Pittsburgh Pirates Minors: 2022 Team Records So Far

Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports
Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports
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Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports
Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports /

The Pittsburgh Pirates need to develop as much talent as possible from their minor league system.  How are the teams doing this year?

Winning is not everything when it comes to Minor League Baseball.  There are examples of when minor league affiliates have won titles but have not really produced much Major League Talent. For instance, the Pittsburgh Pirates AA affiliate, the Altoona Curve, won the Eastern League Championship in 2010. On that team, the only players to make an impact at the Big League level would be Jordy Mercer, Jeff Locke, Josh Harrison, and Jared Hughes.

There is also the case in the Minor Leagues of veteran players returning from injury.  That same year the Altoona Curve had to face Andy Pettite who was working his way back to the Yankees rotation. Obviously at the time a tall task for Double-A hitters

Furthermore, there are developmental reasons why some teams may struggle more than others.  Maybe the Pittsburgh Pirates Front Office is having a pitcher work exclusively on fastball and changeup command for some starts, no breaking pitches.  On the other side of the plate, there could be an instance where a hitter is told to take two pitches to start every at-bat as a way to get a better feel for the strike zone.

Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports
Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports /

So winning is not everything in the Minor Leagues.  However, what it is not is a bad thing. It is always better to see the Pittsburgh Pirates Minor League teams winning rather than losing.  So how are things going for what has been called a top 5 farm system in all of Baseball?

The Triple-A team, the Indianapolis Indians are currently sitting at .500, with 35 wins and losses.  They are probably the least talented team in the minor, especially considering the player movement over the last month or so.   How many players have bounced around between Triple-A and the Pittsburgh Pirates roster already?

The Double-A team, the Altoona Curve are off to a very similar start to the Triple-A team.  They are currently sitting with a record of 33-36. The Curve have suffered some setbacks including former first-round pick Nick Gonzales heading to the 60-day Injury List. Also, 2021 first-round pick Henry Davis missed some time with the Curve as well.

Meanwhile, the two Single-A teams are in much worse spots.  Both are currently down the standings in their divisions with records well below .500.  The Greensboro Grasshoppers are 28-40.  Although, the Bradenton Marauders have a little better record at 31-37.

Next. Break Season for an Outfield Prospect. dark

This hopefully is a sign of the Pittsburgh Pirates focusing on development more than winning games.  Still, you want to see the minor league teams be competitive and install winning into the culture of the Pittsburgh Pirates Organization.  Hopefully, things will start to click for those Single-A squads.

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