Bucco Boys Prospect Weekly: Florentino's 21st homer, Sterling promoted to High-A
By Simon Lane ·
Bucco Boys Prospect Weekly covers the last 7 days of action for the Pirates farm system.
Nineteen Years Old, 21 Home Runs: Edward Florentino at High-A
Edward Florentino (A+, OF, Rank: 2) went 6-for-29 with two home runs, a double, six walks, and seven strikeouts last week, pushing his combined season total to 21 home runs across 397 plate appearances. The walks are the less-discussed part of his game but the more significant one for a 19-year-old: a 15.4% walk rate for the season at High-A reflects a zone awareness that most teenagers at this level simply do not have. He runs a 39.6% swing rate, among the most selective in the system, and his contact rate has climbed to 73.8% over the last 30 days after sitting closer to 68% season-long, suggesting he has been squaring the ball up more frequently in the back half of the year. The line at Greensboro reads .219/.336/.452, and the gap between average and slugging reflects what kind of hitter he is right now: someone who accepts walks, hits for real power when he connects, and carries some swing-and-miss in the profile at a level where pitchers are actively trying to exploit a teenager's weaknesses.
The scouting picture on Florentino is among the more exciting ones in the Pittsburgh system. He has a 55 hit tool, 55 power, and 55 speed with a 55 athleticism grade, all at 19 years old, and the projection is a second-division corner outfielder with legitimate everyday upside if the contact holds. What he is doing in 2026 is not a random variance spike: the walk rates have been consistent since his Bradenton debut in 2025, the power has shown up at every stop, and the speed is real enough that he has stolen 10 bases this season. The 28-strikeout contact rate at High-A is the honest caveat, and quality velocity and breaking-ball sequences can still get him. But the combination of age, tools, and statistical production at this level makes Double-A the next logical question. A promotion to Altoona before the season ends would put him in an interesting spot headed into 2027, and based on this season, the argument for it is growing harder to dismiss.
Levi Sterling's Bradenton Finale, Then a Promotion to Greensboro
Levi Sterling (A, RHP, Rank: 30) struck out 11 over six innings in his final start at Bradenton, allowing three runs on three hits and two walks, before the Pirates assigned him to Greensboro on August 18 for his first look at High-A. The outing was a fitting send-off for a 19-year-old who has logged 96 innings at the Single-A level this season, posting a 4.31 ERA with 112 strikeouts and 39 walks across 21 starts. That strikeout total is the number worth anchoring to: a 28.4% K rate with a four-pitch mix at age 19 is a legitimate data point, and his contact rate on pitches in the zone has trended in the right direction over the last month. His last 30 days at Bradenton showed a 2.76 ERA across 16.1 innings with 25 strikeouts and a 36.2% K rate, which is the exit velocity you want to see before bumping a teenager up a level.
The profile here is a potential number-four starter: a 93-95 mph four-seamer paired with a solid slider, a developing curve, and a changeup that is fringe-average but functional. Command has been the persistent issue, sitting at below-average with a 9.9% walk rate for the season, and mechanical timing problems with his front side can push pitch counts up early in outings. The jump to High-A will test whether the swing-and-miss translates against better contact hitters and whether the secondary pitches hold up when batters have more data. Last year, Sterling posted a 6.09 ERA in 34 innings between rookie ball and a brief Bradenton cameo, so the 2026 season represents genuine growth. The promotion is earned, and the next six weeks in Greensboro will be the most useful developmental data the Pirates get on him before the offseason.
Quick Hits
Reinold Navarro (A+, LHP, Rank: 44) · tossed five perfect innings in his final Bradenton outing, one hit, zero runs, zero walks, and six strikeouts, then was promoted to Greensboro the same day as Sterling. For the season at Single-A, he has a 2.60 ERA across 69.1 innings with 117 strikeouts and a 39.1% K rate, an eye-catching number in the lower levels of any system. The command has been his defining problem: a 20.1% walk rate for the season reflects the erratic delivery and the crossfire that make it hard to repeat his release point. He pairs a 65-grade fastball sitting 95-99 mph with a 60-grade slider, and when the two-pitch combination is on, hitters at Low-A had no real answer. The promotion to High-A is the first real test of whether the stuff survives when advanced hitters can sit on the fastball and wait out the walk. I'd project him as a late-inning bullpen arm long-term, but the next few outings in Greensboro will be worth watching closely.
Axiel Plaz (A+, C, Rank: 33) · drove in 4 on 5 hits, including two home runs and a double, across 23 plate appearances last week, his 14th and 15th homers of the year. The season line at Greensboro sits at .297/.377/.487 through 356 plate appearances, and his 13.8% strikeout rate over the last 30 days is his best sustained contact stretch of the year. Plaz has a 55 power grade and a 50 hit tool, and the 2026 strikeout improvement, down from 18.3% at Bradenton a year ago, is the key developmental signal. He profiles as a bench catcher at best given the defensive limitations, but the bat is doing everything it needs to do to keep that ceiling relevant.
Tony Blanco Jr. (A+, LF, Rank: 24) · reached base seven times in 14 plate appearances last week without a hit, drawing six walks and taking a hit-by-pitch. Zero hits on the week, but a 65-power bat that has slashed .279/.389/.689 with seven home runs over the last 30 days does not need protection in a weekly recap. The season total stands at 19 home runs in 288 plate appearances. The contact rate at 63.1% and a 29.5% strikeout rate for the year define the ceiling question: the power is a 65-grade tool that shows up in games, and the floor as a bench power option is secure, but trimming the swing-and-miss is what distinguishes a bench bat from an everyday one.
Wyatt Sanford (A+, SS, Rank: 11) · went 4-for-25 with two home runs, a double, five RBI, three walks, and a hit-by-pitch last week, his 13th and 14th home runs of the combined season. He has a 60 speed grade and enough defensive credibility at shortstop to project as an everyday player, and the 24 stolen bases at High-A validate the baserunning tool. The concern over the last 30 days is a 34.8% strikeout rate paired with a 60.4% contact rate, and the swing has enough chase in it against spin that the hit tool (graded at 50) will face a real test as he climbs. The on-base skill remains real, though: a 14.9% walk rate at Greensboro for the season keeps the value floor elevated even through rough contact stretches.
Cy Nielson (AAA, LHP, Rank: 48) · was promoted from Double-A to Indianapolis on August 14 and made two appearances at Triple-A this week, allowing just one hit and no runs across 5.1 innings with six strikeouts and zero walks. That is a sharp contrast to his year at Altoona, where he posted a 5.60 ERA in 53 innings with a 12.0% walk rate. The left-handed crossfire slot and a 55-grade slider give him a two-pitch mix that can neutralize lefties in short bursts, and the early Triple-A results suggest the stuff does play up. He projects as an up-down middle reliever, and the command (graded at 40) is what makes the difference between that role and something more stable.
Antwone Kelly (MLB, RHP, Rank: 20) · was recalled by Pittsburgh on August 18 after allowing just one hit and no runs over three innings in his final Triple-A appearance, striking out six despite four walks. Over the last 30 days at Indianapolis he posted a 0.66 ERA across 13.2 innings with 12 strikeouts. The 97-100 mph fastball is a legitimate 60-grade weapon, and the recent stretch has been his best run of the season. The command picture at Triple-A for the year, a 11.4% walk rate, is why three big-league stints have not stuck: when the release point wanders, the heater gets elevated and hitters punish it. He is a power arm with a real shot at holding a big-league role if the strike-throwing catches up.
Thomas Harrington (AAA, RHP, Rank: 15) · allowed no runs on four hits across 4.2 innings with two walks and one strikeout, his cleanest outing in a stretch that has been rough. The season ERA at Triple-A sits at 6.00 through 75 innings, and the last 30 days show a 4.61 ERA across 13.2 innings. He has a balanced four-pitch mix anchored by a 55-grade curveball, but the fastball gets punished when command slips, and Triple-A hitters have been punishing those mistakes consistently in 2026. The back-end starter projection is still there, but the command (graded 45) has to tighten before that becomes a real conversation at the major-league level.
Connor Wietgrefe (AAA, LHP, Rank: 49) · gave up three runs on six hits over six innings with six strikeouts and no walks. The 2.97 ERA over the last 30 days at Indianapolis is the best sustained stretch of his Triple-A career, and the season ERA at Indy sits at 3.20 across 59 innings. A left-handed starter with a 55 command grade who generates deception through a crossfire delivery, Wietgrefe does not miss many bats by pure stuff; the 19.7% K rate over the last 30 days reflects a contact-management approach more than a swing-and-miss profile. At 24 with a back-end starter ceiling, a big-league look before September would not be surprising.
Chris Rembert (A, 2B, Rank: 6) · went 5-for-20 with four walks and four strikeouts in a small seven-game sample at Bradenton, his only appearances of the season. A 55 hit tool with a 55 speed grade and a selective 38.2% swing rate, Rembert is a contact-first second baseman whose value will be determined by how the bat holds up against better pitching. The season sample is too small to draw conclusions, but the zone discipline is what you want to see from a bat-first middle infielder getting his feet wet at Low-A.
Termarr Johnson (AAA, SS, Rank: 16) · was placed on the full-season injured list on August 18 with the nature of the injury unconfirmed. His last appearance was August 8, and the season line at Indianapolis reads .199/.336/.319 with 8 home runs and 24 stolen bases across 406 plate appearances. The stolen-base total shows the 60 speed is real, but the .199 average against Triple-A pitching has been the persistent concern in a year where the hit tool (graded 50) has not carried the offensive profile. The IL placement puts his 2026 season in doubt.
Seth Hernandez (A+, RHP, Rank: 1) · was transferred from the 7-day IL to the 60-day IL on August 15 at Greensboro. The top-ranked prospect in the Pirates system will not pitch the rest of the season after straining his oblique.