Pirates' Sammy Stafura: Shipped to Pittsburgh in Hayes deal
Rotowire
The Pirates acquired Stafura, left-hander Taylor Rogers and cash considerations from the Reds on Wednesday in exchange for third baseman Ke'Bryan Hayes, Jeff Passan of ESPN.com reports.
Taylor is a battle-tested reliever, but Stafura, a 20-year-old infielder, is the more intriguing long-term piece for the Pirates. A 2023 second-round pick, Stafura has spent the entire season at Single-A Daytona, slashing .262/.393/.411 with four home runs wile going 28-for-33 on stolen-base attempts over 401 plate appearances. Stafura is likely to report to the Pirates' Florida State League affiliate in Bradenton.
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Reds' Sammy Stafura: Success carrying over at Single-A
Rotowire
Stafura is slashing .294/.351/.441 with one home run, one steal and a 13.5 percent strikeout rate in eight games since getting promoted to Single-A Daytona.
He was dreadful in the Arizona Complex League in a small sample last year (.071 AVG, 43.4 K%) after getting drafted with the No. 43 overall pick, but Stafura seems to have adjusted better to pro pitching in his first full season. He hit .345 with a .486 BABIP and 29 percent strikeout rate in the ACL this year as a 19-year-old, and the real test will be how he fares over a long stretch against Single-A pitchers. Given that he was a prep hitter from the Northeast, it would make sense that he would be a bit of a late bloomer.
