Pirates Prospect Watch: Eric Lauer Ramps Up For Big Leagues

Pirates’ farm teams enjoyed an action packed Sunday, with a shutout win, and two last-second comeback attempts, one of which ended in a walk-off win.

Eric Lauer set the tone for Triple-A Indianapolis, firing five scoreless innings that would’ve been perfect were it not for a Nick Gonzales error. Indianapolis went on to blank the St. Paul Saints 5-0. Lauer, a late spring signee who the Pirates inked to a minor league deal after injuries hampered him in 2023, could become a sneaky addition to the Pirates’ rotation down the stretch, especially as he continues to ramp up his work load.

The Altoona Curve didn’t manage an extra base hit until the ninth inning, when they hit two solo home runs to close the deficit to 5-4… but they couldn’t come up with the runs they needed despite putting the go-ahead run aboard with one out.

High-A Greensboro didn’t play due to inclement weather, while the Bradenton Marauders walked it off 8-7 thanks to a three-run rally in the tenth inning.

Here’s a look at the top performing Pirates’ prospects on Sunday.

Triple-A Indianapolis (11-10)

LHP Eric Lauer

• Game: 5 IP, 0 ER, 8 K’s.
• Season: 19 IP,  2.37 ERA, 22 K’s in 5 appearances.

DH Matt Gorski

• Game: 3-for-4 with a triple.
• Season: .269/.296/.442 with 4 doubles and a homer in 16 games.

Double-A Altoona (5-9)

CF Matt Fraizer

• Game: 1-for-4 with a homer.
• Season: .209/.320/.395 with 2 doubles and 2 homers in 13 games.

RF Aaron Shackelford

• Game: 1-for-4 with a homer.
• Season: .217/.288/.458 with 2 doubles and 3 homers in 12 games.

High-A Greensboro (8-5)

DNP: Postponed due to inclement weather.

Single-A Bradenton (3-12)

SS Javier Rivas

• Game: 3-for-4 with 2 doubles and a homer.
• Season: .122/.173/.245 with 3 doubles and a homer in 14 games.

C Omar Alfonzo

• Game: 2-for-4 with a double and a walk.
• Season: .262/.404/.381 with 2 doubles and a homer in 12 games.