Pirates Prospects Players of the Week 6/14
Khristian Curtis struck out ten in his Triple-A debut. Another potential MLB bullpen depth option stood out with Indianapolis.
I made some changes to the Pirates Prospects Player of the Day section this past week, which also affects the Player of the Week and Player of the Month sections.
One week ago, I started this feature on PiratesProspects.com with the daily, weekly, and monthly awards being determined by RE24 results, exclusively. I’ve been incorporating aspects of WPA and fantasy baseball scoring to refine the RE24 results with bonus points.
Hit a solo home run in the 4th inning of a 4-0 game? RE24 gives you 1.0 runs. Hit a solo home run in the bottom of the 9th of a tie game? RE24 gives you the same 1.0 runs. Both plays are valued the same, but the importance of the 9th inning walk-off is a more significant run than the solo homer early in the game to expand a lead.
Throw six shutout innings with two strikeouts? RE24 is going to give a pitcher credit for keeping runs from scoring, and for recording outs, even if the defense played a big role. Throw six shutout innings with ten strikeouts? RE24 doesn’t differentiate the strikeouts from groundouts. The new bonus points give a boost to each strikeout, recognizing the pitcher’s unassisted out.
Likewise, home runs are also receiving a boost, recognizing the batter’s unassisted run. A single that scores runners from second and third can be more valuable than a solo home run. The batter who hit the single benefitted from the situation. The batter who hit the home run had the bigger individual play.
RE24 recognizes how a player performed according to the situation. The new scoring changes are the beginning of blending in the impact of individual performances and situational performances.
I would expect more changes to this system in the future, until I get to a point where I’ve got a blended scoring system that I feel doesn’t need any more tinkering.
For now, here are the Pirates Prospects Players of the Week for the week ending 6/14/2026.
Players of the Week 6/14/26
Khristian Curtis and Nick Cimillo are the Pirates Prospects players of the week for the week ending 6/14.
Curtis, the Pitcher of the Week, threw 5.2 shutout innings in his debut with Indianapolis. He allowed one hit, two walks, and struck out ten batters in the process. The Triple-A debut produced a much better result than any start Curtis saw in Double-A this season.
With one of the highest strikeout totals in the minor league system, Curtis had been hurt by home runs and free passes in Double-A. He’s got one of the best arms in the upper levels, and if he continues handling Triple-A this well, he could emerge as a MLB bullpen option by the end of the season.
Cimillo, the Batter of the Week, went 5-for-15 with a double, home run, five RBIs, and seven walks. The highlight of his week came when he hit a grand slam on Wednesday, to help fuel an 11-1 Indianapolis blowout victory. It was the fifth home run of the season for Cimillo.
This week saw an update to the Draft Pick Tracker on Pirates Prospects, including a sortable career stat column. Cimillo’s 57 career minor league home runs lead all Pirates draft picks post-2019. The 2019 players ahead of him include Matt Gorski, Jase Bowen, and Blake Sabol, who have all reached the Majors. The power from Cimillo could get him a cup of coffee one day.
Individual Level Standouts
Indianapolis swept the overall awards this week. Here’s a look at the best performers from each affiliate.
Altoona Pitcher: Connor Wietgrefe
Stats: 6.0 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 8 K, 0 HR
The 2024 7th round pick has been one of the best pitchers in Altoona this year. Wietgrefe has shown an increase in his strikeout totals in recent starts, picking up eight in six shutout innings this week. That follows a big week last week, where he combined for 13 strikeouts in 10 innings across two starts. He ranks fourth in the minor league system in strikeouts, with a 16 strikeout gap between him and Curtis.
Altoona Batter: Duce Gourson
Stats: 7-for-22, 6 R, 4 2B, 5 RBI, 2 SB, 4 BB
Gourson showed off his extra base hit power this week with four doubles, including two shots to the wall in Altoona on Saturday night. He also drew four walks this week, and has a 17.2% walk rate this season. On top of that, he added two steals, giving him 14 this season. Gourson gets some prospect ranking attention for his combination of power potential, speed, and on-base ability from the infield. He’s split this season between second and third base.
Greensboro Pitcher: Carlson Reed
Stats: 5.0 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 3 BB, 5 K, 1 HR
This is the third time this season that Reed has been the pitcher of the week for Greensboro. His results haven’t been consistent. He has a 5.44 ERA in 49.2 innings on the season, impacted by a 12.2% walk rate. When he’s on, he’s a shutdown starter who strikes out a batter an inning and doesn’t allow many runs to cross the plate. That’s the version that showed up this week, overcoming a home run and walks to hold his opponents to one run in five innings.
Greensboro Batter: Jhonny Severino
Stats: 6-for-19, 2 R, 2B, 2 HR, 5 RBI, SB, 2 BB
Severino hit two home runs this week, extending his season total to 13. He’s now three shy of the career high of 16 that he set in 2024 between the FCL and Low-A. The Pirates added Severino at the 2023 trade deadline for Carlos Santana. He’s shown power potential from a young age since day one, but his hitting and on-base abilities have left that power doing all of the work. His average is improved this season, and he has an OBP above .300 for the first time above rookie ball. Those are encouraging signs to go with the continued power production.
Bradenton Pitcher: Reinold Navarro
Stats: 3.0 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 5 BB, 4 K, 0 HR
Navarro has one of the best arms in the lower levels, and he’s more intriguing as a lefty at age 19. Signed for $270,000 in 2024, he’s made a quick ascent to Low-A, where he has a 2.43 ERA in 33.1 innings this year. His 37.9% strikeout rate trails only top prospect Seth Hernandez. The downside is Navarro’s 25.5% walk rate. His stuff is hard to hit, allowing him to pitch through the walks for now. Navarro sits 96 MPH with his fastball, and has elite swing and miss potential on all three of his pitches, including a slider and a changeup.
Bradenton Batter: Eddie Rynders
Stats: 7-for-18, 4 R, 2B, 3B, HR, 4 RBI, BB
Rynders has a big week at the plate in Bradenton. The 2024 fourth round pick hit his fourth home run of the season on Sunday, while adding a double on a 3-for-3 day. That fueled Bradenton’s 10-3 win, and made Rynders the player of the day. He also added a triple and two RBIs earlier in the week. Drafted out of the prep ranks, Rynders has shown flashes of potential the last two seasons, but has yet to consistently put up numbers like he’s shown this week. He’s in his age 20 season, so right now the flashes of potential are more promising than the overall results.
FCL Pirates Pitcher: Robinson Smith
Stats: 4.0 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 5 K, 0 HR
Smith received the biggest pitcher bonus by the Pirates during the 2025 international signing period. Signed out of Australia, the 6’ 4” right-hander has been gradually increasing his innings in the FCL this season. His last two starts have combined for one earned run in eight innings, with nine strikeouts. This was the second week in a row that he looked shutdown across four innings.
FCL Pirates Batter: Carl Calixte
Stats: 5-for-14, 3 R, 2B, HR, 3 RBI, 2 SB, 4 BB
Signed as an international free agent in 2024 out of Haiti, Calixte has gotten off to a great start in the FCL this season. He’s batting .340/.436/.553 with two home runs and five stolen bases. He added the second home run and two of those stolen bases this past week. Calixte made his debut in the FCL last season, only putting up a .519 OPS with no homers and one steal in 77 plate appearances. The 19-year-old has shown across-the-board improvements in his return to the level.
DSL Pirates Pitcher: Ronaldo Serrano
Stats: 3.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 K, 0 HR
One of the smaller bonus signings of the recent period, Serrano made his first career start this week. He threw three shutout innings, striking out two and allowing one hit. He signed out of the Dominican Republic at age 19, which is later on the international side. The Pirates must like his arm if he’s getting early looks as a starter.
DSL Pirates Batter: Gilbert Ramirez
Stats: 5-for-9, 4 R, 2 2B, 4 RBI, 2 BB
Last week from Ramirez was led by a three hit day on Tuesday, where he also walked twice. The catcher was signed out of Venezuela during this year’s signing period. He’s got three doubles and a 1.032 OPS in his first six games. He’s also shown positive results in catching base runners in these early games of his career.
One More Report
Derek Diamond was promoted to Triple-A this week, and picked up where he left off in Altoona. The 25-year-old relief prospect threw three shutout innings across two appearances, while striking out four.
Diamond is on the older side for a prospect, but there’s a reason for the higher age. He missed a lot of time with injuries in 2025, and spent his first two full-seasons as a starting pitcher in the lower levels.
The results as a starter weren’t good, and Diamond was moved to the bullpen in 2025. His injuries derailed that move. He had some issues early this season, but finally reached Altoona and didn’t allow a single run across ten innings. That came with a 40.6% strikeout rate and no walks.
Between the top two levels, Diamond hasn’t allowed a run in 13 innings across seven appearances. He’s struck out 17 and hasn’t allowed a walk.
The Pirates need bullpen help in the Majors this season, and if Diamond continues this pace, he could easily emerge as a sleeper option by the end of the season.
Until the next time I go live…
-Tim Williams