Pirates’ outfield prospect Edward Florentino continued his meteoric rise last week, closing out the Bradenton Marauders’ series against Clearwater with home runs in three consecutive games. Since joining the Marauders on June 21, the 18-year-old is slashing .283/.407/.576 with eight doubles and seven home runs.
Florentino wasn’t the only Pirates prospect to put together a home run streak, as Billy Cook cleared the fences for three games in a row dating back to the week prior, giving himself seven in the month of July. Fellow outfield prospect Shalin Polanco enjoyed a two homer game on Wednesday, July 23, while MLB’s No. 1 prospect, Konnor Griffin, picked up four hits and two stolen bases on Thursday, July 24. He then logged a triple and a steal two days later.
Noteworthy pitching performances include Thomas Harrington, who began and ended the week for the Indianapolis Indians’ rotation. He fanned seven batters across 5.2 innings of one-run ball on Tuesday, July 22, then got knocked around for four earned runs in 4.1 innings on July 27. While the 24-year-old left-hander, a 2022 competitive balance pick, still hasn’t found any consistency this season, he ends July with a 3.75 ERA on the month, miles better than his 5.48 mark on the season.
Bubba Chandler and Khristian Curtis each put on strong 5.2 inning performances on Thursday, July 24. Chandler fanned seven and allowed two runs, while Curtis, the starting pitcher in Greensboro’s July 4 perfect game, punched out five and allowed one run.
Hunter Barco’s rough acclimation to Indianapolis continued, however, as he got the hook after two innings and 55 pitches on Saturday, July 26. He managed to limit the damage, allowing just one run, but still issued four walks and drove his pitch count up fast enough to need an early exit.