Pirates Prospect Update: Edward Florentino milestone, Axiel Plaz honors, Wyatt Sanford

Edward Florentino continues to cement himself as one of the most exciting young hitters in the Pittsburgh Pirates’ farm system.

The 19-year-old outfielder crushed his 27th home run of the season Sunday for High-A Greensboro, reaching a milestone few teenage prospects have matched in recent years. Florentino became the first teenage minor leaguer since 2021 to hit at least 27 home runs in a season and just the ninth MiLB teenager since at least 2005 to reach that mark.

Florentino’s power surge has been especially impressive considering his slow start after an ankle injury wiped out most of his spring training. He had just seven home runs through June before taking off in the second half, hitting eight in July, seven in August and adding two more to begin September.

Since July 1, Florentino has slashed .240/.360/.582 with a .942 OPS over 50 games. Already the highest-ranked position player prospect in Pittsburgh’s system, Florentino’s combination of age, size and emerging power should keep pushing him higher on national prospect lists heading into 2027.

Pirates prospect Axiel Plaz earns South Atlantic League Player of the Week honors

Pirates catching prospect Axiel Plaz capped off a breakout regular season with some hardware.

The High-A Greensboro standout was named South Atlantic League Player of the Week after a dominant four-game series against Asheville. Plaz hit .563/.667/1.250 with a 1.917 OPS, collecting nine hits in 16 at-bats with seven runs scored, two doubles, three home runs, eight RBI and five walks against just three strikeouts.

The award puts an exclamation point on what was easily the best season of Plaz’s professional career. The 21-year-old hit .305/.389/.513 with an .902 OPS across 94 games for Greensboro, setting career highs in games played, hits, home runs and RBI.

Plaz finished second in the South Atlantic League in batting average and third in OPS while hitting 18 home runs and driving in 74 runs. His breakout season should put him in position to make the jump to Double-A Altoona in 2027.

Wyatt Sanford’s late-season power surge gives Pirates another prospect to watch

Wyatt Sanford closed out the regular season on a tear for High-A Greensboro, adding an encouraging power surge to an already productive 2026 campaign.

The Pirates infield prospect went 9-for-23 during the final week of the season and launched four home runs while also stealing two bases. That late burst pushed Sanford’s season total to 17 homers to go along with 33 stolen bases and a .974 OPS.

Sanford’s production also wasn’t simply a product of Greensboro’s hitter-friendly home park. He posted nearly identical results at home and on the road, recording a .960 OPS at home compared to .968 away while hitting eight home runs in Greensboro and nine on the road.

That combination of power and speed makes Sanford one of the more intriguing position players in the Pirates’ system heading into 2027, especially if his late-season home run surge proves to be a sign of further offensive growth.

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