Live From The Backfields: Pirates and Twins Complex Breakdown

Hello all, it has been a long day already, but we still have another game to cover tonight. The first stop of my trip was Pirate City to see the Pirates and Twins complex game at noon. It was a scorcher but it was well worth going to see some talented prospects on both sides. Let’s break them down.

Jhonny Severino, SS/3B, PIT, 19, FCL

Severino was the biggest standout on the field today. Listed at 6’2”/185, I would guess that he is probably 6’4” at this point and still has projection left on an already good frame.

Severino hit the ball hard in three of his four at-bats, collecting two hits and reaching base a third time when he forced a throwing error on a hustle play. What impressed me the most outside of the physicality and the ability to hit the ball hard, was that Severino hustled and gave 110% every play. He busted it down the line and clocked above-average run times.

In the field, Severino played third base and showed smooth actions and a good arm. He made several plays and while they were routine plays, it just looked smooth. I was quite impressed with the overall look at Severino, and the eye test backs the strong performance.

On the year, Severino has ten home runs and 12 stolen bases while slashing .286/.371/.544. The strikeouts and contact rate have trended in the right direction, down to 19 percent on the year and over the last two months sits at just 13 percent. I saw Severino make contact on a high fastball and leave the barrel in the zone a long time on breaking balls down and away.

David Matoma, RHP, PIT, 18, FCL

Matoma was an arm I wanted to see on my trip, and when he came to close the game, he delivered. A rare prospect out of Uganda who signed in 2023 as a 16-year-old at the time, Matoma has a big fastball that is already up to the mid-90s with his fastball with heavy ride. He throws a slider and splitter with big whiff rates.

Standing at 6’0”, Matoma throws a big riding fastball that literally appears to rise. In his one inning of work, Matoma generated five whiffs on just that one pitch. He has added a splitter to the arsenal as well that sat around 87 and dumped in a slider that sat around 88 mph.

It is an electric fastball that was highly impressive, and while Matoma may be a reliever profile, he might be a really good one.

Yordany De Los Santos, SS, PIT, 19, FCL

De Los Santos got off to a hot start to the complex season, which kinda felt moot considering he reached Single-A last year as an 18-year-old. There were major strikeout issues and swing-and-miss which in some ways have been addressed. The strikeout rate sits at just 18 percent which is quite good in comparison to what we saw last year.

Having an impressive frame, De Los Santos has long legs, and a ton of projection on his frame that probably is close to 6’4” at this point. He laid down a really impressive bunt in his first at-bat and legged it out for a single, and added a couple more hard-hits in a line drive single and a long fly out to right field.

De Los Santos has five home runs on the year and 21 stolen bases, which included a steal today. He got a good jump and read the pitcher extremely well. The frame screams projection and that more power can be added. If you want a deep upside shot from a fantasy perspective, I would take a chance here on De Los Santos.

Carlos Caro, INF, PIT, 19, FCL

Caro is an interesting prospect that I had not really dug into prior to seeing him today. Listed at 5’11”/160, Caro is certainly much bigger than that now, and honestly, I came away pretty impressed.

Showing a good feel for the strike zone, Caro made contact often and had a good feel for spin, fouling off tough pitches. There has not been a ton of present power, as Caro has two home runs and ten extra-base hits on the year, but he did add a double that turned into him taking third on a throw home as Jhonny Severino scored.

Caro showed good instincts for the game, and much like Severino, he was hustling every play. Some things are not teachable, and I always like to see a player who busts it every play.

Richard Ramirez, C, PIT, 19, FCL

Ramirez was a name I was not familiar with coming into the game, but with a strong frame, a strong arm, and a solid presence in the box, I came away liking the profile. Ramirez threw out the Twins’ only attempted base stealer and showed good pop and arm strength. He then collected two hits to push his average to .293 on the year with an .857 OPS.

The power has not jumped off the page yet, and Ramirez has five home runs, and 15 extra-base hits so far in 168 plate appearances. He is not someone to rush and grab, and there are strikeout issues, but Ramirez just turned 19 years old this month and has some intrigue.

Yasser Mercedes, OF, MIN, 19, FCL

None of the Twins hitters got much going, as they had just two hits on the day, but Mercedes was one of the bigger names in the lineup. He did not collect a hit but has quite a solid build. He is listed at 6’1”/175, but might be a little bigger. It is a strong lower half, with quite a quick bat.

Mercedes has put up some big exit velocities this year at times but has also shown the ability to whiff. He has stolen 18 bases this year, but I don’t think speed will be a big part of his game long term. Still, Mercedes has an impressive .337/.426/.577 slash with six home runs and 25 extra-base hits on the year.

Dameury Pena, SS, MIN, 18, FCL

Pena is a name I was looking forward to seeing. A buzzy prospect name who burst on the scene this year after hitting .382 in the DSL last year. Like the rest of the team, Pena did not collect a hit, but he did send a fly ball to deep center field.

Having a big leg kick, Pena gets the bat in the zone rather quickly, and it stays there for a while. He makes a ton of contact and has struck out less than seven percent of the time while walking in nearly 14 percent of plate appearances.