The Pirates have won three in a row going to this weekend’s series with Arizona. The Bucs will send rookie righthander Mike Burrows (1-3, 4.70 ERA) to the mound against Diamondbacks’ righty Ryne Nelson (6-2, 3.52 ERA). It’s a 6:15 airtime, 6:40 first pitch on WCCS.
The MLB tradeline is next Thursday and the Diamondbacks made a deal yesterday, sending first baseman Josh Naylor to Seattle for two prospects. Naylor is hitting .292 with 11 home runs and 59 RBIs this season, his first with Arizona.
When the Pirates take the field, they will be wearing a new patch on their jerseys, honoring Dave Parker. “The Cobra” will be inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame on Sunday. The Pirates will wear the patch the rest of the season. Parker played nineteen seasons in the major leagues, the first eleven of them with the Pirates. He died at age 74 on June 28th.
GRIFFIN’S RISE
There is a new number one prospect in baseball, and he’s a future Pirate. MLB Pipeline yesterday elevated first-year pro Konnor Griffin to top prospect status, and it’s a historic move. Griffin is the first player ever to be ranked number one in his first pro season. He also has made the biggest leap to number one of any prospect, from number 43 in the preseason to number one in the mid-year rankings. He celebrated his new ranking by getting four hits last night in High-A Greensboro’s 8-4 win over Brooklyn.
FOUR DRAFT PICKS SIGN
Four more draft picks have signed with the Pirates, including the third rounder, catcher Easton Carmichael. Also headed off to the Florida Complex League is third baseman Brent Iredale, who was taken in the seventh round; Slugging first baseman Jared Jones, the ninth round choice and first-team All-American; and thirteenth round pick Dylan Mathiesen, a right-handed pitcher.
