Three Pittsburgh Pirates prospects will be playing in the Arizona Fall League’s Fall Stars Game.
Pirates right-handed pitcher Derek Diamond, outfielder Sammy Siani and catcher Geovanny Planchart are the trio that will represent Pittsburgh in the game. The Fall Stars Game is at 8 p.m. ET on Saturday and the teams are divided by American League and National League like the Summer Classic.
Siani headlines the list and has been one of the best hitters throughout the AFL. Siani has hit three home runs and driven in 16 runs and is slashing .406/.472/.594 in 64 at-bats. His .406 batting average leads the AFL, while his .472 on-base percentage is ninth.
Siani has also displayed his speed with four stolen bases.
Planchart hasn’t had the same amount of playing time but has made the most of it when he’s been on the field. The Pirates catching prospect has hit two home runs, driven in five runs and he has slashed .345/.457/.586 through his 29 at-bats in the 10 games he has played in.
Diamond has been a steady presence on the mound through his seven appearances in the AFL, which includes one start. The Pirates right-handed pitching prospect has a 2.45 ERA through 11 innings pitched and has struck out 12 batters while walking only two. He also had a 0.82 WHIP and a .171 batting average against.
Few players would make more sense for the Pittsburgh Pirates than Arizona Diamondbacks first baseman Christian Walker.
Sports Illustrated predicted that Pittsburgh will sign the Diamondbacks first baseman in free agency and ranked him No. 13 in its top 50 free agents.
Over the past three seasons, Pete Alonso and Matt Olson are the only first basemen with more home runs than Walker’s 95.,” SI writes. “A late bloomer who didn’t take hold of an everyday role until his age-28 season, Walker has been fairly consistent year over year, with a 120 wRC+ since 2022. First base-only players in their mid-30s can get marginalized in free agency, but Walker’s bat has been productive enough to earn a high rank in this year’s class.”
Walker has been one of the more reliable power-hitting first basemen over the last three seasons. He has hit 95 home runs and has 281 RBIs since 2022. Last season, he hit 26 home runs, drove in 84 runs and slashed .251/.335/.468.
Walker, 34, has also proven to be a more than reliable defensive first baseman. He’s won three straight Rawlings Gold Glove Awards and led all players at his position in the National League with 13 outs above average and has 39 over the last three years.
Few teams need to add proven bats to their lineup more than Pittsburgh. It ranked in the bottom 10 in nearly every major category at the plate and especially struggled to get consistent production from first base.
Signing Walker wouldn’t come without concerns, as is the case with nearly every free agent. He turns 34 next season, so signing him to a potential deal beyond three years wouldn’t be wrong to warrant some hesitancy.
But given where the Pirates currently stand, they should be willing to make a risky move for a player of Walker’s caliber and give him what would more than likely be the largest contract to a free agent in franchise history.
