Pirates Farm Report: Charles McAdoo turning heads in Greensboro

Chuck is mashing with the ‘Hoppers!

Apologies for the lack of farm reports lately. Life at the radio station got a bit hectic with vacations and Indiana High making a run for the PIAA championship, but we’re back at it today.

The Pirates’ minor league affiliates return to action tonight and things look a lot different than in previous weeks.

AAA: Indianapolis Indians (29-38)

Indianapolis has had a mixed go of things lately, going 5-7 in their last 12 games entering today.

The Indians took two games from Columbus from June 4-9, then got their last three wins in consecutive order against Jacksonville June 13-15. The thing that really sticks out is how they were outscored 58-30 against the Clippers earlier this month. Considering they were mashing the ball pretty well entering the first full week of the month, it was a step or two back from where they performed in the first few months.

Outfielder and first baseman Matt Gorski leads the team with 13 home runs and a .879 OPS coming into this week. He has cooled off slightly over the month, hitting just .227 in 44 at-bats. To put it in perspective, he slashed .280/.308/.720 in May and is now slashing .227/.292/.500 this month. Granted, it’s still much better than most on the Pirates’ Triple-A affiliate, but it’s safe to say he’s returning back to form.

Fans could see the return of Joshua Palacios soon, though. He returned from a rehab assignment with Low-A Bradenton June 11 and is hitting .261 and collected at least two hits in three of his first six games back. Additionally, infielder Andres Alvarez is experiencing a successful June so far, hitting .260 with four home runs in 35 games.

The likelihood of a trip to Pittsburgh is low for Alvarez, though, unless Oneil Cruz, Jared Triolo and most of the team’s infield depth gets injured and the Pirates are well out of a playoff spot.

One bright spot has been Pirates No. 6 prospect RHP Braxton Ashcraft, who tossed six innings of one-run ball in his Triple-A debut June 13. He struck out four hitters, walked none and allowed three hits in the game as well.

Pay attention to how the Indians fare this week as they host the Iowa Cubs for six games at Victory Field.

AA: Altoona Curve (24-39)

Much like the weather in Pennsylvania, the Curve are red-hot this month, winning eight of their last 12 games.

Altoona won four games in each of their last two series against Richmond and Erie, respectively. Against Richmond, the Curve outscored the Flying Squirrels 13-6 from the fifth inning on in their four wins. Then, against Erie the following week, they outscored the Seawolves 17-7 in the same length.

That stretch headlined by a four-run, ninth-inning, walk-off comeback.

The biggest surprise for the Curve has been infielder Yoyner Fajardo, who was acquired from the Minnesota Twins for cash on June 4. In nine games with Altoona, Fajardo is slashing .323/.371/.355 with five RBI and three walks.

2019 first-round pick Sammy Siani has also started to gain traction at the plate, picking up a hit in 10 out of 13 games this month along with eight RBI.

One final player to keep an eye on is RHP Eddy Yean, who was acquired in the Josh Bell trade in 2019. In 22 games, spanning just over 36 innings, Yean is 5-1 with a 2.72 ERA with the Curve. Additionally, he’s allowed only 13 walks while striking out 31 hitters this season.

Can the Curve keep it going this week as they’re on the road against Bowie? Only time will tell.

A+: Greensboro Grasshoppers (36-26)

Greensboro continued their strong month, picking up seven wins in their last 12 games. Five of those wins came against Winston-Salem last week.

Much of the Grasshoppers’ success is due in part to outfielder Charles McAdoo, who is slashing .375/.474/.688 this month with an OPS of 1.162 in 48 at-bats. He’s second on the team with eight home runs, three of which came this month. McAdoo also has at least one hit in 11 of 13 games played this month.

Speaking of hot bats, catcher Nick Cimillo is dominating the competition in Greensboro. He enters this week hitting .318 with a team-leading 10 home runs and 32 RBI. He could join McAdoo on a trip to Altoona in the next few weeks.

Greensboro still leads the South Atlantic League-North standings and returns home this week for a six-game set against Hudson Valley.

A-: Bradenton Marauders (28-35)

June seems to be a friend of the Pirates’ minor league affiliates as the Low-A Marauders are also experiencing a hot streak entering this week.

Like their High-A counterpart, Bradenton has won seven of its last 12 games. Four of those wins came against Clearwater in the first full week of the month while the final three came last week against Dunedin.

Last year’s fourth-round pick Carlson Reed continued his hot streak on the mound, allowing no runs in 10 innings between his two starts so far this month. He’s also picked up 17 strikeouts and issued just two walks in that timeframe, making him one of the most feared arms in Low-A ball.

Reed carries a 4-2 record and 1.99 ERA into this week along with a 1.19 WHIP. Greensboro could come knocking soon for the 21-year-old hurler.

Meanwhile, last year’s 11th-round pick Magdiel Cotto is an under-the-radar bullpen arm for the Marauders this season. He’s 3-3 with a 1.82 ERA in 29.2 innings pitched this year with 29 strikeouts. The only real negative mark is the walk total as he’s allowed 20 free passes this season.

With confidence riding high, the Marauders welcome Lakeland to LECOM Park for a six-game series this week. Lakeland is the top team in the Florida State League West at 40-22, a 12-and-a-half game advantage over Bradenton.

That’s all for now. Check back next time for another Pirates Farm Report.