Pirates Minor League Report: Hunter Barco Earns Triple-A Promotion

Pirates’ left-handed pitching prospect Hunter Barco received a promotion to Triple-A Indianapolis on Saturday, May 3 after extending an Altoona Curve franchise record. Barco began his season with 25.2 consecutive scoreless innings, the best mark in Curve history, fanning 34 batters in that span and never even allowing a runner past second base.

Other top pitching prospects to make an impact last week include a trio of Triple-A pitchers: Bubba Chandler, the No. 1 overall prospect in the Pirates’ system, who struck out nine batters across five innings of one-run ball on an efficient 71 pitches; Thomas Harrington, who allowed two runs in five innings on Tuesday, April 29 before getting blown up for five runs in five innings to end the week, and Braxton Ashcraft, who struck out six batters in six innings on Friday, May 2.

Wilber Dotel and Po-Yu Chen each allowed just one earned run on the week for Altoona. Dotel hit double digits, fanning ten batters in six innings, while an error from Pirates’ trade acquisition Spencer Horwitz charged Chen with a trio of unearned runs. The 23-year-old right-hander, proud owner of a 2.82 ERA in 22.1 innings this season, struck out four batters across 5.2 innings. Flame throwing 19-year-old David Matoma served up three scoreless innings in relief across his second and third appearances in Single-A, striking out four batters in that time, while Garrett McMillan added five scoreless innings in his start on Tuesday, April 29, striking out eight.

Pirates’ Position Player Prospects

At the plate, Jack Brannigan and Esmerlyn Valdez hit two home runs apiece for Altoona and Greensboro, respectively, while No. 16 ranked infield prospect Yordany De Los Santos did them one better, clearing the fences three times in Bradenton.

Sammy Siani, who began the season in a funk, began to turn things around at the plate, hitting two triples on April 29 (along with a walk and a stolen base) before ending his week with a three-hit game.

Nick Yorke, similarly, caught fire as the calendar flipped to May, picking up eight hits in four days, two home runs among them. Malcom Nuñez went 6-for-14 with three walks and two doubles on the week for Indianapolis, while 2024 first round pick Konnor Griffin notched a pair of two-hit games, homering in the first and doubling in the second.

The ball was sailing in Greensboro, as per usual. Shortstop prospect Javier Rivas went 2-for-4 with a homer on May 1; catcher Axiel Plaz ended a triple shy of the cycle on May 3, and Maikol Escotto went a perfect 4-for-4 with three doubles in the first game of a Sunday doubleheader for the Grasshoppers.