Pirates Minor League Report: Hernandez, Florentino Productive in Futures Game
The Pirates’ top two prospects appeared in the Futures Game at Citizens Bank Park on Sunday afternoon and performed well.
Hernandez threw a perfect second inning consisting of a pair of strikeouts and three triple-digit fastballs, the fastest of which was clocked at 101 mph. The 20-year-old needed just 14 pitches to get through his outing and threw 10 strikes.
Florentino, meanwhile, was responsible for the National League’s lone run in a 6-1 loss to the American League. The 19-year-old was hit by a pitch in his lone plate appearance and flashed his speed by stealing a base en route to touching home.
In addition to what transpired during the Futures Game, here are some other recent performances and trends worth noting in the organization.
Triple-A Indianapolis
Pirates outfield prospect Jhostynxon Garcia leads the International League with a .432 batting average this month, is second with a .543 on-base percentage and tied for fifth with 16 hits.
Infielder Enmanuel Valdez has reached base safely in 12 straight games and is batting .354 with three doubles, five home runs and 15 RBIs during that streak.
Left-hander Connor Wietgrefe allowed just one hit in a career-high eight innings and struck out a career-high eight batters against Toledo on Sunday. Over his last two starts, the 24-year-old is 2-0 with a 0.69 ERA.
Double-A Altoona
Callan Moss finally saw his 15-game on-base streak come to an end on Sunday, but the first base prospect hit .393 with three doubles, two home runs and 10 RBIs during that stretch.
Right-hander Kyle Robinson, who was acquired from the Athletics for infielder Alika Williams in May, earned his first win for the Curve in his second start with the team. The 22-year-old allowed one run and had six strikeouts across six innings against Richmond on Saturday.
High-A Greensboro
There might not be a hotter hitter on the planet than Pirates infield prospect Sammy Stafura, who homered in four straight games from July 7-10 after also doing so from June 30-July 3. Yes, he’s homered eight times over his last 10 games and ranks first among all minor league players this month with 23 RBIs and is tied for first with seven home runs in nine games.
Outfielder Brian Sanchez is batting .367 and ranks seventh among all full-season minor league players with a .900 slugging percentage in July. The 22-year-old has seven extra-base hits — including four home runs — and seven RBIs this month.
Infielder Murf Gray leads the South Atlantic League with 15 home runs, fourth with 36 RBIs, third with a .610 slugging percentage and fifth with a .991 OPS since making his Greensboro debut on May 19.
Low-A Bradenton
Right-hander Adolfo Oviedo hasn’t allowed a run across eight innings of relief (four appearances) so far this month. The 21-year-old got the win against Fort Myers on Sunday and improved his season record to 7-0, including a 3-0 showing this month.
Pirates left-handed pitching prospect Reinold Navarro struck out eight and allowed two runs on one hit with three walks in 5.1 innings on Sunday. The 21-year-old ranks second in the Florida State League with 92 strikeouts (in 55 innings) this season.
More about:Pirates Farm System