Pittsburgh Pirates Prospects: Three Players on the Move

These three Pirate prospects have been promoted to the next minor league level

Jun 19, 2022; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Pirates shortstop Liover Peguero (60) looks
Jun 19, 2022; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Pirates shortstop Liover Peguero (60) looks / Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports
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The Pittsburgh Pirates have promoted three of their more intriguing prospects to the next level in the minor leagues

On Tuesday, news broke that a trio of Pittsburgh Pirates prospects were being promoted to the next minor league level. None of these promotions were ones that came as a surprise, and all three players are among the most intriguing players in the Pirate farm system.

The first of these three was Liover Peguero. The middle infield prospect is on his way from Double-A Altoona to Triple-A Indianapolis. It would not be a surprise to see Peguero have a similar path to that of Henry Davis, where he does not spend much time at Triple-A before being promoted to the majors.

Peguero hit for a .260/.333/.453 slash line with a 113 wRC+ in 318 plate appearances with Altoona this season. He hit 11 home runs, 20 doubles, a triple, and stole 19 bases. He drew walks at a 10.1% rate while striking out at just an 18.2% clip.

Peguero had been swinging a hot bat since the start of June, which included an increase in power. In 125 PAs since June 1st, Peguero hit for a .274/.344/.531 slash line with a 134 wRC+. His isolate slugging (ISO) since the start of June was .257 and he hit 7 home runs with 8 doubles.

With the Pirate middle infield in a bit of a state of flux, there could be a path for Peguero to reach the majors soon. Nick Gonzales has a spot locked down in the middle infield right now, but the other spot remains a big question mark until Oneil Cruz returns. Peguero could be set to benefit from this.

From the FCL to Bradenton

The Pirates also promoted a pair of young, intriguing prospects from the Florida Complex League to Low-A Bradenton. These two prospects are shortstop Yordany De Los Santos and outfielder Lonnie White Jr.

The promotion for De Los Santos is a bit of an aggressive one. De Los Santos is only 18-years-old and will be young for the leauge. However, his ceiling is sky high and he has hit the ball well in the FCL, earning the promotion.

One of the best players available in the 2021-2022 international free agent class, De Los Santos hit fo ra .328/.397/.463 slash line in the FCL this season. He posted a 125 wRC+, 9.0% walk rate, and just a 14.1% strikeout rate.

White Jr. was drafted by the Pirates with the 64th overall pick in the 2021 draft. White Jr. has found himself battling the injury bug early in his professional career, which is the main reason he wasn't already with Bradenton.

In 76 PAs with the FCL Pirates this season White Jr. hit for a .317/.434/.444 slash line with a 135 wRC+. While he struck out in 25% of his trips to the plate, he also had a strong 14.5% walk rate. In the FCL he had 6 stolen bases, hit 5 doubles, and hit a home run.

White Jr. went 1-for-3 with two walks in his debut with Bradenton on Tuesday, while De Los Santos was 0-for-4 with a walk. Watching how these two perform with Bradenton for the rest of the season will be one of the more intriguing storylines in the Pirate farm system.

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