Pirates Prospect Watch: Nick Yorke and Bubba Chandler lead this week’s top performers

Last week, the Pittsburgh Pirates promoted top prospect Bubba Chandler to Indianapolis, where he made the best start in the system in his debut, and Nick Yorke extended his Triple-A hit streak to 15 games.

If the Pirates’ current eight-game losing streak has you depressed, these two at least offer some hope of talent in Triple-A that could strengthen the team in the not-too-distant future.

Below are the best hitters and pitchers at all levels of the minor league system from last week.

INDIANAPOLIS

BEST HITTER: Nick Yorke – .400/.455/.450, 22 PA

Yorke has had a hit in every game with Indianapolis since being acquired at the deadline for Quinn Priester. He enters this week with a 15-game hitting streak dating back to his time in Boston. He had a double last week and four in August. The Pirates have also used Yorke in center field, a position he has never played before.

BEST PITCHER: Bubba Chandler – 7.0 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 6 K

Chandler made his Triple-A debut last week, throwing seven scoreless innings. His performance was top-notch, hitting 97.2 mph on his fastball and posting a 48% whiff rate. He threw his slider for 14 strikes and had a 29% whiff rate on his changeup, a pitch he has worked on this year. Chandler is the top talent in the system, in large part because he has made strong positive progress on his secondary pitches over the past two seasons.

ALTOONA

TOP HITTER: Kervin Pichardo – .350/.458/.700, 2 HR, 2 SB, 24 PA

The Pirates acquired Pichardo earlier this year in a small trade for LHP Jackson Wolf. The 22-year-old infielder is off to a good start in August, posting a .313/.405/.594 batting average. That was fueled by last week, when he hit 7 of 20 with two home runs. This season, he has a .269/.326/.396 batting average, but has gotten better as the year has gone on.

BEST PITCHER: Emmanuel Chapman – 4.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 3 BB, 7 K

Chapman was acquired from Cuba by the Pirates last offseason. The 25-year-old right-hander posted a 3.00 ERA in 18 innings with Greensboro, throwing 23 strikeouts and allowing six walks. He has carried his success into Double-A, posting a 3.43 ERA in 39.1 innings and a 39:17 K/BB. Chapman has made a few starts recently, replacing a rotation from Altoona that has seen some promotions to Indianapolis. He threw three shutout innings in one start and one scoreless inning in relief this week.

GREENSBORO

BEST HITTER: Mitch Jebb – .421/.450/.474, 3 SB, 20 PA

Jebb was selected in the second round out of the college ranks last year. He was drafted for his effort, ability to get on base and speed, and he’s starting to show that profile in Greensboro. Since the beginning of July, he has a batting average of .313/.419/.443 and 17 stolen bases in 20 attempts. The Pirates have used him in center field in addition to his work in center field.

BEST PITCHER: JP Massey – 4.0 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K

Massey struggled early in the season upon his return to Greensboro. He was on the development list for a month in June and returned with a slow build starting in mid-July. In his last start, he managed four innings and allowed two hits in a shutout game. He walked no one and struck out three players. Since his return, he has a 3.55 ERA in 12.2 innings, with a K/BB of 11:6.

BRADENTON

BEST HITTER: Jhonny Severino – .364/.417/.682, HR, 2 SB, 24 PA

Severino, acquired last summer in a trade for Carlos Santana, was one of the best hitters in the minor leagues, hitting .291/.373/.545 with ten home runs and 12 steals in the FCL this year. The 19-year-old was promoted to Bradenton after his rookie season ended. At the new level, he hit .297/.366/.514 with one home run, two triples and one double. He also reached base safely in every game in August, with hits in seven of eight of those games.

BEST PITCHER: Carlos Jimenez – 6.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 3 BB, 5 K

Jimenez has one of the best changeups in the system and used the pitch this week to throw six shutout innings for Bradenton. He had nine whiffs in ten swings against the changeup, resulting in five strikeouts. Control held him back to start the year, with over a walk per inning in his first few months of the season. Since the start of July, he has a 1.71 ERA in 26.1 innings, with a 27-13 K/BB.

DSL PIRATES

BEST HITTER: Edward Florentino – .444/.615/.556, 2 SB, 13 PA

Florentino is one of the best hitters of the recent international signings. He has a batting average of .261/.433/.457 with five home runs and eight doubles in 180 at-bats this year. He also shows a lot of patience at the plate, with more walks (37) than strikeouts (33). Florentino has spent most of his time at first base, where his power plays, but he has also played center field. He is fast, with seven steals in nine attempts and two triples this year.

BEST PITCHER: Irwin Ramirez – 5.0 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 4 K

Ramirez, the best international pitcher signed by the Pirates this year, allowed one run on one hit and four strikeouts in his last start. The 17-year-old has a 4.66 ERA in 29 innings in his professional debut and struggled with control issues that led to 29 walks and 26 strikeouts. In his last start, he went five innings for the first time and posted one of his best control results of the season, allowing just two walks.

ROOKIE BALL MONDAY SUMMARY

The DSL Pirates Black lost 6:2.

Frankeli Mesta went 1-for-3 with a solo home run, his second of the year. Signed by the Pirates as part of their recent international signing class, Mesta has a batting average of .245/.339/.368 in his professional debut. Michell Ojeda went 2-for-3 and scored two of the five goals for the offense. Iverson Allen also scored a hit.

The DSL Pirates Gold won 14:2.

Cristian Jauregui went 3-for-3 with a triple and his second home run of the year. The home run opened the game with many points. He was joined by Isaias Diprewho hit 3 for 4 in the first inning and hit a two-run homer and two doubles. It was Dipre’s sixth homer. Samuel Escudero hit a three-run home run in the second inning, starting his third of the season. RHP Cesar Aquino threw five innings, allowing two unearned runs on three hits, no walks and four strikeouts.

TUESDAY SCHEDULE

• Triple-A: Indianapolis, 7:05 p.m. – RHP Luis Cessa (4-4, 4.11)
• Double-A: Altoona, 6:00 p.m. – to be announced
• High-A: Greensboro, 7:35 p.m. – to be announced
• Single-A: Bradenton, 6:30 p.m. – RHP Zander Mueth (0-0, 3.86)
• Rookie: DSL Pirates Black, 11:00 am – to be announced
• Rookie: DSL Pirates Gold, 11:00 am – to be announced