Pirates Minor League Report: Khristian Curtis Shines in Triple-A Debut
The Pittsburgh Pirates promoted one of their better pitching prospects, Khristian Curtis, to Triple-A Indianapolis, and the right-hander had a stellar debut.
Curtis threw 5.2-scoreless innings against Columbus on Friday and matched a career-high 10 strikeouts. The 24-year-old allowed just one hit, walked two batters and earned his first win of the season.
Curtis, a 12th-round pick of the Pirates in 2023, began the season with Double-A Altoona, where he went 0-7 with a 4.73 ERA in 12 starts. Over his last four outings dating back to his time with the Curve, Curtis has a 1.33 ERA with 27 strikeouts in 20.1 innings and has held opponents to a .147 batting average against.
Here are some other recent performances and trends worth noting in the organization.
Triple-A Indianapolis
Right-handed pitcher Beau Burrows continues to push for a spot in a struggling Pirates’ bullpen. Over his last 14 appearances, Burrows is 2-0 with a 2.84 ERA, a .138 batting average against and a 0.68 WHIP.
José Urquidy, who pitched out of Pittsburgh’s bullpen to begin the year, has won four of his last five starts and has a 2.63 ERA during that stretch. The right-hander posted an 8.53 ERA in five appearances with the Pirates earlier in the season.
After not hitting his first home run of the season until May 30, second baseman Termarr Johnson hit his third home run this month on Sunday against Columbus. Johnson drove in five runs this week for Indianapolis.
Double-A Altoona
First base prospect Callan Moss continued his torrid June by collecting multiple hits in four of his six games played this week, including a 4-for-4 performance against Chesapeake on Sunday. Moss has an Eastern League-leading seven doubles in June, ranks third this month in hits (16) and is 10th with a .348 batting average.
Infielder Javier Rivas extended his hitting streak to five games and is batting .400 (8 for 20) with a double, two triples, and five RBI during that stretch.
Right-handed pitching prospect Matt Ager delivered a career-high six innings in a quality start for the Curve on Thursday. His 2.96 ERA since he was promoted to Altoona on May 12 is ninth in the Eastern League.
High-A Greensboro
Catcher Easton Carmichael continues to emerge for the slugging Grasshoppers. A third-round pick in last year’s draft, Carmichael is batting .389 (14 for 36) with a .911 OPS, a home run and nine RBI during his eight-game hitting streak.
Catcher Axiel Plaz (concussion) returned from the injured list on June 10 and recorded a home run, a double and three RBI in three games. Plaz ranks second in the South Atlantic League with a .331 batting average and is fourth with a .979 OPS.
Right-hander Kyle Robinson, who was acquired from the Athletics for infielder Alika Williams last month, struck out a career-high nine batters in five innings against Wilmington on Friday. His 16 strikeouts this month are the fifth-most in the league.
Low-A Bradenton
Several Pirates pitching prospects have been performing well for Bradenton, including lefty Reinold Navarro, who is 2-0 with a 1.10 ERA and 29 strikeouts in 16.1 innings over his last five appearances. Navarro’s 42 strikeouts ranks second among Florida State League relievers.
Right-hander Adolfo Oviedo is 4-0 with a 0.81 ERA over his last 11 appearances, and fellow righty Cesar Aquino has a 0.69 ERA over his last seven outings.
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