Photo from the Greensboro Grasshoppers
There isn’t a minor-league player having a better month of July than Pirates infield prospect Sammy Stafura.
Stafura, acquired from the Reds nearly a year ago in the Ke’Bryan Hayes trade, leads all minor-league players this month with 10 home runs, 28 RBIs and 55 total bases while also leading all full-season minor-leaguers with a .982 slugging percentage.
Thanks to his scorching July, Stafura has overcome a slow start to the season and now owns a robust .306/.369/.643 batting line with six doubles, one triple, 15 home runs, 44 RBIs and 13 stolen bases in 40 games.
There have been a number of prospects performing at a high level with Greensboro this season and Stafura is certainly among them. His strikeout rate of nearly 31% will have to come down, but the sure-handed 21-year-old is showing more than expected at the plate.
Here are some other recent performances and trends worth noting in the organization.
Triple-A Indianapolis
Outfielder Jhostynxon Garcia has been one of the International League’s top performers in July. The 23-year-old ranks third in the league with a .417 batting average this month to go along with five doubles, a home run, six RBIs and a 1.100 OPS.
Utilityman Enmanuel Valdez hit a grand slam in Sunday’s win over Columbus, his sixth homer over his last 11 games. Valdez has reached base safely in 14 straight games and is batting .333 with a 1.144 OPS, three doubles, six home runs and 19 RBIs during the stretch.
Pirates infield prospect Duce Gourson is off to a nice start after getting promoted to Indianapolis on Friday. Through two games, the 23-year-old is 4 for 7 with a home run, two RBIs and a steal.
Double-A Altoona
The Pirates promoted the surging Murf Gray to Altoona on Friday, and the 22-year-old homered in his first game for the Curve. Gray, who recently entered MLB Pipeline’s top 100 prospects, is tied for seventh among all minor-league players with 24 home runs across three levels this season.
Shortstop Matt King has reached base safely in 13 straight games and is batting .356 with three doubles and eight RBIs during that stretch.
High-A Greensboro
Outfielder Edward Florentino has found his power stroke with seven home runs this month, including four over his last seven games. The Pirates’ second-best prospect has driven in 12 runs in 11 July contests.
Catcher Easton Carmichael continues to impress at the plate. The 22-year-old is batting .351 and ranks fourth in the South Atlantic League with 20 hits in 13 games in July. Carmichael’s .310 batting average ranks third in the league this season. In 71 games with the Grasshoppers, he’s batting .310/.354/.530 with 14 doubles, two triples, 16 home runs, 61 RBIs and 11 steals.
As expected, the Pirates are starting to monitor Seth Hernandez’s innings, but the promising right-hander continues to pitch well. Combined between his last two starts, Hernandez has allowed one run on four hits with two walks and six strikeouts across five innings.
Low-A Bradenton
Catcher Richard Ramirez has been on fire since the start of last month. In 31 games since the start of June, the 21-year-old is batting .323 with a .971 OPS, 11 doubles, eight home runs and 25 RBIs.
Outfielder Eddie King Jr. ranks fifth in the Florida State League with a .378 batting average in 13 games this month. The 21-year-old is slashing .378/.509/.533 with four doubles, a home run and eight RBIs in July.
Right-handed reliever Adolfo Oviedo has yet to allow a run this month. The 21-year-old has worked eight-scoreless innings and has only allowed four baserunners (three hits and one walk).
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