Pirates Prospects Update: Anthony Solometo, Omar Alfonzo, Nick Yorke injury

This past weekend was the first for every minor league level, aside from Triple-A; Indianapolis' season started a day after Pittsburgh's Opening Day against Miami. Everyone other Pirates affiliate, including the Altoona Curve, Greensboro Grasshoppers, and Bradenton Marauders, all began this past Friday, and gave us some key performances to look at.

Starting off in Double-A with Altoona, Anthony Solometo, the Pirates' 14th-ranked prospect, according to MLB Pipeline, got off to a strong start with an impressive outing of five scoreless innings, allowing just one hit, three walks, and striking out two. The control was not ideal, but getting a solid opening start out of the way was just what he needs as he looks to rebound from a poor 2024.

Solometo showed big signs of a bounce back during spring training, seeing his velocity rise back up to where it was prior to the 2024 season. In that season, Solometo posted an ERA of 5.36 with a 1.52 WHIP and a 7.06 K/9. He was the fourth-ranked prospect in the organization just a year ago, and getting him back on track would be huge for the left-handed depth in the organization.

Hunter Barco, the team's seventh-ranked prospect, per MLB Pipeline, is another southpaw in Altoona that put together a solid start, tossing four scoreless innings, striking out three, allowing three hits and one walk. That is just his third career outing in Double-A, which is significant, but not the biggest storyline from the Curve.

Anthony Solometo shows upside for Pirates long term plans; Omar Alfonzo powers a strong Greensboro Grasshoppers offense in minor league Opening Weekend.

Down in High-A, Omar Alfonzo, the Pirates' 19th-ranked prospect from MLB Pipeline, went an impressive 4-for-12, belting a home run, two doubles, and driving in five runs. He showed off some of his power upside at the plate, but also struck out three times.

In 2024, Alfonzo struck out at 25.9% clip with a 120 wRC+ and 13 home runs. He showed a lot of promise as one of the main catching prospects in the organization, but some major flaws lingered. Cutting down the strikeouts is a big thing he must try to accomplish in 2025, but his start, with three already, is not ideal.

Esmerlyn Valdez is another unranked prospect that did very well in Greensboro, yet has a lot of upside.. He went 7-for-13 at the plate with a home run and drove in two runs. He also struck out at a high rate (30.6%) in 2024. This weekend, though, he did not strike out and walked twice, which is a solid sign. He brings a lot of power to the dish as well, and at 21 years old, Valdez is a prospect to keep an eye on, even while he is unranked.

Nick Yorke gets injured, David Bednar throws first outing in a significant weekend for the Indianapolis Indians.

Nick Yorke is a guy that arguably should be with the team in Pittsburgh, but he just joined the injured list with a shoulder injury. It reportedly has lingered all spring and just flared up again, but it temporarily ends a solid start for the infielder. Yorke was 5-for-15 at the plate, with three doubles and a run driven in, but he also struck out an alarming six times. Hopefully, this injury is short and he can find a groove into the big league roster.

David Bednar made his first appearance with Indianapolis on Sunday, throwing a perfect inning and striking out a batter. He obviously got off to a rough start, leading to his difficult demotion. Bednar needs to figure things out in Triple-A so he can return to being the hometown player in the Pirates' bullpen.