Recapping the 2017 Bristol Pirates

(Photo by Leon Halip/Getty Images)
(Photo by Leon Halip/Getty Images) /
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Taking a look at the Pittsburgh Pirates Appalachian League affiliate, the Bristol Pirates, and how they did this season.

Bristol had a rocky season. They went 17-49, finishing last in the West division.  The mark was the worst in the league as well.

Hitters

Left fielder Edison Lantigua was Bristol’s best hitter for average at a .307 with four home runs and 18 RBI. He scored a team-best 28 runs. Lantigua stole eight bases, second highest on the team as well.

Melvin Jimenez was Bristol’s second highest average hitter at .280. Accompanying that was no home runs and 20 RBI.

Henry Rosario led the team in homers with five, while hitting .327 in 33 games. He earned a call-up to West Virginia.

Johan De Jesus led the  Bristol Pirates in RBIs with 26, hitting .214 with a pair of homers.

Right fielder Luis Benitez flashed some speed for the  Bristol Pirates this season. Benitez swiped 14 bags against six caught stealing.

Pitchers

Domingo Robles had a notable season for the  Bristol Pirates. He went 4-8, leading the team in wins. He had a 4.83 ERA in 14 starts. Robles 51 strikeouts ranked tied for first on the team with Evan Piechota.

Piechota was the best  Bristol Pirates pitcher in both ERA and WHIP. His ERA was at 2.95 in 16 games, with seven of those being starts.  He was promoted to West Virginia and pitched one inning for the Black Bears.

Max Kranick pitched started a pair of games for Bristol after his promotion. He went 1-0 with a 2.31 ERA in 11.2 innings pitched.

Next: Pirates Swept by the Reds

Prospects

Four of Pittsburgh’s top 30 prospects made stops in Bristol this season. The highest ranking one was number 17 Travis MacGregor. MacGregor struggled a good bit this year posting a 1-4 record with a 7.84 ERA in 12 starts.

24th ranked prospect Braedon Ogle went 2-3 in 10 starts with a 3.14 ERA.

The other two prospects were mentioned above in Robles, ranking number 27 and Kranick at 28.

Overall it wasn’t a great year in Bristol. I could see next year being better with some prospects repeating the level, or moving up from the GCL.