Pirates Prospect Daily: Park Shows Power, Burrows Scoreless IP

It was certainly a unique day for the Pittsburgh Pirates farm system and their prospects Saturday evening as Pittsburgh’s pitching prospect Mike Burrows took the mound for the National League in the Futures Game. The Pirates’ 10th-ranked prospect, according to MLB Pipeline, tossed a scoreless inning which included a strikeout.

miKe burrows pic.twitter.com/pIEO3TgAeT

— Young Bucs (@YoungBucsPIT) July 17, 2022

Here are some of the top performers from Saturday down on the farm:

Indianapolis Indians 

Tucupita Marcano

• Game: 1 for 3, one double, one run, two walks
• Season with Triple-A: .263/.417/.316, one double, five walks, three runs, five games

Hoy Park

• Game: 2 for 4, one home run, one double, one RBI, one run
• Season with Triple-A: .237/.373/.345, six doubles, three home runs, 14 RBIs, 43 games

A pair of Pirates prospects who have already made their way to Pittsburgh made the biggest impact in the lineup. Although the Indians lost 4-2 to the Columbus Clippers, both Marcano and Park had strong performances at the plate. Marcano’s keen eye has been a welcomed development, and Park displayed his power potential with a pair of extra-base hits, including a long ball.

Altoona Curve:

Quinn Priester

• Game: 5.1 innings, two hits, two walks, three strikeouts
• Season with Double-A Altoona: 1-1, 2.11 ERA (5er/21.1ip), 18 hits, six walks, 21 strikeouts, five games/five starts

Connor Scott

• Game: 0 for 2, sacrifice fly, one RBI, one walk
• Season with Double-A Altoona: .253/.319/.378, 14 doubles, three triples, two home runs, 25 RBIs, 66 games

Arguably the Pirates’ top pitching prospect, Priester had an impressive outing on the mound for the Curve. Since returning from the injured list, the 2019 first-round draft pick has looked good in his five starts with Altoona. The Curve won the game over the Richmond Flying Squirrels, and Scott was the man responsible for driving in the lone run.

Greensboro Grasshoppers

Endy Rodriguez

• Game: 1 for 3, one double, one walk
• Season with High-A Greensboro: .276/.362/.474, 21 doubles, three triples, nine home runs, 42 RBIs, 75 games

Mike Jarvis

• Game: 1 for 3, one run, one RBI, two walks
• Season with High-A Greensboro: .167/.219/.400, one double, two homeruns, six RBIs, eight games

Rodriguez, the sixth-best Pirates prospect according to Pipeline, continued his strong season with the Grasshoppers. While they fell 6-2, Rodriguez did what he did best — roped an extra-base hit and got on base. His 21st double of the year is tied for second in the South Atlantic League. Jarvis, a recent promotion to Greensboro, showcased the ability that made him a sixth-round draft pick a season ago.

Bradenton Marauders

Po-Yu Chen

• Game: 6.0 innings, five hits, one walk, five strikeouts
• Season with Low-A Bradenton: 2-6, 4.84 ERA (36er/67ip), 59 hits, 27 walks, 75 strikeouts, 15 games/15 starts

Wyatt Hendrie

• Game: 2 for 4, one double
• Season with Low-A Bradenton: .232/.331/..359, five doubles. two triples, three home runs, 11 RBIs, 47 games

Backed by a strong performance on the mound from Chen, the Marauders squeaked out a 4-3 win over the Jupiter Hammerheads. Chen has pitched better than his ERA shows as evident by his 3.40 FIP, and that continued on Saturday. Hendrie, the battery mate of Chen, had a successful night at the plate thanks to a pair of hits, including a double.