Down on the farm is a new, recurring notebook highlighting the past week of baseball throughout the Pirates minor league system. Below are the most notable takeaways from each of the club’s four minor league teams.
Top performer: Henry Davis, C
After stumbling in his first week back in Triple-A, Davis has been on an absolute tear against minor league pitching in the past few weeks. Entering Monday, he was hitting .366 (15-for-41) with six home runs and 12 RBIs in his last 11 games. The 2021 first overall pick had hit safely in nine of his past 10 games. Davis hit three home runs last week, earning the praise of many, including Pirates general manager Ben Cherington.
"He's gone down there with a purpose and, not surprisingly, he's working hard,” Cherington said. “Defensive side of the game has remained solid, in a similar place to where it was here. Obviously, as you can see, the offensive performance has been strong. We're seeing progress, even aside from the OPS and what the surface results look like. We're seeing progress in the specific area he's been attacking down there."
Team of the week: Altoona Curve
While victories of any kind have been difficult to come by for Double-A Altoona. However, last week was an exception, as the Curve tallied five victories in their six contests. Altoona won four-straight games against the Erie Seawolves, their longest win streak on the year. The Curve took four of six games in Erie to earn their first series victory in over a month.
Records
Triple-A Indianapolis: 23-25 (Sixth place in International League’s West division)
Double-A Altoona: 14-31 (Last place in Eastern League’s Southwest division)
High-A Greensboro: 26-19 (First place in South Atlantic League’s North Division)
Single-A Bradenton: 20-25 (Fourth place in Florida State League’s West Division)
FCL Pirates (Rookie): 11-4 (Second place in Florida Complex League’s South Division)
Starting nine
1. Matt Gorski (Triple-A, OF): Gorski has been arguably more dominant than Davis in recent weeks, hitting .333 with seven homers and 21 RBIs in his last 11 games. Four of those homers came in the past week.
2. Quinn Priester (Triple-A, SP): Priester delivered his best MiLB start of the season Sunday, throwing seven shutout, one-hit innings. The 23-year-old righty hit a batter, issued one walk and struck out three.
3. Seth Beer (Double-A, 1B): Beer led the charge for Altoona in its series victory, going 8-for-26 (.308) at the plate with a pair of home runs and four RBIs.
4. Tsung-Che Cheng (Double-A, SS): Cheng also had a big series in Erie, going 7-for-20 with a home run and four RBIs in six games. A 22-year-old shortstop, Cheng is rated the Pirates’ No. 8 prospect by MLB Pipeline.
5. Jase Bowen (Double-A, OF): The plate struggles have continued for Bowen, the Pirates’ No. 19 prospect per MLB Pipeline. A 23-year-old outfielder, Bowen tallied just two hits last week, dropping his batting average to .205 on the season.
6. Patrick Reilly (High-A, SP): Reilley was stellar on the mound Friday for High-A Greensboro, tossing five no-hit innings. Rated the Pirates’ No. 21 prospect by MLB Pipeline, Reilly is 2-3 with a 4.95 ERA this season.
7. Mitch Jebb (High-A, SS): Rated the Pirates’ No. 7 prospect by MLB Pipeline, Jebb has remained ice cold at the plate, tallying just three hits in his last eight games. A 22-year-old shortstop, Jebb is hitting just .189 this season for High-A Greensboro.
8. Khristian Curtis (Low-A, SP): Curtis delivered his best start of the season Saturday, striking out nine batters in five innings of one-run ball. A 22-year-old righty, Curtis is 0-2 with a 5.29 ERA in eight starts this season for Low-A Bradenton.
9. Jhonny Severino (Rookie, SS): Severino had one of the hottest weeks throughout the entire Florida Complex league, going 4-for-12 with three home runs and six RBIs in his last four games. Rated the Pirates’ No. 25 prospect by MLB Pipeline, Severino is a 19-year-old shortstop the club acquired from the Brewers last season in exchange for Carlos Santana.
Noah Hiles: nhiles@post-gazette.com and @_NoahHiles on X
First Published: May 27, 2024, 5:32 p.m.
