PITTSBURGH -- Baseball can be quite the whirlwind. Take the last three months of Tre Phelps’ life, for example.
When Phelps returned from Omaha, Neb., after a College World Series run with Georgia, he had just a few days before heading to Arizona for the MLB Draft Combine. After the Combine, Phelps returned to Georgia until the MLB Draft just two weeks later. After the Pirates selected him in the ninth round, Phelps flew to Pittsburgh a few days later to sign his contract and then moved to Florida to start his career.
Before he knew it, Phelps was competing against professional pitching.
“That was kind of our first time seeing live pitching in a minute,” Phelps said.
Phelps and 51st overall selection Chris Rembert are the first Pirates 2026 Draft picks to jump into affiliated ball. Rembert, a second baseman out of Auburn, batted .284 with four doubles and four RBIs through his first 18 games with Single-A Bradenton, while Phelps, a third baseman from Georgia, hit .175 with one double, one home run and six RBIs through his first 17 games with the Marauders.
Both have transitioned quickly from the roaring crowds of the Southeastern Conference to the much quieter fields of Single-A baseball. Rembert, the Pirates' No. 9 prospect per MLB Pipeline, said he doesn’t feel quite the same adrenaline rush as he did in his college days. Phelps, Pittsburgh's No. 23 prospect, added that the environment is similar to midweek games at Georgia.
“You're gonna have to prepare your own energy a lot of the days in [Single-A],” Phelps said. “Not every single day, of course, especially given where you are, but be able to come out and prepare with your own energy and create that own energy and just thrive off of that.”
Still, the game is mostly the same. Phelps pointed out that the pace of play is faster with a shorter pitch clock, though the arms they face are largely the same skill level, albeit with somewhat less consistent command.
“It's a little harder to hit, just because a lot of the guys don't have great command, and they're just kind of throwing the ball versus in college, you have a scouting report, and a lot of the guys do have command, and you can look in certain spots, and the ball will be there,” Rembert said. “I would say that's the biggest adjustment.”
Even with a short time away, any time without game action can be difficult for batters to adjust to. Rembert described the time away from playing as “miserable,” but he continued training. He didn’t participate in drills at the Combine, but he did meet with 22 teams for interviews. Phelps did the same, meeting with nine teams.
Rembert didn’t play in any games at Pirate City in Bradenton, Fla., and his first at-bats came with the Marauders. He felt things were a little sped up at first, but as the games continued, his timing and confidence returned. Rembert said his mental skills and instincts grew considerably during his two-year college career.
For Rembert and Phelps, the organization has yet to point out sweeping changes necessary for their development. Rembert figures Pittsburgh will let him play and address any issues in the offseason after he gets a taste of game action. Phelps said that for now, he's focused on sharpening tools to add consistency. There are, of course, advantages to being a professional.
Preparation is quite different, utilizing more technology and focusing more on sleep and nutrition, with fewer distractions and more free time. Phelps said that as a professional, he should be overprepared for games if he uses his time wisely.
Both are settling into this new life.
“Haven't played a game for a while coming into it, but I'd say now that I'm getting more comfortable in the box and getting used to everybody, everything and the schedule,” Rembert said. “It's pretty similar to college. The travel-wise and the time of day are pretty similar, but it's awesome to be able to go out and play baseball every day and not have to do school.”