OnlyBucs

I've been following the Arizona Fall League (in a sketchy way) and every day it seems Sammy Siani has a hit or two. He's an outfielder who apparently ended the season at Altoona. When I look at the top 30 prospects (and for Pirates Prospects, the top 50), he's not mentioned. What am I missing?

He was an extra 1st round pick (37th overall) in 2019 and ranked as #8 prospect in 2020. He slipped to #19 in 2021. He hit .215 for Bradenton in 2021 and wasn't ranked in the top 30 for 2022. He hit .201 for Greensboro in 2022 and again wasn't ranked in the top 30 for 2023. He hit .231 for Greensboro in 2023.

He finally started to hit this year. After a fast start for Greensboro (.324) he was promoted to Altoona in early May. By the end of July he was batting only .235 there. But for the rest of the season he batted .288. That seems to have been enough for the Pirates to want to get him into the AFL where he's off to a good start. So, despite the pedigree of a 1st round pick, his career got off to a poor start but has shown promise this season if he can build on it. He'll be 24 in December, next year will be his 6th year in the minors and hasn't yet played in AAA.

mouse wrote: ↑Fri Oct 18, 2024 10:27 am I've been following the Arizona Fall League (in a sketchy way) and every day it seems Sammy Siani has a hit or two. He's an outfielder who apparently ended the season at Altoona. When I look at the top 30 prospects (and for Pirates Prospects, the top 50), he's not mentioned. What am I missing?

I saw him play a couple of times this week. He’s a pretty good outfielder, swings the bat well, but there wasn’t anything that stood out as special. As Bobster pointed out, 2025 will be his 24-year old year and he still hasn’t risen above Double A. Maybe he’s one who is maturing later but, if he doesn’t have success in the first couple of months in Altoona and gets himself to Indy for three months, he may have lost a chance to be a consideration for the future.

Doc wrote: ↑Fri Oct 18, 2024 4:45 pm

mouse wrote: ↑Fri Oct 18, 2024 10:27 am I've been following the Arizona Fall League (in a sketchy way) and every day it seems Sammy Siani has a hit or two. He's an outfielder who apparently ended the season at Altoona. When I look at the top 30 prospects (and for Pirates Prospects, the top 50), he's not mentioned. What am I missing?

I saw him play a couple of times this week. He’s a pretty good outfielder, swings the bat well, but there wasn’t anything that stood out as special. As Bobster pointed out, 2025 will be his 24-year old year and he still hasn’t risen above Double A. Maybe he’s one who is maturing later but, if he doesn’t have success in the first couple of months in Altoona and gets himself to Indy for three months, he may have lost a chance to be a consideration for the future.

I think he is eligible for the Rule 5 in December, so if he is not added to the 40 man roster we could lose him. Since he hasn’t yet been to AAA it could be difficult to keep him in the Majors all season. So the chances of him being chosen are slim.

Thank you all. It just seemed odd that someone not on the prospect list was being sent to the AFL league. He could be a late bloomer but it sounds as though he has some blooming yet to do. But, as badly as the Pirates need position players...