Pirates Prospects Players of the Week 6/28

Brent Iredale hit two home runs for Bradenton, while Noah Davis struck out nine in Triple-A.

This week likely brought the final set of changes to the Player of the Week process on PiratesProspects.com.

I started this feature a month ago, using RE24 as the sole source for grading past results. From there, I added elements of WPA and fantasy sports scoring. Then, I fully added WPA scores to the RE24 results.

There was one thing missing. That was accounting for the level of performance. Hitting five home runs in a week in A-ball is much different than hitting five home runs in a week against Triple-A pitchers.

After applying the latest changes, only six of the 26 combined Batter/Pitcher of the week winners were adjusted. Last week, for example, Eddie Rynders had a better raw score than any other hitter. His numbers barely edged out Omar Alfonzo, whose results came two levels higher. When adding weights for the levels, Alfonzo took the lead. Rynders remained the Batter of the Week in Bradenton.

At this point, the Player of the Week uses RE24, WPA, and bonus points for individual performance stats like home runs and strikeouts. The results are then weighted by level, giving more value to the same results at higher levels.

With each change and addition, I feel the automated process of selecting the best performers improves.

Here are the latest improved Player of the Week results.

Players of the Week 6/28/2026

Brent Iredale and Noah Davis were the Pittsburgh Pirates Players of the Week.

Iredale, the Batter of the Week, went 5-for-15 with two home runs, seven walks, and five RBIs. The Marauders third baseman had a great start to the week, hitting a three run homer in the first inning on Tuesday, his fourth of the year. He added two walks in the same game. The next night he went 3-for-3 with two walks, hitting a two-run homer in the third inning.

The Pirates drafted Iredale in the seventh round last year. He spent some time on the injured list this season, and is only batting for a .188 average with a 33% strikeout rate in Low-A. The last ten games have shown improvements after returning from the IL. He’s hitting .343/.489/.743 with four of his five homers across that stretch.

Davis, the Pitcher of the Week, threw six innings with two earned runs for Indianapolis on Friday, striking out nine. This was his highest strikeout total of the season, beating the seven strikeout mark he set twice in April. One of those past starts got Davis upgraded to Pitcher of the Week for 4/12 with the latest level weights, making this the second week this season he’s been the best pitcher in the minor league system.

The Pirates signed Davis in January to a minor league deal. He’s far from a prospect, currently in his age 29 season, and with appearances in the Majors across four seasons, totaling 62.1 innings. He gets a lot of his swing and miss from an upper-70s sweeper, along with a mid-70s curveball. Both work off a fastball/sinker approach sitting around 93 MPH.

Individual Level Standouts

Here are the Players of the Week across the individual levels throughout the Pirates’ system.

Indianapolis Batter: Rafael Flores Jr., C

Stats: 4-for-12, 4 R, 2 2B, 5 RBI, 7 BB

Flores hit for some power this week, with two doubles on Thursday. He was most effective in drawing free passes, including five combined across his final two games of the week. Since returning from his cup of coffee in the Majors, he’s 7-for-27 with 12 walks and three doubles.

Altoona Pitcher: Joshua Loeschorn

Stats: 5.0 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 3 K, 0 HR

The 20th rounder in 2022 has been working in long relief for Altoona. This week he pitched twice, combining for one earned run in five innings. Loeschorn has a 3.65 ERA in 24.2 innings over his last ten appearances, with a 27:13 K/BB ratio.

Altoona Batter: Will Taylor, OF

Stats: 6-for-15, 3 R, HR, 4 RBI, 3 SB, 4 BB

Taylor hit his fourth homer of the year this week, while adding three stolen bases. The 2024 fifth rounder now has 14 steals, which is on pace to beat last-season’s total of 23 between the A-ball levels. His power has taken a step back this season, but he’s hitting for a .303 average with a .439 OBP in his last ten games.

Greensboro Pitcher: Kyle Robinson

Stats: 6.0 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 4 K, 0 HR

I wrote last week that Robinson has been much better on the road, and hurt by the home park in Greensboro. His start last week was on the road, and he continued the trend with six shutout innings. Robinson currently has a .494 OPS against on the road compared to a 1.083 in Greensboro.

Greensboro Batter: Murf Gray, 3B

Stats: 7-for-20, 3 R, 2 2B, 2 HR, 4 RBI, SB, 3 BB

There were only four Pirates minor leaguers who hit 20+ home runs in 2025. Gray reached that level this past week with his 19th and 20th homers of the season. He continues crushing the ball in High-A, and this has nothing to do with the home park in Greensboro. His road splits have produced half of his home runs with the Grasshoppers, and a 1.042 OPS. He’s looking like a strong candidate to move up to Altoona in the second half.

Bradenton Pitcher: Reinold Navarro

Stats: 4.0 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 4 BB, 10 K, 0 HR

Navarro stood out last week for two reasons. The first was my look at the best fastballs in the Pirates’ minor league system, where his 47% whiff rate and 96.2 MPH velocity from the left side make him number one. The second was a four inning, one earned run start where he struck out a career high ten batters. Control is the biggest thing holding him back, but the 19-year-old lefty has plenty of time to improve that area of his game.

FCL Pirates Pitcher: Robinson Smith

Stats: 4.0 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 3 BB, 2 K, 0 HR

Smith tied for the highest international bonus given out by the Pirates to a pitcher in 2025. The Australian right-hander struggled in the DSL last year, but has a 2.35 ERA in 23 innings so far in the FCL. The 6’ 4” 18-year-old sits around 93 MPH with his fastball, while generating a 60% whiff rate on a limited amount of recorded curveballs.

FCL Pirates Batter: Hyun Seung Lee, SS

Stats: 4-for-14, 2 R, HR, 2 RBI, SB, BB

Lee has been hitting well in rookie ball, but didn’t carry that over to Low-A. After returning to the FCL last week, he added his fifth homer of the year in the rookie league. What hurt him in Bradenton was a 38.3% strikeout rate. He struck out five times in 14 at-bats this past week, but kept showing the power that makes him an interesting prospect.

DSL Pirates Pitcher: Angel Rosado

Stats: 3.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 4 K, 0 HR

Rosado actually had the highest raw pitching score this week, before the level weights were added. He made two relief appearances, combining for three no-hit, shutout frames and four strikeouts. He picked up his first win of the season on Friday, stranding runners at first and third in the sixth inning of a close game, before benefitting from two runs in the seventh that led to him being the pitcher of record. He closed out the game with a scoreless inning.

DSL Pirates Batter: Hanley Ramirez, OF

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

Ramirez had a brief four-game hitting streak last week, adding his first professional home run. He also stole three bases, giving him four on the season, which is half of his rookie totals in 2025. His hitting streak was brought to an end on Saturday when his DSL Pirates Gold went up against the DSL Pirates Black.

One More Report

Irwin Ramirez was promoted to Bradenton this past week, after a 3.67 ERA in 27 innings in the FCL.

The performance by Ramirez in rookie ball was an improvement over his 4.41 ERA last season. His strikeout rate increased from 15.3% to 20.5%, while his average against dropped from .254 to .157.

Ramirez hit 100.3 MPH in his Bradenton debut, while throwing four more pitches at 99 MPH or harder. On the season he averages 96 MPH with his fastball, while generating high whiff rates from his 87 MPH cutter, his 85 MPH changeup, and his 84.6 MPH slider.

Friday’s debut wasn’t great, with Ramirez allowing two runs on three hits in four innings of relief. The runs both came on a two run homer. He walked three, but struck out five. Walks have been an issue for him in his young career, and that hasn’t changed this season.

The Pirates made Ramirez their top international pitching signing in 2024, giving him a bonus higher than breakout lefty Reinold Navarro. While Ramirez is still raw, the 19-year-old is starting to show some potential, with upper 90s velocity that hits triple-digits, and an improved secondary this season that generates more swing and miss.

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Until the next time I go live…

-Tim Williams