Pirates Triple-A team’s timely hot streak has gotten them into playoff contention

Although the actual Pittsburgh Pirates have fallen out of playoff contention, their Triple-A affiliate has the postseason on the horizon. The Indianapolis Indians have been firing on all cylinders in the second half of the season, which has vaulted them into contender status in the Triple-A playoffs.

At this point in the season, the Indians' overall record is 67-64. That's solid, but their second half surge of 34-24 has them in second place in the International League West. Recent roster changes have made a huge impact on their success, which is both good and bad for the big league club.

The Indianapolis Indians are pushing for a playoff spot, fueled by big time players for the Pittsburgh Pirates' future.

When minor-league teams are doing great, fans really feel confident in the franchise's overall future future. While names like Bubba Chandler, Thomas Harrington, Mike Burrows, and Braxton Ashcraft emerge below the surface, the big-league Pirates have used guys like Jake Woodford and Domingo Germán. That has, hilariously, strengthened Indy's playoff chances by ridding them of headaches. Both of these pitchers have not quite been good with the Pirates, but their elevation has given the Bucs the opportunity to let these young guys develop in Triple-A.

The pitching staff has been a big factor in this postseason push. Bubba Chandler represents their most recent promotion, and he has posted a 1.93 earned run average in 28 innings pitched, with 36 strikeouts and a WHIP of 1.04. That is straight up dominant, but he isn't the only one impressing.

Thomas Harrington has also been called up and is impressing at the Triple-A level. He has not been as dominant as he was in Double-A, but his numbers are still very strong. In just five starts, Harrington has a 3-1 record with a 3.81 earned run average and an 0.88 WHIP. Opponents are batting just .206 against him and he has struck out 24 batters.

Although Ashcraft is injured once again, Mike Burrows is a guy who has returned from injury and is pitching very well. Burrows is not quite pitching full-fledged starts, but he is still ramping up his pitch count. So far with the Indians, he has a 3.12 earned run average with a 1.35 WHIP and 29 strikeouts. Allowing baserunners has been an early issue for him, but his command seems to improve everytime he throws.

It's not just the pitching, either. The offense is scoring a good deal of runs for Indianapolis, and most of the credit goes to the bats Pittsburgh added at the deadline in Nick Yorke and Billy Cook. Both came to the team and made immediate impacts with extremely good offensive numbers.

Since joining Indianapolis, Yorke has a .360 batting average with 15 doubles and a .931 OPS. His strikeout percentage is also very low at 16.5%, and his wRC+ sits at 142. That is incredibly impressive, and that bat should be in Pittsburgh, but instead, he is leading the Indians to the postseason.

Another bat that came in with a bang is Billy Cook. Since being acquired, he has posted an OPS of .819 with three home runs and 14 runs batted in. He has also stolen nine bases and has a wRC+ of 117. He doesn't boast absurd numbers like Yorke, but he has still been very excellent in producing runs for Indianapolis.

These players are all going to play big roles for the Pirates in the coming years, with the possibility of their impact being felt as soon as 2025. But, before they do, they are working towards getting Pittsburgh's Triple-A team to the postseason.