHH OF).
From Altoona, I’d promote Sean Sullivan(when healthy).
I would also like to see Isaias Dipre and Cristian Jauregui stateside in the complex.