Pittsburg, PA
How Pirates Prospects Fared In AFL
After 31 games, the Arizona Fall League concluded for the Pittsburgh Pirates prospects.
Pittsburgh had nine prospects play, with middle infield prospect Termarr Johnson playing in just 11 games before leaving to play for Team USA in the Premier12 Tournament. Pittsburgh had three players make the AFL All-Star game; Right-handed pitcher Derek Diamond, left-handed hitting outfielder Sammy Siani and catcher Geovanny Planchart.
Here are how the Pirates players fared for the Scottsdale Scorpions in the AFL.
Siani was the best of the bunch, batting .375/.492/.667 with three home runs and 18 RBIs in 80 at-bats and he scored 21 runs across 22 games. He also made an impact on the bases with six stolen bases. Siani also had a 15-game hitting streak and tallied a hit in all but one game.
Siani also had two hits in the All-Star game. Of his 30 hits in the AFL, five were doubles.
Pittsburgh infield prospect Kervin Pichardo saw more playing time as the season progressed. He batted .309/.424/.527, hit one home run and had 12 RBIs in his 55 at-bats. Pichardo turned in his best performance of the AFL when it mattered most, going 3-4 with three RBIs in the Scorpions’ 7-6 win over the Glendale Desert Dogs on Thursday to advance them to the play-in semifinals.
Pichardo had seven extra-base hits with five doubles and two triples. He also scored 13 runs and walked 11 times across 17 games.
Planchart hit two home runs and had six RBIs and batted .294/.432/.500. He had the fewest at-bats among the Pirates prospects with 34.
Johnson tallied 40 at-bats and slashed .250/.444/.475. The Pirates’ No. 3 prospect and No. 75 prospect in baseball hit one home run, drove in four runs and he walked 14 times. Of his 10 hits, five were extra-base hits.
Diamond was the lone pitcher to make the All-Star game from the five pitching prospects Pittsburgh sent to the AFL and started in that game for the National League.
He pitched in seven games, including making one start, amassing a 2.45 ERA and he had a whip of 0.82. in his 11 innings pitched. Diamond struck out 12 batters compared to walking just two and he allowed seven hits.
Khristian Curtis made the most starts of the Pirates’ prospects, starting three games across his seven appearances. Curtis, who is the Pirates’ No. 27 ranked prospect by MLB Pipeline, went 1-1 with a 4.67 ERA, struck out 16 batters and walked eight in his 17.1 innings pitched.
Curtis’ lone win came in the first game of the AFL. He pitched three shutout innings and struck out two.
Valentin Linarez was lights out coming out of the bullpen for Scottsdale. Across his 10.1 innings pitched, he allowed just three hits and one run while striking out 11 batters, though, he walked eight and hit one. He had the lowest batting average against for the Scorpions with a .086.
Brandan Bidois numbers were heavily skewed by his first outing of the AFL when he gave up six runs in just an inning of work. Across his other six outings, he allowed just one run.
Bidois had seven appearances and pitched 7.2 innings, allowed seven hits, walked nine batters and struck out 14. He finished the AFL with an 8.22 ERA.
Eddy Yean went 0-2 with a 6.75 ERA in his nine appearances out of the bullpen. In his 9.1 innings pitched, he allowed 13 hits and seven runs and he struck out eight batters.
Make sure to visit Pirates OnSI for the latest news, updates, interviews and insight on the Pittsburgh Pirates
Pittsburg, PA
Wegmans to start building store in Cranberry this month
Pittsburg, PA
Fayette County man facing 1,000+ charges related to animal cruelty, neglect
A man from Fayette County has been arrested and is facing over 1,000 charges related to alleged animal cruelty and neglect.
Fayette County District Attorney Mike Aubele said that John Saxberg, 57, is facing charges in connection with what he called “a suspected illegal kennel operation” in Washington Township.
According to DA Aubele, Saxberg is accused of subjecting numerous animals to “deplorable conditions” and “circumstances constituting torture,” adding that approximately ten animals suffered serious bodily injuries.
Court records show that Saxberg is facing 1,029 criminal charges in total with offenses including aggravated cruelty to animals, cruelty to animals, neglect of animals, penalties related to dog licensing, and violations of vaccine requirements.
52 of the charges that Saxberg is facing are felonies, according to court records.
Online court paperwork shows that Saxberg was arraigned on Tuesday afternoon and is being held in the Fayette County Prison after bail was posted at $85,000.
A preliminary hearing for Saxberg is scheduled for late next week.
Pittsburg, PA
Allegheny County park with 200-year-old trees joins network of
An Allegheny County park with 200-year-old trees has been added to a growing network of protected and publicly accessible old-growth forests.
Local leaders announced on Tuesday that Hartwood Acres is now part of the Old-Growth Forest Network, which consists of over 340 forests, though this is Allegheny County’s first.
The 692-acre property features a Tudor mansion built in 1929, and while about a quarter of the park is maintained, the other 75% is forested. Some of the oldest trees include a black oak that’s over 200 years old, and a sugar maple and red oak that are nearing 200 years old.
“Hartwood Acres is one of Allegheny County’s greatest natural treasures, and this designation recognizes both the ecological value of these forests and the generations of stewardship that have protected them,” Allegheny County Executive Sara Innamorato said in a press release. “As we work to build an Allegheny County where everyone can thrive, that includes ensuring residents have access to clean air, green spaces, and the opportunity to connect with nature close to home.”
The Old-Growth Forest Network, founded in 2012, aims to create a national network of protected, mature and native forests that are accessible to the public. The goal is to preserve at least one forest in every U.S. county that can sustain a forest.
“The importance of the preservation of these rare forests cannot be overemphasized,” said Brian Kane, the Mid-Atlantic regional manager with the Old-Growth Forest Network. “As seen at Hartwood Acres, forests perform critical environmental services that benefit communities, such as storing carbon, providing wildlife habitat, and retaining stormwater. OGFN is grateful that Allegheny County values its old-growth forests and will enable its residents and visitors to marvel at these old hardwoods far into the future as they grow even more mature and majestic.”
-
Lifestyle34 minutes agoWe unpack the 2026 Emmy nominations : Pop Culture Happy Hour
-
Technology42 minutes agoGet a $30 credit when you reserve Samsung’s upcoming Galaxy phones
-
World49 minutes agoCritics say Turkey’s verbal attacks on Israel have crossed into antisemitism
-
Politics52 minutes agoWATCH: Dana White drops 2028 hints while raving about his favorite Trump cabinet secretary
-
Health57 minutes agoKatie Couric couldn’t remember the year or the president during frightening brain episode
-
Sports1 hour agoJustin Verlander announces he will retire after this season: ‘I’ve realized that time has come’
-
Technology1 hour agoApple AI security update proves hackers move fast
-
Business1 hour agoFire-damaged Pacific Palisades shopping center sets reopening date