Pirates Prospect Watch: Priester Dazzles, Rodriguez Stays Red-Hot

Another edition of Pirates Prospect Watch as we will again be highlighting the top performers from the top four minor league affiliates of the Pirates. For a pair of Pittsburgh’s top prospects, it was a similar story of strong play. Here are some notable performances from Sunday.

Indianapolis Indians

INF Tucupita Marcano

Game: 3 for 4, one double, one homerun, two RBIs, one run

Season: .273/.360/.360, 10 doubles, two triples, three homers, 16 RBIs, five steals, 40 games

RHP Osvaldo Bido

Game: two innings, one hit, no runs, three strikeouts

Season: 1-6, 5.37 ERA, 65.1 innings, 65 strikeouts, 42 walks, 21 games/16 starts

Marcano paced the Indians’ offense in their 5-3 win over St. Paul with three hits, including a homer, from the leadoff spot. Marcano could find playing time again in Pittsburgh before season’s end. Bido made his first relief appearance for Indianapolis since June and looked strong.

Altoona Curve

RHP Quinn Priester

Game: six innings, three hits, one unearned run, one walk, eight strikeouts

Season: 1-1, 1.65 ERA, 27.1 innings, seven walks, 29 strikeouts, six starts

C/DH Blake Sabol

Game: 2 for 4, one homerun, two RBIs, one run, one walk

Season: .261/.339/.466, 13 doubles, three triples, 12 homeruns, 47 RBIs, eight steals, 72 games

Priester continued his dominance on the mound for Altoona with another masterful outing in its 3-2 victory over Harrisburg. The 2019-first-rounder has shown why is considered to be arguably the Pirates’ top pitching prospect. On the offensive side of things, Sabol continued his strong season with his 12th home run as he extended his hitting streak to seven games.

Greensboro Grasshoppers 

C Endy Rodriguez

Game: 4 for 5, two homeruns, three RBIs, two runs

Season: .285/.370/.518, 21 doubles, three triples, 13 homeruns, 49 RBIs, 78 games

C/DH Eli Wilson

Game: 4 for 5, one homerun, four RBIs, two runs

Season: .232/.330/.374, two doubles, four homers, 12 RBIs, 30 games

The Grasshoppers may have lost the game 10-9 to Hickory, but both Rodriguez and Wilson enjoyed four-hit performances. For the second straight game, Rodriguez blasted a pair of homers as he is playing his way into potentially earning a promotion to Altoona. Wilson set a season-high with four runs driven in.

Bradenton Marauders 

RHP Po-Yu Chen

Game: five innings, three hits, two runs, one walk, six strikeouts

Season: 2-6, 4.75 ERA, 72 innings, 28 walks, 81 strikeouts, 16 starts

INF Tsung-Che Cheng

Game: 1 for 4, two RBIs, one walk

Season: .239/.325/.379, 12 doubles, five triples, four homeruns, 30 RBIs, 18 steals, 64 games

Chen continued his strong July with another strong start. In four games this month, Chen has posted a 3.26 ERA in 19.1 innings with 20 strikeouts. The Marauders’ offense was mostly quiet in their 3-2 loss to Clearwater, but Cheng was on base twice and drove in a pair of runs.