By james art Few teams can boast the pitching depth that the Pittsburgh Pirates have throughout their organization.
That depth was on display in the Arizona Fall League, and it was especially prevalent in the last two games. The trio of right-handed prospects Christian Curtis, Derek Diamond and Eddie Yeun combined to pitch six innings and allow just two hits for the Scottsdale Scorpions on Monday and Tuesday.
The Scorpions lost 3-1 to the Salt River Rafters on Monday and bounced back to win 9-7 on Tuesday against the Peoria Javelinas.
Curtis made his second AFL start on Monday and went four innings, allowing just one hit and one walk and striking out two. Curtis, who is the Pirates’ No. 27 prospect in MLB Pipeline’s rankings, was in trouble in just the third inning after a hit and walk put runners on first and second with two outs, but he escaped the jam with a flyout, then went on for to sort the side down in his last innings of work.
Diamond and Yeon were impressive from Tuesday’s scrimmage against the Javelinas. After Peoria scored three runs in the third inning, Diamond retired the side in order with a pair of groundouts and a flyout.
Yen entered the game in a similar situation, entering with Scottsdale down by three runs in the bottom of the sixth inning, and he got the Javelinas to go three up and three down, helping set the stage for the Scorpions to score seven runs over the next two innings. to seal the comeback win.
Curtis and Ian’s ability to bounce back from rough outings in their last outing is a positive development for them and the Pirates. Diamond has also been solid in his five appearances, including one start.
If the trio of Curtis, Diamond and Yeon continue to perform well along with Valentin Linares and Brandon Bidois to avoid another outing like their first in the AFL, it could be a sign that Pittsburgh has even more options going forward with its surplus of weapons.
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