Pittsburgh Pirates minor league players

Stephen Gavin Alemais (born April 12, 1995) is an American professional baseball shortstop in the Pittsburgh Pirates organization.

Alemais was born in the Bronx, New York and attended All Hallows High School. He earned all-state honors in his junior and senior years, and all-district, all-city, and all-league honors in his sophomore, junior, and senior year. He currently holds the schools' single season hit record.[1] Undrafted out of high school in the 2013 MLB draft, he enrolled at Tulane University where he played college baseball. In 2015, he played collegiate summer baseball with the Cotuit Kettleers of the Cape Cod Baseball League.[2] In 2016, his junior year at Tulane, he slashed .311/.368/.401 with one home run, 28 RBIs, and 19 stolen bases in 53 games,[3] earning American Athletic Conference First Team honors. After the season, he was selected in the third round of the 2016 Major League Baseball draft by the Pittsburgh Pirates with the 105th overall pick.[4]

Alemais signed with Pittsburgh and made his professional debut with the West Virginia Black Bears before being promoted to the West Virginia Power in August.[5] In fifty games, he hit .249 with one home run and twenty RBIs.[6] In 2017, he played for the Power and the Bradenton Marauders along with making a rehab appearance with the Gulf Coast League Pirates. In 67 total games, he batted .265 with four home runs and 34 RBIS. In 2018, he played for the Altoona Curve, slashing .279/.346/.346 with one home run, 34 RBIs, and 16 stolen bases in 120 games. He returned to Altoona to begin 2019.

• Career statistics and player information from Baseball-Reference (Minors)

Carl Donovan Bolton (born June 19, 1998) is an American professional baseball pitcher in the Pittsburgh Pirates organization.

Bolton attended Tracy High School in Tracy, California. As a senior, he went 9–2 with a 1.13 ERA, striking out 97 batters in 68 innings.[7][8] After his senior year, he was drafted by the Pittsburgh Pirates in the sixth round of the 2017 MLB draft.[9] He signed with the Pirates, forgoing his commitment to play college baseball at the University of Michigan.[10]

After signing, Bolton made his professional debut with the Gulf Coast Pirates. In nine starts, he pitched to a 3.16 ERA. Bolton spent 2018 with the West Virginia Power,[11] going 3–3 with a 3.65 ERA in nine starts, and began 2019 with the Bradenton Marauders,[12] where he was named Florida State League Pitcher of the Week on May 13[13] as well as a Florida State League All-Star.[14] He was promoted to the Altoona Curve in June.[15][16] Over 21 starts between the two clubs, Bolton went 8–6 with a 3.28 ERA, striking out 102 over ​101 ²⁄₃ innings.

• Career statistics and player information from Baseball-Reference (Minors)

Rodolfo Castro (born May 21, 1999) is an American professional baseball second baseman in the Pittsburgh Pirates organization.

Castro signed with the Pittsburgh Pirates as an international free agent in 2015.[17] He made his professional debut in 2016 with the Dominican Summer League Pirates, batting .271 with two home runs and 29 RBIs over 56 games. In 2017, he played with the Gulf Coast League Pirates, slashing .277/.344/.479 with six home runs and 32 RBIs, and in 2018, he played for the West Virginia Power, hitting .231 with 12 home runs and fifty RBIs.[18] Castro split the 2019 season with both the Greensboro Grasshoppers (with whom he was named a South Atlantic League All-Star)[19] and the Bradenton Marauders, slashing a combined .242/.298/.456 with 19 home runs and 73 RBIs.[20]

On November 20, 2020, Castro was added to the 40-man roster.[21]

Roansy Contreras (born November 7, 1999) is a Dominican professional baseball pitcher in the Pittsburgh Pirates organization.

Contreras signed with the Yankees as an international free agent in 2016.[22] The Yankeed added him to their 40-man roster after the 2020 season[23]

On January 24, 2021, the Yankees traded Contreras, Miguel Yajure, Maikol Escotto, and Canaan Smith to the Pittsburgh Pirates for Jameson Taillon.[24]

• Career statistics and player information from Baseball-Reference (Minors)

Omar Cruz (born January 26, 1999) is an American professional baseball pitcher in the Pittsburgh Pirates organization.

Cruz signed with the San Diego Padres as an international free agent in 2017.[25] He made his professional debut in 2018 with the Arizona League Padres and was promoted to the Tri-City Dust Devils in July of that year. Over 11 games (ten starts) with the two clubs, he pitched to a 1-1 record with a 1.91 ERA, striking out 59 batters over ​42 ¹⁄₃ innings.[26][27] He returned to Tri-City to begin the 2019 season before he was promoted to the Fort Wayne TinCaps. He compiled a combined 2-3 record and 2.73 ERA over 12 starts, striking out 76 over 56 innings.[28]

On January 19, 2021, Cruz (alongside David Bednar, Drake Fellows, Hudson Head, and Endy Rodriguez) was traded to the Pittsburgh Pirates in a three team deal that also sent Joe Musgrove to the Padres and Joey Lucchesi to the New York Mets.[29]

Oneil Cruz (born October 4, 1998) is a professional baseball player in the Pittsburgh Pirates organization.

Cruz signed with the Los Angeles Dodgers in July 2015 as an international free agent for a $950,000 signing bonus.[30] Cruz made his professional debut in 2016 with DSL Dodgers 1, batting .294 with 23 RBIs in 55 games. He began the 2017 season with the Great Lakes Loons.

On July 31, 2017, the Dodgers traded Cruz and Angel German to the Pirates in exchange for Tony Watson.[31] He was then assigned to the West Virginia Power. In 105 games between the two clubs, he slashed .237/.297/.350 with ten home runs and 44 RBIs. In 2018, he played for the West Virginia Black Bears, batting .286 with 14 home runs and 56 RBIs in 103 games, earning South Atlantic League All-Star honors.[32] Cruz began 2019 with the Class A Advanced Bradenton Marauders and was promoted to Double-A Altoona Curve on July 30.[33] He missed two months during the season after suffering a fractured foot.[34]

Cruz was added to the Pirates 40–man roster following the 2019 season.[35]

On September 22, 2020, Cruz was involved in a deadly vehicle crash in the Dominican Republic in which three people were killed. The accident occurred when his Jeep collided with a motorcycle carrying the three deceased that was traveling with no lights in the same direction that Cruz was traveling. Cruz survived the tragic incident.[36]

Cruz, the son of retired minor league baseball player Rafael Cruz, is unusually tall for a shortstop. He is listed as 6-foot-6 and 175 pounds. The only taller major league SS was 6-foot-7 Joel Guzmán, who played nine innings for the Tampa Bay Rays in 2007. There has been three 6-foot-5 major leaguers who started some games at short: Archi Cianfrocco, Troy Glaus and Michael Morse.[33]

• Career statistics and player information from MLB, or ESPN, or Fangraphs, or Baseball-Reference (Minors)

Drake Robert Fellows (born March 6, 1998) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Pittsburgh Pirates organization.

Fellows attended Joliet Catholic Academy in Joliet, Illinois,[37] and Vanderbilt University, where he played college baseball for the Vanderbilt Commodores.[38] The San Diego Padres selected him in the sixth round of the 2019 MLB draft.[39]

On January 19, 2021, Fellows was traded to the Pittsburgh Pirates in a three team trade that also sent David Bednar, Omar Cruz, Hudson Head and Endy Rodriguez to the Pirates, Joe Musgrove to the Padres and Joey Lucchesi to the New York Mets.[40]

• Career statistics and player information from Baseball-Reference (Minors)

John Hudson Head (born April 8, 2001) is an American professional baseball outfielder for the Pittsburgh Pirates organization.

Fellows attended Winston Churchill High School in San Antonio, Texas. The San Diego Padres selected him in the third round of the 2019 MLB draft.[41] He signed with the Padres for a $3 million signing bonus, a record for a player taken in the third round.[42]

On January 19, 2021, Head was traded to the Pittsburgh Pirates as part of a three team trade that also sent David Bednar, Omar Cruz, Drake Fellows and Endy Rodriguez to the Pirates, Joe Musgrove to the Padres and Joey Lucchesi to the New York Mets.[40]

• Career statistics and player information from Baseball-Reference (Minors)

Max Joseph Kranick (born July 21, 1997) is a professional baseball pitcher in the Pittsburgh Pirates organization.

Kranick attended Valley View High School in Archbald, Pennsylvania. For his high school career, he compiled a 1.17 ERA.[43] After his senior year, he was selected by the Pittsburgh Pirates in the 11th round of the 2016 Major League Baseball draft.[44] He signed for $300,000, forgoing his commitment to the University of Virginia.[45]

Kranick made his professional debut that summer with the Gulf Coast League Pirates, going 1–2 with a 2.43 ERA over nine games (six starts).[46] In 2017, he split time between the Gulf Coast League and the Bristol Pirates, compiling a combined 1–0 record and 1.11 ERA over five starts.[47] He spent 2018 with the West Virginia Power, going 4–5 with a 3.81 ERA over 17 games (16 starts), and 2019 with the Bradenton Marauders, pitching to a 6–7 record and 3.79 ERA over twenty starts.[48]

On November 20, 2020, Kranick was added to Pittsburgh's 40-man roster.[21]

Brennan Russell Malone (born September 8, 2000) is an American professional baseball pitcher in the Pittsburgh Pirates organization.

Malone attended Porter Ridge High School in Indian Trail, North Carolina[49] before transferring to IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida for his senior year.[50][51][52] At IMG, he was recorded throwing as high as 97 miles per hour.[53] He committed to play college baseball at the University of North Carolina.

Malone was drafted by the Arizona Diamondbacks in the first round of the 2019 MLB draft,[54][55] making him one of only three high school pitchers selected in the first round of the 2019 MLB draft.[56] He signed for $2.2 million.[57][58] After signing, he was assigned to the Arizona League Diamondbacks, going 1–2 with a 5.14 ERA over seven innings. He also pitched in one game for the Hillsboro Hops at the end of the year.

On January 27, 2020 the Diamondbacks traded Malone and Liover Peguero to the Pittsburgh Pirates in exchange for Starling Marte and cash considerations.[59]

• Career statistics and player information from Baseball-Reference (Minors)

Mason Neil Martin (born June 2, 1999) is an American professional baseball first baseman in the Pittsburgh Pirates organization.

Martin attended Southridge High School in Kennewick, Washington, where he played football and baseball.[60] In 2017, his senior year, he hit .507 with five home runs and ten stolen bases.[61] After his senior year, he was drafted by the Pittsburgh Pirates in the 17th round of the 2017 Major League Baseball draft.[62][63] He signed for $350,000, forgoing his commitment to play college baseball at Gonzaga University.[64]

After signing with the Pirates, Martin made his professional debut with the Gulf Coast League Pirates, slashing .307/.457/.630 with 11 home runs (breaking the GCL Pirates record)[65] and 22 RBIs over 39 games, earning the title of Gulf Coast League Most Valuable Player.[66] Martin began the 2018 season with the West Virginia Power, but was reassigned to the Bristol Pirates halfway through the year.[67] Over 104 games between the two teams, he batted .220 with 14 home runs and 58 RBIs. In 2019, he began the year with the Greensboro Grasshoppers[68] (with whom he was named a South Atlantic League All-Star)[69] before being promoted to the Bradenton Marauders in July,[70] with whom he finished the season. Over 131 games, Martin slashed .254/.351/.558 with 35 home runs and 129 RBIs.[71] Following the season, he was named Pittsburgh's Minor League Player of the Year.[72][73]

• Career statistics and player information from Baseball-Reference (Minors)

Calvin David Mitchell (born March 8, 1999) is an American professional baseball outfielder in the Pittsburgh Pirates organization.

Mitchell graduated from Rancho Bernardo High School in San Diego, California, where he played four years of varsity baseball.[74] As a junior in 2016, he batted .371 with 12 home runs and 41 RBIs.[75] In 2017, as a senior, he batted .369 with 11 home runs and 34 RBIs.[76] For his high school career, he batted .337 with 29 home runs and 120 RBIs.[77] Mitchell committed to the University of San Diego to play college baseball for the San Diego Toreros baseball team.[78] However, the Pittsburgh Pirates selected him in the second round (50th overall) of the 2017 MLB draft[79] and he signed for $1.4 million,[80] forging his commitment to USD.

After signing, Mitchell made his professional debut with the Gulf Coast League Pirates. He spent the whole season there, batting .245 with two home runs and 20 RBIs in 43 games.[81] He spent 2018 with the West Virginia Power. He was named the South Atlantic League Player of the Week for April 16–22 after hitting .467 with one home run, nine RBIs, and a 1.233 OPS,[82] and also earned South Atlantic League All-Star honors.[83] In 119 games for the Power, he hit .280 with ten home runs and 65 RBIs.[84] He spent 2019 with the Bradenton Marauders,[85] with whom he was named a Florida State League All-Star.[86] Over 118 games, he slashed .251/.304/.406 with 15 home runs and 64 RBIs.

• Career statistics and player information from Baseball-Reference (Minors)

Canaan Elijah Smith-Njigba (born April 30, 1999) is an American professional baseball left fielder in the Pittsburgh Pirates organization.

Smith attended Rockwall-Heath High School in Heath, Texas, where he played baseball.[87] During his senior year, he garnered attention after he was intentionally walked 32 times in 24 games, or a rate of 1.67 per game.[88] After his senior season, he was selected by the New York Yankees in the fourth round of the 2017 Major League Baseball draft.[88]

After signing with the Yankees, Smith made his professional debut with the Gulf Coast League Yankees, slashing .289/.430/.422 with five home runs and 28 RBIs over 57 games. In 2018, he played with the Staten Island Yankees where he hit .191 with three home runs and 16 RBIs over 45 games, missing time due to injury. In 2019, he played for the Charleston RiverDogs, with whom he earned South Atlantic League All-Star honors.[89] Over 124 games, he batted .307/.405/.465 with 11 home runs, 74 RBIs, and 16 stolen bases.[90]

On January 24, 2021, the Yankees traded Smith (alongside Miguel Yajure, Roansy Contreras and Maikol Escotto) to the Pittsburgh Pirates in exchange for Jameson Taillon.[24]

• Career statistics and player information from Baseball-Reference (Minors)

Luis Oviedo (born May 15, 1999) is a Venezuelan professional baseball pitcher for the Pittsburgh Pirates of Major League Baseball (MLB).

Oviedo was signed as an international free agent by the Cleveland Indians on July 2, 2015. The New York Mets selected Oviedo from the Cleveland Indians in the 2020 Rule 5 draft on December 10, 2020.[91] The same day, the Mets traded Oviedo to the Pittsburgh Pirates in exchange for cash considerations.[92]

• Career statistics and player information from MLB

José Joaquín Soriano (born October 20, 1998) is a Dominican professional baseball pitcher for the Pittsburgh Pirates of Major League Baseball.

Soriano signed with the Los Angeles Angels as an international free agent for a $70,000 signing bonus in 2016.[93] He missed the 2020 season recovering from Tommy John surgery. The Pirates selected Soriano from the Los Angeles Angels in the 2020 Rule 5 draft.[94]

• Career statistics and player information from Baseball-Reference (Minors)

Troy William Stokes (born February 2, 1996) is an American professional baseball outfielder in the Pittsburgh Pirates organization.

Stokes attended Calvert Hall College High School in Baltimore, Maryland. He was drafted by the Milwaukee Brewers in the fourth round of the 2014 Major League Baseball draft.[95]

Stokes signed with Milwaukee and made his professional debut with the Arizona League Brewers, hitting .262 over 47 games. In 2015, he played with the Helena Brewers, slashing .270/.384/.407 with five home runs, 27 RBIs, and 26 stolen bases over 62 games, and in 2016, he played for the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers with whom he hit .268 with four home runs and 29 RBIs in 86 games. Stokes played 2017 with the Carolina Mudcats and Biloxi Shuckers,[96] batting .251 with twenty home runs, 74 RBIs, and 31 stolen bases over 135 total games. He played for Biloxi in 2018, hitting .233 with 19 home runs and 58 RBIs in 129 games, and won a minor league Gold Glove Award.[97] The Brewers added him to their 40-man roster after the 2018 season.[98] On September 1, 2019, Stokes Jr. was designated for assignment. On September 3, he was claimed by the Detroit Tigers.

In July 2020, Stokes underwent surgery to repair a broken hamate bone in his hand.[99] On January 5, 2021, Stokes was designated for assignment to clear space for Robbie Grossman on the 40-man roster.[100]

On January 12, 2021, Stokes was claimed off waivers by the Pittsburgh Pirates.[101] On January 24, 2021, Stokes was designated for assignment and was outrighted on January 29.[102]

• Career statistics and player information from Baseball-Reference (Minors)

Blake Gerald Weiman (born November 5, 1995) is an American professional baseball pitcher in the Pittsburgh Pirates organization.

Weiman attended Columbine High School in Columbine, Colorado. He signed to play college baseball at the University of Kansas.[103] During his high school career, he played in three Colorado Rockies Futures games.[104] In 2014, as a senior, he went 7–0 with a 1.40 ERA and was named to the All-Colorado baseball team.[105] Undrafted out of high school in the 2014 Major League Baseball draft, he enrolled at Kansas.

In 2015, as a freshman at Kansas, Weiman appeared in 21 games (seven starts), going 2–7 with a 6.75 ERA.[106] As a sophomore in 2016, he became a full-time starter, appearing in 17 games in which he went 2–7 with a 6.82 ERA.[107] In 2017, in Weiman's junior season, he moved to the bullpen where he greatly improved, pitching to a 5–1 record with a 2.80 ERA, striking out 55 batters in 45 relief innings pitched. After his junior year, he was drafted by the Pittsburgh Pirates in the eighth round of the 2017 Major League Baseball draft.[108][109]

Weiman signed with Pittsburgh and made his professional debut with the West Virginia Black Bears, going 4–3 with a 3.78 ERA in 21 relief appearances.[110] He began the 2018 season with the West Virginia Power and was promoted to the Bradenton Marauders and Altoona Curve throughout the year. In 67 relief innings pitched between the three clubs, he went 4–1 with a 2.42 ERA and 77 strikeouts.[111] After the season, he played for the Surprise Saguaros of the Arizona Fall League and was named to the Fall Stars Game.[112][113] Weiman was a non-roster invitee to 2019 spring training.[114] He returned to Altoona to begin 2019,[115] and was promoted to the Indianapolis Indians in June after pitching to a 1.86 ERA over ​19 ¹⁄₃ relief innings.[116] Over eight relief appearances with Indianapolis, Weiman went 0–1 with a 4.63 ERA. He missed nearly all of the last two months of the season due to injury.

• Career statistics and player information from Baseball-Reference (Minors)

Eddy Yean (born July 25, 2001) is a Dominican professional baseball pitcher in the Pittsburgh Pirates organization.

The Nationals signed Yean as an international amateur free agent out of the Dominican Republic in July 2017, giving him a $100,000 signing bonus. After beginning his professional career in the Dominican Summer League in 2018, Yean advanced to Class A Short Season ball in 2019, pitching for the Auburn Doubledays. In 2020, MLB Pipeline rated Yean as the Nationals' sixth-best prospect overall and forecast that he would continue rising as a prospect.[117]

Yean pitches right-handed, releasing the ball from a three-quarters arm slot. He employs a two-seam fastball up to 97 miles per hour (156 km/h) as his primary pitch.[118] He also throws a slider and a changeup.[119]

On December 24, 2020, Yean along with Wil Crowe were traded to the Pittsburgh Pirates in exchange for Josh Bell.[120]

• Career statistics and player information from Baseball-Reference (Minors)