Former 1st-round picks headline 9 Pirates prospects to play in Arizona Fall League
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Henry Davis, Nick Gonzales and Quinn Priester all missed playing time this season with injuries, so the Pittsburgh Pirates are sending the trio to play in the Arizona Fall League.
The three former first-round picks are among the nine Pirates prospects who will play for the Surprise Saguaros of the Arizona Fall League, which begins play in early October.
Davis, 24, was the No. 1 overall pick in the 2021 MLB Draft and is ranked the Pirates’ top prospect by MLB Pipeline and No. 4 by Baseball America. The former Louisville catcher started strong at High-A Greensboro, slashing .341/.450/.565 with three doubles, five home runs and 22 RBIs in 22 games before being promoted to Double-A Altoona.
In his Curve debut, Davis was hit by a pitch in the left wrist and has missed time with a fracture. He is batting .200/.317/.352 with seven doubles, three homers and 16 RBIs in 28 games at Altoona.
Priester, 22, was the No. 18 overall pick in 2019 and is ranked the Pirates’ No. 2 prospect by Baseball America and No. 3 by MLB Pipeline. The right-hander missed the start of the season with an oblique injury but is 4-4 with a 2.87 ERA and 1.19 WHIP with 75 strikeouts in 15 starts for the Curve.
Gonzales, 23, was the No. 7 overall pick in 2020 and is ranked the Pirates’ No. 5 prospect by MLB Pipeline and No. 7 by Baseball America. The second baseman has slashed .258/.353/.411 with 20 doubles, six homers and 31 RBIs in 68 games but missed two months with a foot injury.
A look at the other six Pirates prospects playing in the AFL:
Right-hander Tahnaj Thomas, 23, has thrived since moving to the bullpen for Altoona, going 5-4 with a 3.02 ERA and 1.26 WHIP with 60 strikeouts in 50 2/3 innings over 37 appearances. He’s ranked the Pirates’ No. 21 prospect by Baseball America and No. 29 by MLB Pipeline.
Outfielder Matt Gorski, 24, is ranked the Pirates’ No. 22 prospect by MLB Pipeline and No. 25 by Baseball America after slashing .294/.377/.754 with three doubles, two triples, 17 homers and 37 RBIs in 37 games at High-A Greensboro. He was promoted to Altoona, where he was batting .271/.353/.489 with seven doubles, two triples, six homers and 26 RBIs before suffering a quadriceps injury.
Left-hander Omar Cruz, 23, is 3-3 with a 5.11 ERA and 1.43 WHIP with 69 strikeouts in 61 2/3 innings over 22 appearances, including five starts, for Altoona.
Infielder Jacob Gonzalez, 24, is batting .281/.349/.407 with 13 doubles, nine homers and 45 RBIs for Greensboro.
Catcher Blake Sabol, 24, was batting .281/.347/.486 with 23 doubles, five triples, 14 homers and 60 RBIs in 98 games at Altoona before being promoted to Triple-A Indianapolis, where he’s slashing .292/.414/.542 with three homers and nine RBIs in 14 games.
Right-hander Colin Selby, 24, is 2-2 with a 2.27 ERA and 1.26 WHIP and eight saves in 31 2/3 innings over 25 appearances for Altoona.