Pirates Prospects Players of the Week 7/26

Lonnie White Jr. added three more home runs, and Connor Oliver had his best start in Double-A.

The breakout season for Lonnie White Jr. continues.

White was the Pirates Prospects Player of the Week after going 8-for-19 with three homers this past week. Two of those home runs came in the same game on Tuesday. The third was hit the next night, in a game when White picked up four hits.

On the season, White has 19 homers between Greensboro and Altoona, with 12 at the Double-A level. He also has 18 stolen bases, putting him within range of a 20-20 season. This is already a career-best in home runs for White, who was plagued by injuries during his first few seasons in pro ball. He has a chance to pass his 23 stolen base high set last season.

Fellow Altoona teammate Connor Oliver was the Pirates Prospects Pitcher of the Week. Oliver threw six shutout innings in his best start since moving up to Altoona at the start of June. He struck out six, which is a high for him at the Double-A level. This was also the first outing in the last five starts where he didn’t add a run.

Oliver put up a 2.27 ERA in 43.2 innings with Greensboro to start the season, while showing his best strikeout rate of his career. He has seen a drop in strikeouts since moving up to Altoona, but he’s also seen a drop in walks as he adjusts to the higher talent level.

Individual Level Standouts

Here were the top performers last week outside of Altoona.

Indianapolis Pitcher: Noah Davis

Stats: 6.0 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 3 BB, 5 K, 1 HR

Davis has anchored the Indianapolis rotation as a veteran arm to eat innings. This week he allowed one run in six innings during one of his best outings of the season. He’s got a 4.31 ERA in 94 innings, with his innings total leading Indianapolis pitchers. With the trade of Jose Urquidy, the Pirates will need Davis to continue providing this veteran presence.

Indianapolis Batter: Mitch Jebb

Stats: 5-for-9, 2 R, 2 HR, 5 RBI

Jebb returned from the injured list this week and homered in his first two games back with Indianapolis. He also picked up five hits, continuing where he left off earlier in the season. He only has eight games at the level due to his injury, but is batting .424 with a 1.305 OPS and four home runs. His career-high for home runs is six in a single season, and he didn’t hit one at all in 2025. The small sample of power this year is a different version of Jebb than the previous results.

Greensboro Pitcher: Seth Hernandez

Stats: 3.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 5 K, 0 HR

Hernandez only threw three innings this week, then was placed on the injured list with an oblique injury. The innings looked good, and were reportedly part of the plan to limit his innings, unrelated to the injury. He’s been limited to 2-4 inning appearances across his last four starts, as the Pirates manage his innings totals. He’s also cut down on walks during this time, which was one rare issue with his game in High-A.

Greensboro Batter: Sammy Stafura

Stats: 5-for-20, 3 R, 2B, 2 HR, 5 RBI, 2 SB, 2 BB

I can’t remember a player putting up the power results Stafura has shown over the last month. After two more home runs on Sunday, he has 17 on the season with Greensboro, and 18 overall. He only had four home runs across both A-ball levels a month ago. Since then, he’s hit 14 home runs. This isn’t just the product of playing in Greensboro. He’s hit several that are 400 feet or longer, with a few 450 foot blasts. This week was the second time this month he had a multi-homer game on the road. Something has clicked for the shortstop in the power department.

Bradenton Pitcher: Levi Sterling

Stats: 5.0 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 3 BB, 7 K, 0 HR

Sterling doesn’t have overpowering stuff, but he does have six pitches, 93-94 MPH velocity, and an ability to miss bats with his slider, curveball, and cutter. He struck out seven this week, allowing one run. He has 28 strikeouts this month in 19.1 innings, and 56 strikeouts across 48.1 innings over his last ten games. If he ever adds more power to his arsenal, he could be one of the best pitching prospects in the system.

Bradenton Batter: Richard Ramirez

Stats: 7-for-20, 5 R, 2 2B, 3 HR, 8 RBI, 3 BB

Ramirez hit two home runs on Sunday to close out the week, including a game-tying two run shot in the ninth inning. Earlier in the game he hit a game tying RBI double. That came after successfully challenging a pitch for a third strike with two outs in the previous half inning. His power has exploded over the last month, and his defense behind the plate is among the best in the system. In my view, he’s the best catching prospect the Pirates have.

FCL Pirates Pitcher: Tony Gonzalez

Stats: 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 3 K, 0 HR

Gonzalez was a rare pitcher who got a promotion from the DSL mid-season. He has poor control, but showed good strikeout rates, with a 32.7% rate in the DSL and a 28.6% rate in the FCL. He’s a lefty with a good slider and low velocity, which makes him a filler at the lower levels who can pick up strikeouts in relief, as he did this week.

FCL Pirates Batter: Carl Calixte

Stats: 3-for-12, 4 R, 2B, HR, 2 RBI, 2 SB, 2 BB

Calixte had a strong finish to the DSL season. The 19-year-old from Haiti hit four home runs, including two in his final ten games. He showed some good raw power, with a 108.3 MPH max exit velocity and an 87 MPH average. He also had a 14.6% walk rate, leading to a .397 OBP in 151 PA. The power and his overall contact rates increased during his second pro season.

DSL Pirates Pitcher: Yhosneiber Torres

Stats: 2.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 3 BB, 4 K, 0 HR

Torres has taken a step forward in his second DSL season. His ERA has gone from 6.53 to 3.16. That’s due to his batting average against dropping from .314 to .172. He’s seen a higher walk rate this year, but that hasn’t offset the drop in hits. He pitched 2.2 shutout innings this week, continuing his work as a starter, while showing the same lack of hits and control problems he’s had all season.

DSL Pirates Batter: Frankeli Mesta

Stats: 4-for-9, 5 R, 2B, HR, 4 RBI, 2 SB, 5 BB

Mesta had one of the more interesting stat lines this week. The DSL Pirates Gold won a high scoring game 21-17 on Friday. Not only did Mesta homer in that game, but he also picked up the save. This was the second homer of the season for the third-year DSL player. He also increased his OBP to .448 in 68 plate appearances.

One More Report

Antonio Pimentel had a big week for Bradenton, capped with a walk off home run on Sunday to sweep a double header.

The Pirates took an aggressive approach with Pimentel. After signing in 2023, he spent three seasons in the DSL. His numbers improved last year, batting .385/.492/.606 with more walks than strikeouts. They skipped him over the FCL and sent him to Low-A for his age 20 season.

Pimentel has handled the move well. He’s shown an increase in power this season, with six home runs, after only hitting two total in his previous three seasons. He also has a career high 23 stolen bases, showing run value.

What I like is the plate patience. He’s still recording double-digit walks at the full-season level, with below-average chase rates and above-average contact. Pimentel is a selective hitter, but when he sees a good pitch, he’s aggressive.

Pimentel isn’t one of the top prospects in the system, but he is an interesting lower level sleeper who has a few tools, and who has come up with some big hits this year.

---

Until the next time I go live…

-Tim Williams