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Pittsburgh Pirates Prospects: Arizona Fall League Kicks Off

By Marty Leap|
Jul 18, 2021; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Pirates catcher Henry Davis who was selected number one overall in the 2021 MLB first year player draft by the Pirates participates in bating practice before the Pirates play the New York Mets at PNC Park. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports
Jul 18, 2021; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Pirates catcher Henry Davis who was selected number one overall in the 2021 MLB first year player draft by the Pirates participates in bating practice before the Pirates play the New York Mets at PNC Park. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

Henry Davis hit a double and four Pittsburgh Pirates prospects took the mound as the Surprise Saguaros picked up an 11-6 victory in their first game of Arizona Fall League action

While the minor league season has come to an end and the Pittsburgh Pirates have just two games left to play, that does not mean that there won’t be Pirate related baseball to discuss in the coming weeks.

Monday night, the Arizona Fall League season kicked off. Eight members of the Pittsburgh Pirates organization will play for the Surprise Saguaros in the AFL this season. In Monday night’s opener, five of these eight players saw action in an 11-6 victory for the Saguaros.

Looking to build upon a strong minor league season, Quinn Priester started for the Saguaros. Priester pitched 3 innings, allowing 3 runs (2 earned) on three hits, three walks, a home run and three strikeouts.

Left-handed Pirate pitching prospect Omar Cruz relieved Priester. Cruz, who missed a big chunk of the season at Double-A Altoona due to injury, pitched 2 scoreless innings of relief. Cruz allowed a hit, walked a pair and struck a batter out.

Tahnaj Thomas was next up after Cruz and ran into some trouble. This season Thomas quietly developed into a very promising relief pitching prospect with Altoona. Monday night, however, he allowed 3 runs on a hit, two walks, a strikeout, and a home run.

Righty Colin Selby pitched the 9th inning for the Saguaros. Selby allowed a hit, but did not walk a batter and struck out a pair on his way to posting a zero in the 9th inning.

the lone Pirate position player in the lineup for the Saguaros was catcher Henry Davis. Believe it or not, Davis was hit by pitch in the game. Thankfully, he was just fine as he responded with a ground-rule double in his next trip to the plate. He also drew a walk on his way to scoring three runs.

After missing a chunk of time this season due to injuries the AFL will be important for Davis. If he can bulk together a large number of at-bats and perform well, it could put him in position to start the 2023 season with Triple-A Indianapolis.

With AFL action underway make sure keep tabs here at Rum Bunter as we follow Pirate prospects throughout the fall. Check back to Rum Bunter for updates and highlights throughout the AFL season.

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