A number of highly touted prospects are likely to see time in Indianapolis this summer
By Brooks Riley
The Indianapolis Indians return to Victory Field in just a few weeks to kick off the 2024 campaign, and the starting rotation is expected to be one to watch. Pittsburgh’s farm system features four pitchers on MLB Pipeline’s Top 100 list – most in professional baseball – and many could see time in Indianapolis during the season before making a splash with the major league club.
Those prospects, combined with MLB veterans to lead, could make Indy’s rotation problematic for International League opponents. As we gear up for the start of baseball season in Indianapolis, we took a look at who could be starting on the bump for the Triple-A squad.
Wily Peralta: If assigned to Indianapolis, Peralta, 34, would bring the most experience to the rotation. The right-hander signed as a non-drafted free agent in 2005 with Milwaukee before making his MLB debut with the Brewers in 2012. Peralta will provide leadership and serve as a resourceful veteran for the younger pitchers in the clubhouse after appearing in 258 major league games (139 starts) across parts of 10 seasons, including a 17-win campaign in 2014. In 2023, he spent the entire season in the Washington Nationals system with Triple-A Rochester and went 3-8 with a 6.31 ERA (72er/102.2ip) and 100 strikeouts in 24 starts. The veteran led Red Wings hurlers in strikeouts, innings pitched, and games started.
Paul Skenes: The 6-foot-6 hurler was selected as the top pick in the 2023 First-Year Player Draft out of Louisiana State University (Baton Rouge) and could skyrocket to the big leagues this season. Considered one of the best pitching prospects in professional baseball since Washington’s Stephen Strasburg and former Pittsburgh Pirate and Indianapolis Indian, Gerrit Cole, the young right-hander provides great promise for the franchise. Skenes, 21, enters the 2024 season as Pittsburgh’s top prospect and sits at No. 3 on MLB Pipeline’s top 100 prospects list. He offers an electric fastball that has been clocked at 102 mph and a wipeout slider that makes him a hitter’s nightmare. In 2023, he rose to Double-A Altoona for two starts after tossing 4.0 shutout frames with the FCL Pirates and Single-A Bradenton.
Anthony Solometo: The Pirates selected Solometo in the second round (37th overall) of the 2021 First-Year Player Draft out of Bishop Eustace (Pennsauken, N.J.) High School. The 21-year-old southpaw split the 2023 season with High-A Greensboro and Altoona, going 4-7 with a 3.26 ERA (40er/110.1ip) and 118 strikeouts in 24 starts. Following the stellar campaign, he was named a MiLB.com Organization All-Star for a second consecutive season. He enters the 2024 season ranked as Pittsburgh’s No. 4 prospect and No. 82 overall according to MLB Pipeline.
Sean Sullivan: The right-handed Sullivan was selected by Pittsburgh in the eighth round (223rd overall) of the 2021 First-Year Player Draft out of the University of California (Berkeley). He spent the entire 2023 season with Altoona and went 8-4 with a 3.88 ERA (49er/113.2ip) in 24 games (21 starts). Sullivan, 23, ranked among Eastern League qualifiers in ERA (6th), WHIP (6th, 1.27) and batting average against (8th, .245). During the season, he also tossed his first career complete game on Aug. 9 (1) vs. Erie.
Jackson Wolf: The towering left-handed Wolf was traded to Pittsburgh from San Diego on Aug. 1, 2023, with infielder Alfonso Rivas and outfielder Estuar Suero in exchange for veteran southpaw Rich Hill and designated hitter Ji Man Choi. Standing 6-foot-7, the 24-year-old, who enters the 2024 season as Pittsburgh’s No. 20 prospect according to MLB Pipeline, mixes a fastball that averages 89 mph, changeup, 12-6 curveball and sweeping slider that plays well with his various arm slots and angles. Last year, Wolf posted a 4.13 ERA (57er/124.1ip) and 135 strikeouts between Double-A San Antonio and Altoona. He also secured his first major league win in his debut at Detroit on July 22, 2023 (5.0ip, 6h, 3r, 1bb, 1k) before being sent back to Double-A.
Indianapolis is also expected to see some familiar faces return this season, including left-hander Cam Alldred and right-handers JT Brubaker and Mike Burrows. Brubaker and Burrows are both recovering from Tommy John surgery and are expected to return around the All-Star break.
Players fighting for a major league roster spot include right-handers Jared Jones, Luis Ortiz and Quinn Priester. Depending on how the rotation shapes up in Pittsburgh, Indians fans could see the trio toe the rubber in Indianapolis at some point this season.
Originally posted on milb.com