Pittsburgh Pirates: 2021 Minor League Season Begins Today

SARASOTA, FLORIDA - MARCH 15: Quinn Priester #84 of the Pittsburgh Pirates throws a pitch during the fifth inning against the Baltimore Orioles during a spring training game at Ed Smith Stadium on March 15, 2021 in Sarasota, Florida. (Photo by Douglas P. DeFelice/Getty Images)
SARASOTA, FLORIDA - MARCH 15: Quinn Priester #84 of the Pittsburgh Pirates throws a pitch during the fifth inning against the Baltimore Orioles during a spring training game at Ed Smith Stadium on March 15, 2021 in Sarasota, Florida. (Photo by Douglas P. DeFelice/Getty Images) /
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After a season in which there was no minor league baseball, the Pittsburgh Pirates minor league affiliates will be back in action.

A season ago, there was no minor league baseball but instead an alternate training site for players.  As a result, some players were not able to get practice in mock games and game like situations, instead relying on working out in their own gyms.  Simply put there were some prospects that were not able to get the needed developmental time. This wasn’t a great situation for the Pittsburgh Pirates new regime.

With the minor league rosters being less this year than in years past, some prospects have seen their developmental time pushed forward.  Travis Swaggerty, after topping out in High-A, will open the season in Triple-A Indianapolis, and is on the cusp of the Major Leagues.  While there is concern over the bat, Swaggerty’s defensive ability stands out.  Indianapolis opens up with Iowa.

In Double-A Altoona, Roansy Contreras will be on the hill.  After being acquired for Jameson Taillon, Contreras looked solid this spring training showing a power fastball and wipeout breaking ball.  Altoona also features top prospects such as Rodolfo Castro (who will get time as a utility player), Oneil Cruz, Ji-Hwan Bae, Cal Mitchell, and Caanon Smith-Njiba.  They will be a team to watch this season.  The Curve start their season with Bowie.

High-A Greensboro might be the most intriguing team in the system, showcasing pitchers Quinn Priester, Tahnaj Thomas, and Carmen Mlodzinski along with hitters Nick Gonzales and Liover Peguero.  This team features what is supposed to be the next crop of pitchers coming through the system.  They open with Hickory.

Bradenton features a lot of the pitchers that have been acquired over the last year (Logan Hoffman, Nick Garcia, Brennan Malone, and Eddy Yean) along with Maikel Escotto, Alexander Mojica, and Hudson Head.  The Marauders open the season with Fort Myers.

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Minor league baseball is officially back tonight, providing baseball for fans in smaller cities.  Prospects will get a chance to develop in game like settings and look to move up levels.  The lower levels of High-A Greensboro and A-ball Bradenton have most of the Pirates top prospects and recent additions to the farm system while Triple-A Indianapolis features Travis Swaggerty.  Keep updated to the site as we will have updates on the minor league systems and prospects all season long.