Pirates Minor League Report: Seth Hernandez Rolling With Greensboro, First to Hit Century Mark
Top Pirates pitching prospect Seth Hernandez’s dominance briefly disappeared after a promotion to High-A Greensboro, but last year’s first-round draft pick is once again performing like a potential star.
Hernandez struck out seven and allowed one run in five innings for the Grasshoppers against Rome on Friday and got the win, his second victory in as many starts. Hernandez also became the first pitcher in the minor leagues this season to reach 100 strikeouts.
The 20-year-old finished June by going 2-0 with a 2.49 ERA in five starts. He totaled 21.2 innings, allowed 15 hits, walked 10, struck out 32 and held opponents to a .195 batting average.
After going 3-0 with a 0.96 ERA with Low-A Bradenton prior to getting promoted on May 12, Hernandez is now 3-1 with a 2.88 ERA in eight starts with Greensboro in the hitter-friendly South Atlantic League.
An organization that has already developed high-quality starters such as Paul Skenes and Braxton Ashcraft, Hernandez looks destined to be another top starting pitcher in the big leagues for the Pirates.
Here are some other recent performances and trends worth noting in the organization.
Triple-A Indianapolis
Catching prospect Rafael Flores Jr. went 4 for 12 with two doubles and five RBI this week. The 25-year-old has a .250/.438/.396 batting line this month with four doubles, a home run and 10 RBI in 15 games between Indianapolis and a brief stint with Pittsburgh.
Right-handed reliever Hunter Stratton, who was acquired from the Braves for catcher Joey Bart on June 18, hasn’t allowed a run or a hit in four innings across three appearances since rejoining the organization.
Double-A Altoona
Outfielder Lonnie White Jr. is riding a 20-game on-base streak and is batting .273 with an .872 OPS, five doubles, one triple, three home runs and 12 RBI during that stretch. White is slashing .279/.384/.515 in 38 games since he was promoted to Altoona.
Catcher Derek Berg has had a sizzling month of June in which he’s hit .339 (20 for 59) with an .841 OPS in 17 games. His .299 batting average on the season is second among catchers in the Eastern League with at least 100 at-bats.
Infielder Jack Brannigan, who was briefly up with the Pirates during the team’s most recent homestand, has hit four homers over his last eight games, pushing his home run total to eight in 33 games with the Curve this season.
High-A Greensboro
Another promotion might be in order for infielder Murf Gray, who is batting .345 with a 1.091 OPS, six doubles, seven home runs and 15 RBI this month. Gray, who was promoted to Greensboro on May 19, ranks second in the South Atlantic League in slugging (.667), is tied for second in home runs and fifth in batting average in June.
Pirates infield prospect Yordany De Los Santos has reached base safely in 28 straight games. During that time, the 21-year-old is batting .283 with a .924 OPS, nine doubles, one triple, seven home runs and 29 RBI. He’s tied for third in the league this month with 23 RBI.
Easton Carmichael continues to emerge as an intuiting catching prospect in the organization. He’s riding a 17-game on-base streak and is batting a stellar .342 (25 for 73) with five doubles, two homers and 15 runs driven in during that time.
Low-A Bradenton
Left-handed pitching prospect Reinold Navarro struck out a career-high 10 batters in just four innings while allowing one run on Saturday against Palm Beach. Navarro is 4-1 with a 2.03 ERA and has 76 strikeouts in 44.1 innings this season.
Infielder Eddie Rynders extended his on-base streak to 17-games. He’s hitting .339 with a 1.173, two doubles, one triple, six home runs and 11 RBI over the length of that streak. Rynders ranks third in the league in slugging (.662), is tied for third in home runs (six) and is fifth in OPS (1.080) in June.
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