Pittsburgh Pirates Prospects: Four Curve Players Pushing for a Promotion

Starting pitcher Roansy Contreras

We’ll start with an obvious one. Starting pitcher Roansy Contreras has been talked about more this season than any other player on the Curve roster. Prior to this season Contreras had never pitched above the High-A level, but through his first 7 starts he has dominated Double-A hitters.

In his 7 starts Contreras owns a 2.03 ERA and a 2.17 FIP in 40 innings pitched. He’s walked just 5.8% of batters faced to go with a healthy 37% strikeout rate. He has allowed just 2 home runs and has limited opposing batters to a .160 batting average.

Outside of one poor start Contreras has been almost un-hittable for the Curve. In his fourth start of the season Contreras allowed 5 earned runs in 4 innings pitched. Outside of this start he has allowed just 4 earned runs.

Contreras threw 6 no-hit innings in his just his second start of the season, and therefor his second start at the Double-A level. In 4 of his 7 starts he has allowed 0 runs, he also has a start in which he allowed just 1 run. No matter how you cut it Contreras has been dominant.

Contreras is doing all of this at just 21-years-old. While Contreras was not viewed as the big piece of the Jameson Taillon trade, and all four players the Pittsburgh Pirates acquired have performed well this season, Contreras may prove to be the prized jewel of a trade that is looking like a highway robbery by Ben Cherington.