Pirates Minor League Report

Feb 13, 2014; Bradenton, FL, USA; A freshly painted logo adorns at wall at Pirate City before the Pittsburgh Pirates first spring training workout. Mandatory Credit:

-USA TODAY Sports

We begin our look at the Pirates Minor League system at the AAA level. The Indianapolis Indians, of the International League Western Division, play their home games at Victory Field in Indianapolis. The park is a five and a half hour drive from PNC Park. While it features a beautiful view of the city, the bigger highlight is the product on the field. I personally recommend a visit, as it is well worth the drive, to watch these future Pirates.

The Indians currently sit in second place in the Western division with a record of 12 wins and 10 losses. The Columbus Clippers are leading with an 11-9 record. Third place at the moment would be the Toledo Mud Hens at 9-10, with the Louisville Bats 8-13 rounding out the final spot in the division.

Steve Lombardozzi, who was featured in Jacob’s post earlier this month, leads the team in many hitting categories. In 66 at bats, Steve is carrying a .375 Batting Average/.444 On Base Percentage/.500 Slugging along with an OPS of .944. He also leads the team in hits with 27, 9 doubles and 36 total bases. He is second on the team with 11 RBI’s. Steve has appeared in the Outfield, 3rd Base, 2nd Base and Shortstop.

Deibinson Romero, who came over from the Twins AAA team in Rochester, is on fire at the plate. In just 46 at bats, He is hitting .320/.463/.640 and an OPS of 1.103. He leads the way with 4 Home Runs, 13 walks and 14 RBI’s. His primary position is 3rd base. He was initially signed just to provide some depth at the 3rd base position for the Pirates organization but so far he is making a name for himself.

Gorkys Hernandez,  a player that has experienced a short stint in the Majors, is producing on offense. While gathering the 2nd most at bats, 75, he is hitting .293/.398/.400 and an OPS of .798. He is tied for the team lead in Walks with 13. Gorkys has started every game in Centerfield so far this season.

Pedro Florimon, another player who has spent time on a Major League roster and battled for a spot on the Major League roster in spring training, has been performing well at Indy. He has appeared in only 14 games and is hitting .318/.354/.432. In the field, he has been mainly playing Shortstop.

Alen Hanson has posted the most at bats for the team with 77. He has scattered 18 hits but has also struck out 18 times. He is currently hitting .234/.289/.260 and an OPS of .549. In the field, he has been playing 2nd base.

Jose Tabata, yes he is still with the organization and performing at a mediocre level. He is hitting .255/.327/.298 with an OPS of .625. In 47 at bats, he has just 12 hits.

Brent Morel has also been struggling at the plate. He is hitting a dismal .140/.259/.260. In 50 at bats, he has only 7 hits and has struck out 17 times. Morel has seen action in the field at 3rd base and 1st base.

Hunter Morris has seen the most action at first base with 15 appearances. He has had 59 at bats and currently leads the team in strikeouts with 24. If the Pirates eventually send Andrew Lambo back down, we could only hope he can produce better numbers at this position for Indy.

Jaff Decker battled for the Pirates final bench spot before heading to the DL. Once activated and assigned to AAA, Jaff has appeared in 7 games. It was recently announced by the team that he has been placed on the DL at Indy now as he continues to battle injury.

Wilfredo Boscan has thrown 24 innings, and has a 1.50 ERA thru 4 starts. He has only collected 1 win so far this season.

Nick Kingham has had 5 starts and currently has a 4.85 ERA and has a 1-2 record. He leads the team with 29 K’s.

Adrian Sampson is second on the team with 24 K’s after 4 starts. His ERA sits at 3.22 while he holds a record of 0-3.

John Holdzkom has appeared in 9 games and has only 1 save. He has struckout 12 batters and walked 10 while currently holding an ERA of 5.40.

Blake Wood has also appeared in 9 games and has recorded 6 saves while striking out 14 batters. He is currently carrying a 2.08 ERA.

Next, we make hay as we mow our way down to AA.

Next: Watch Out For the Curve