Pirates announce first wave of end-of-season Minor League awards

The Pirates opened their annual Minor League awards week Tuesday by announcing the organization's Rookie-Level Pitcher and Player of the Year, along with its Staff Member of the Year.

Irwin Ramirez was the first recipient after the 6-foot-3 right-hander went 1-1 with a 3.67 ERA, 23 strikeouts and a .157 batting average against in eight starts with the FCL Pirates from May 2-June 20.

That netted Ramirez, who’s 19, a promotion to Low-A Bradenton, where he made his Marauders debut on June 26. Over 11 appearances (nine starts) with Bradenton, Ramirez struck out 41 in 41 1/3 innings to rank third on the team behind Reinold Navarro (51) and Levi Sterling (46) in that category.

His ERA during that time was 6.75, but Ramirez allowed just one run in three of his final four outings.

It was a similar path followed for Johan De Los Santos, who hit .270 with three doubles, five triples, three home runs, 19 RBIs, 27 walks, 39 stolen bases and 55 runs scored in 52 games between the FCL Pirates (31) and Marauders (21).

De Los Santos hit .310 in the FCL, showcasing plenty of speed and contact ability while ranking second in the FCL in runs scored and stolen bases through June 30. He's a middle infielder who's listed at 5-10, 165.

The third award went to Cecilio Beltre, who spent 2026 as a development coach/mentor with the Dominican Summer League Pirates Gold team.

This marked Beltre's 25th season with the Pirates, the last nine as a senior advisor/mentor in the Dominican Summer League. Beltre earned the Chuck Tanner Award in Spring Training of 2015, which is given to the Minor League staffer who best exemplifies Tanner’s optimism, work ethic and leadership.

The Pirates signed Ramirez as a non-drafted free agent on Jan. 9, 2024. He began his pro career later that year with DSL Pirates Black, where he went 2-3 with a 3.97 ERA and 32 strikeouts in 12 games (eight starts) totaling 34 innings.

Last season, Ramirez went 0-5 with a 6.75 ERA in 11 games (nine starts) but enjoyed an important rebound this summer.

De Los Santos signed as a non-drafted free agent with the Pirates on Jan. 15, 2025. He's currently considered the Pirates’ No. 11 prospect by MLB Pipeline.

In his first professional season (2025), De Los Santos finished fifth in the DSL in batting (.353) and tied for fifth in stolen bases (34). He also produced nine doubles, three triples, 27 RBIs, 43 runs scored and a .911 OPS in 44 games.

Since the start of last year, De Los Santos has hit .304 with 12 doubles, eight triples, three home runs, 46 RBIs, 54 walks, 73 steals, an .813 OPS and 98 runs scored in 96 games.

End-of-season awards are voted on by the Pirates baseball operations staff. Three more will be announced Wednesday, and those are named after Pirates greats: Willie Stargell Slugger of the Year, Kent Tekulve Reliever of the Year and Bill Mazeroski Defender of the Year.

The Honus Wagner Player of the Year and Bob Friend Pitcher of the Year will be announced on Thursday.

This story will be updated.

Jason Mackey: Jason.Mackey@Pirates.com and @JMackey_PGH on X.