SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Termarr Johnson seems to be finding his stroke. Meanwhile, a lot of great things have been happening in Greensboro, and left-hander Connor Wietgrefe has been on a roll with Double-A Altoona.
Here’s a look at some news and notes from around the Pirates Minor League system.
TRIPLE-A INDIANAPOLIS
• Khristian Curtis made his Triple-A debut June 12 against Columbus, delivering 5 2/3 scoreless innings and striking out 10. In his last four starts dating back to May 26 (with Altoona), Curtis is 1-0 with 1.33 ERA with 27 strikeouts (in 20 1/3 innings), a .147 batting average against and a 0.89 WHIP.
• Beau Burrows has been excellent in relief for the Indians, going 2-0 with a 2.84 ERA, a .138 batting average against and 0.68 WHIP over his last 14 games.
• Derek Diamond is another reliever in the Pirates system who probably hasn’t gotten enough attention this season. In 10 appearances between the Florida Complex League, Low-A Bradenton, Altoona and Indianapolis, Diamond has a 0.50 ERA, 22 strikeouts and a .161 batting average against.
• Jhostynxon Garcia is hitting .308 with three doubles, three home runs and nine RBIs over his last 18 games in Triple-A.
• Termarr Johnson has been showing progress after a slow start. The 2022 first-round pick hit just .155 through his first 40 games, with four doubles, no home runs, nine RBIs, 10 runs scored, 20 walks and 43 strikeouts.
But over his past 15 contests, Johnson has hit .246 with a double, a triple, four home runs, 10 RBIs, 10 runs scored, 10 walks and 18 strikeouts.
He’s not all the way out of the slow start, but it has been getting better of late.
DOUBLE-A ALTOONA
• Callan Moss ranks 10th in the Eastern League in hitting (.348) this month. He tied for third in hits (16) and first in doubles (seven), as well.
• Connor Wietgrefe is 3-0 with a 3.35 ERA and 52 strikeouts in his last nine appearances (eight starts) totaling 43 innings. That strikeout total ranks second in the Eastern League since April 28.
• Omar Alfonzo has 10 RBIs during an active 16-game on-base streak. He also ranks eighth in the Eastern League in June with a .439 on-base percentage.
HIGH-A GREENSBORO
• The Grasshoppers have homered in 21 straight games, the longest active streak in all of Minor League Baseball. Furthermore, they have the third-most wins (40) among all High-A Teams.
• Yordany De Los Santos has an 18-game on-base streak, where he’s hitting .269 with a .927 OPS that includes five doubles and six home runs. He also has 21 RBIs during that time.
• Since making his Greensboro debut on June 2, Murf Gray has been among the best hitters in the South Atlantic League. Among the rankings to consider:
Batting — .395, 3rd
Home runs — 4, T-3rd
On-base percentage — .491, 6th
Slugging percentage — .744, 1st
Total bases — 32, 1st
OPS — 1.235, 2nd
• Seth Hernandez leads all full season Pirates Minor Leaguers in ERA (2.28), batting average against (1.68) and WHIP (1.05). Furthermore, Hernandez’s 85 strikeouts are second-most in all of MiLB behind Jackson Cox in the Rockies organization.
LOW-A BRADENTON
• Hyun Seung Lee homered for the first time with the Marauders last Tuesday against Tampa. In 25 games this year between the FCL Pirates and Bradenton, Lee is hitting .292 with three doubles, three triples, four home runs, 25 RBIs and a .930 OPS.
• Eddie Rynders is hitting .333 with a double, a triple, two home runs and eight RBIs during his current eight-game on-base streak.
• Bralyn Brazoban, the Pirates’ top signing from their 2024 international class, has recorded multiple hits twice in his first five games with Bradenton since being promoted on June 9. He has an .897 OPS in 24 games with the FCL Pirates and Marauders this season.
Jason Mackey: Jason.Mackey@pirates.com and @JMackey_PGH.