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Pittsburgh Pirates: MVP For Each Minor League Affiliate Team

By Kody Duncan |
Oneil Cruz of the Altoona Curve scored a two-run homer as Binghamton Rumble Ponies lost to the Altoona Curve, 5-0, on Tuesday, May 11, 2021.
Oneil Cruz of the Altoona Curve scored a two-run homer as Binghamton Rumble Ponies lost to the Altoona Curve, 5-0, on Tuesday, May 11, 2021.
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PITTSBURGH, PA – JULY 20: A New Era pillbox Pittsburgh Pirates baseball hat is seen in the dugout during the game against the Philadelphia Phillies at PNC Park on July 20, 2019 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Justin K. Aller/Getty Images)
PITTSBURGH, PA – JULY 20: A New Era pillbox Pittsburgh Pirates baseball hat is seen in the dugout during the game against the Philadelphia Phillies at PNC Park on July 20, 2019 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Justin K. Aller/Getty Images) /

The Pittsburgh Pirates minor league teams showed a lot of individual success this year on all levels. Some players stood out more than others. Here are my position player only MVPs for each Pirates affiliated team for the 2021 season.

DSL Pirates Black – first baseman Ronny Sanchez

Ronny Sanchez is this year’s most valuable position player for the DSL Pirates Black. Sanchez was signed as an international free agent by the Pittsburgh Pirates on November 6th 2018. He is from Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic and is only 19 years of age.

Sanchez stands at 5’11” and weighs 191lbs and bats and throws right-handed. His primarily position on the field is 1st base. In just 38 games Sanchez had 113 at bats and finished with 37 hits. That gave him an impressive slash line of .327/.392/.442 and an OPS of .834.

He was lacking in the power category finishing with 0 homeruns, but that shouldn’t be a concern because of his young age. He did however have 10 extra base hits in which 3 of them were triples.

DSL Pirates Gold – outfielder Esmerlyn Valdez

Esmerlyn Valdez is this year’s most valuable position player for the DSL Pirates Gold. Valdez stands at 6’2” and weighs 181lbs. He bats and throws right-handed and is only 17 years of age.

He comes from Peravia, Dominican Republic and was an international free agent signing on Jan 15th of this year. His primary positions were the corner outfield for the DSL this year playing RF and LF the majority of the time. In 45 games, Valdez had 129 at bats and had 32 total hits on the year. He had 13 extra bases hits in which 5 of them were for homeruns.

When the Pirates initially signed this kid, I was excited because of his power potential. It showed this year. He could become a 20 to 30 homerun kid if he develops. His slash line for the Gold was .248/.355/.426 and an OPS of .782. He also managed to draw 17 walks on the year.

PITTSBURGH, PA – JULY 20: A New Era pillbox Pittsburgh Pirates baseball hat is seen in the dugout during the game against the Philadelphia Phillies at PNC Park on July 20, 2019 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Justin K. Aller/Getty Images)
PITTSBURGH, PA – JULY 20: A New Era pillbox Pittsburgh Pirates baseball hat is seen in the dugout during the game against the Philadelphia Phillies at PNC Park on July 20, 2019 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Justin K. Aller/Getty Images) /

FCL Pirates Black – infielder Juan Jerez

Juan Jerez is this year’s most valuable position player for the FCL Pirates Black. Jerez stands 6’0” and weighs 160lbs. He comes from San Pedro de Macoris, Dominican Republic. Jerez is only 19 years of age and was signed by the Pirates back on July 2nd 2018 as an international free agent. He was one of my under-the-radar prospects and rightfully so.

In 43 games, Jerez had batted .296 in 152 at bats. His OBP was an impressive .394 and had a slugging percentage of .500. He carried an overall OPS of .894 on the year with 6 homeruns. He also showed great discipline at the plate recording 24 walks.

FCL Pirates Gold – shortstop Tsung-Che Cheng

Tsung-Che Cheng is this year’s most valuable position player for the FCL Pirates Gold. Signed back in 2019, Cheng got to see his first action as a pro with the Pirates this year because of Covid. He comes from Pingtung County, Taiwan.

In 38 games with the FCL Pirates Gold, Cheng slashed an impressive .311/.449/.492 and an OPS of .940. He even showed a little pop in the bat hitting 4 homeruns. Cheng is only listed at 5’7” 154lbs but can do a lot of things on the field. He 16 stolen bases this year and also recorded 30 walks to only 14 strikeouts. This is a kid to look out for in the future.

ANAHEIM, CALIFORNIA – AUGUST 14: A detalied view of a Pittsburgh Pirates hat and catching glove is seen on the dugout steps during the MLB game between the Pittsburgh Pirates and the Los Angeles Angels at Angel Stadium of Anaheim on August 14, 2019 in Anaheim, California. The Angels defeated the Pirates 7-4. (Photo by Victor Decolongon/Getty Images)
ANAHEIM, CALIFORNIA – AUGUST 14: A detalied view of a Pittsburgh Pirates hat and catching glove is seen on the dugout steps during the MLB game between the Pittsburgh Pirates and the Los Angeles Angels at Angel Stadium of Anaheim on August 14, 2019 in Anaheim, California. The Angels defeated the Pirates 7-4. (Photo by Victor Decolongon/Getty Images) /

Bradenton Marauders – catcher Endy Rodriguez

Endy Rodriguez is this year’s most valuable position player for Low-A Bradenton. Everybody should know how high I am on this kid by now, but Rodriguez has backed it up on the field. He was traded from the Mets to the Pittsburgh Pirates before the season started and I bet the they would like to take that trade back. The switch-hitting catcher has been nothing short of impressive this year for Bradenton.

He appeared in 98 games and had 377 plate appearances. He totaled 111 hits in which 46 were for extra bases. Of those 46 extra base hits, 15 of them were homeruns. He helped lead the team to a league championship with a clutch hit in the 9th inning to tie the game. I hope to see him in Altoona sometime next season.

Greensboro Grasshoppers – outfielder Matt Fraizer

Matt Fraizer is this year’s most valuable position player for High-A Greensboro. Even though Fraizer ended up playing in Altoona to finish the year, he had over 300 plate appearances with Greensboro and it only seemed fair to give him this honor.

This was a tough decision because there were so many impressive players on this team. Nick Gonzales and Jared Triolo come to mind and should get honorable mentions as well. Fraizer was drafted in the 2019 draft. He was the Pirates 3rd round selection.

With Greensboro, he had 95 hits in which 37 of them were for extra bases. He slashed .314/.401/.578 and had an OPS of .979. He also led the team in homeruns with 20 before getting called up.

Fraizer finished the year batting .306 with a combined 23 homeruns with Greensboro and Altoona. Look for this kid to make a big jump next year. You may even see him in PNC Park if he continues to swing a hot bat.

PITTSBURGH, PA – OCTOBER 03: Oneil Cruz #61 of the Pittsburgh Pirates hits a two run home run for his first Major League home run in the ninth inning during the game against the Cincinnati Reds at PNC Park on October 3, 2021 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Justin Berl/Getty Images)
PITTSBURGH, PA – OCTOBER 03: Oneil Cruz #61 of the Pittsburgh Pirates hits a two run home run for his first Major League home run in the ninth inning during the game against the Cincinnati Reds at PNC Park on October 3, 2021 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Justin Berl/Getty Images) /

Altoona Curve – shortstop Oneil Cruz

Oneil Cruz is this year’s most valuable position player for the Altoona Curve. Just like Fraizer, Cruz managed to get called up later in the year to Triple-A and then to the Pittsburgh Pirates for the last 2 games. He spent most of his time with the Curve, so he is given the honor of most valuable player.

Cruz was traded to the Pittsburgh Pirates back in 2017 for left-handed pitcher, Tony Watson. With Altoona this year, Cruz put up impressive numbers. He slashed .292./.346/.536 and had an OPS of .882. He played in 62 games in had 32 extra base hits in which 12 of them were for homeruns.

Cruz eventually was called up to Triple-A and showed he was more than capable of hitting there too. In just 6 games he had 11 hits in 21 at-bats with 5 home runs. He finished the minor league season slashing .310/.375/.594 with a total of 17 homeruns.  In the last two games with the Pittsburgh Pirates, he was 3 for 9 with a home run as well. Look for him to see more action with the Pirates sometime in 2022.

Indianapolis Indians – outfielder Bligh Madris

Bligh Madris is this year’s most valuable position player for the Indianapolis Indians. There was not a lot of players to choose from on this team but Madris is the one that’s comes to mind when giving out this honor.

Drafted in 2017 in the 9th round by the Pirates, Madris looked like a potential option next year in the outfield for the big-league club. He started the year in Altoona, but in just 10 games was called up to Triple-A Indy where he played the majority of the season.

Next. Previewing Triple-A Indy's 2022 Roster. dark

Madris played in 104 games with Indianapolis and tallied 91 hits in 334 at bats. He had 35 extra base hits and also had a career high 9 home runs. He slashed .272/.352./.434 with an OPS of .786 for Indy. He also recorded 40 walks on the year. I could see him getting a non-roster invite to Spring Training next season because of what he did this year for the Indians.

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