The Pittsburgh Pirates have been very aggressive with some of their younger prospects, with several teenagers getting pushed to Bradenton over the past couple of seasons.
One player who has responded each year with an aggressive placement has been Dariel Lopez. Just 19 when he played for Bradenton, he became a key part of their lineup in the division championship run in 2021.
Lopez played the entire 2022 season in Greensboro, thoroughly taking advantage of the hitter’s haven that is First National Bank Field.
A late season injury kept Lopez out of the lineup just long enough to finish one home run short of 20, nearly doubling his total from 2021 in Bradenton.