DUNEDIN, Fla. -- The Florida Complex League is a good first step for players to get their first taste of what professional ball is like, but there is no substitute for affiliated games. Facing new competition in a more game-like setting often shows, or exposes, areas a player needs to grow that they can’t find at Pirate City alone.
For 2021 second-round pick Anthony Solometo, it was controlling the running game. It’s hardly a unique problem, and most young pitchers go through similar struggles early in their careers. But for the highest-rated left-handed pitching prospect in the Pirates' system, his first start in affiliated ball showed he needed to learn how to control the running game.