SURPRISE, Ariz. – It had been a while since Blake Sabol hit a grand slam, so you’ll have to forgive him for his shock when he circled the bags Wednesday night and found three of his teammates at home waiting for him. The Pirates prospect plated five runs in total to help propel the Saguaros to a 7-5 victory over the Javelinas at Surprise Stadium.

“I didn’t realize it was a grand slam until I was headed home and I saw three or four of my teammates standing there and I was like, ‘Oh, God,’” Sabol said. “Then I was like, ‘Wait, I think that was my first one in pro ball.’”

His first grand slam since his college days at USC, in fact. Back then, Sabol wasn’t much of a thumper; over three seasons with the Trojans, he produced just a .709 OPS. But fast-forward to the 2022 Arizona Fall League and the California native is tying a knot on yet another strong offensive campaign.

Just prior to Sabol stepping in for his second at-bat of the night in the bottom of the fourth, Peoria held a meeting on the mound with the bases loaded and nobody out. His game plan was to stick with his approach, but he also recognized that with the prior batter having walked, he would hunt the first pitch and look for something up. 

Sabol, a seventh-round pick in the 2019 Draft, got an off-speed pitch that hung, and he launched it deep into the night. 

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Over the past two seasons, Sabol has done nothing but hit at all four stops along the Pirates’ affiliate ball clubs. After posting a .957 OPS between Single-A Bradenton and High-A Greensboro across 66 games last year, the 6-foot-4 lefty batter began this year with Double-A Altoona (.833 OPS, 124 wRC+) before a promotion to Triple-A Indianapolis that saw him slash .296/.426/.543. He claims that his emergence as a potent bat can’t be pinpointed to just one aspect of hitting, but rather the daily repetition of digging into the box.

“Going through pro ball, you’re playing every day, so it’s not just four times a week,” Sabol said. “And I love being able to come back the next day and just flush everything and learn. I’ve been lucky to have a lot of coaches that helped me.”

Sabol has served primarily as a backstop in his organizational journey, but with a prevalence of skilled receivers -- Henry Davis (Bucs' No. 1 prospect) and Endy Rodriguez (PIT 6) among them -- also in Pittsburgh’s ranks, the 24-year-old has received supplementary reps in the outfield. That split has continued during his time with Surprise alongside Davis, where the two have discussed catching intricacies in depth.

“Catching -- no matter what’s going on at the plate -- defensively, you’re able to just flip the page,” Sabol said. “It’s like two separate games. Where in the outfield, there’s a little bit more time on your hands out there. 

“I’m lucky that the Pirates let me play multiple positions.”

That versatility -- along with his impressive 25-game stint with Indianapolis -- has put him knocking on PNC Park’s doorstep. Often viewed as the “finishing school” for baseball’s premier prospects, the Fall League can stand to be true to its reputation for Sabol.

“It was a lot of going through your work day and training to be a big leaguer,” Sabol said of his time with Indianapolis. “I think what I learned too is that [in my] first Triple-A game, I played against Stephen Piscotty and Albert Almora and I was like, ‘Oh, wow, these are big leaguers,’ and then you realize it’s the same game. 

“Hopefully I’m able to break through next year.”