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Pirates' former first-round pick named a standout player in the Arizona Fall League

Pirates outfielder Sammy Siani has impressed for the Scottsdale Scorpions, recording at least one hit in each game he's played so far.
Noah Wright
Noah Wright

Rum Bunter

Arizona Fall League All Star Game / Christian Petersen/GettyImages

The Arizona Fall League has recently started, and the Pittsburgh Pirates have multiple minor leaguers participating this offseason. One player who has stood out, according to Baseball America, is outfield prospect Sammy Siani.

The former first-round pick has gotten off to an impressive start to the AFL season as a member of the Scottsdale Scorpions, collecting five hits, including two extra-base hits (an opposite-field home run and a double) with only one strikeout and one walk through his first 14 plate appearances.

According to Baseball America's Geoff Pontes, Siani showed off a “balanced left-handed swing with the ability to adjust the barrel and get on plane.” Pontes also praised Siani’s quality at-bats. Defensively, Siani is already 10-for-10 in outfield putouts, and he has displayed his wheels, swiping a base as well.

Sammy Siani could be a depth option for Pirates at center field after strong season in minors

Siani is coming off his best season as a professional ballplayer. He started off the season hot, batting .324/.402/.563 with a .433 wOBA and 170 wRC+ in 82 plate appearances for High-A Greensboro. Siani earned the bump to Double-A Altoona, where he wouldn’t perform quite as well but still turned in a respectable .254/.325/.368 triple-slash, .320 wOBA, and 101 wRC+.

Siani also finished the year off on a high note. His last 149 plate appearances yielded a .295/.372/.394 line, .355 wOBA, and 124 wRC+. Siani did not hit for much power, posting an isolated slugging percentage under .100 at .098, but only struck out 18.1% of the time with a 10.1% walk rate. 

Siani is 23 and will turn 24 in December. Baseball America also notes that while Siani does not project as a future Major League star, he certainly has the potential to be a decent part-time regular. He is a good runner with a glove that can lock down center field. Siani’s promising 2024 and subsequent performance thus far in the AZFL could lead to him factoring into the Pirates’ bench as a depth outfielder in the near future.

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Noah Wright

Noah Wright

Noah is a life-long Pirates fan who started his baseball writing journey on a blog he started with his friends in 2018 before his senior year of high school. He has since been writing for Rum Bunter starting in 2019, and Rising Apple since 2024. He grew with his favorite Pirates players being Francisco Liriano, Mark Melancon, A.J. Burnett and Andrew McCutchen, watching them bring the Pirates back to October baseball in 2013 through 2015. Noah graduated with a bachelor's degree in sport management in 2022 from Pennwest University, and also has expereince in baseball operations and as a college baseball video scout. In his free time, Noah enjoys playing video games and reading Marvel comics on his favorite characters like Spider-Man and The Punisher.