Matt Gorski leads Pirates minor league awards winners as Willie Stargell Slugger of the Year

Matt Gorski led all minor leaguers with home runs when he was promoted from High-A Greensboro to Double-A Altoona on May 24, but his prolific pace was slowed when he didn’t clear the fence.

Gorski injured his left quadriceps in late June while legging out a triple for the Curve against Harrisburg on June 30 on a ball that just missed clearing the center-field fence at Peoples Natural Gas Field.

“I was like, ‘Why can’t the wind just blow out a little bit more or something?’” Gorski said on a video conference call. “That was super frustrating. I thought about that, too. I was on the ground thinking, ‘Why couldn’t that have been a home run, then we wouldn’t have to worry about this?’ Definitely just hit some more home runs.”

Despite spending time on the injured list and being limited to 81 games, Gorski still finished third among all Pittsburgh Pirates prospects with 24 home runs. His power surge was rewarded Tuesday, when Gorski was named the winner of their Willie Stargell slugger of the year award for his hitting in the first round of Pirates minor league awards.

The Pirates also named Tyler Samaniego the Kent Tekulve reliever of the year, Jared Triolo the Bill Mazeroski defender of the year and Tsung-Che Chang the Omar Moreno baserunner of the year. The Pirates will announce their minor league coach and teammates of the year Wednesday and their minor league pitcher and player of the year Thursday.

Matt Gorski hit three home runs yesterday.

His third one was a walkoff. pic.twitter.com/0avd09Jq4K

— Young Bucs (@YoungBucsPIT) May 23, 2022

Gorski had plenty of motivation when he started the season at Greensboro, where he finished the 2021 campaign. He ended up playing for all four Pirates affiliates, finishing the year at Triple-A Indianapolis.

“I should be proud of all the power and stuff, but I’m really just proud of the way I handled everything,” Gorski said. “At the beginning of the year, obviously didn’t start where I wanted to. Didn’t move up from last year. So just handling that adversity and getting up to the next level is just what I’m most proud of. Just getting my feet under me.”

Samaniego, 23, was 4-4 with a 2.45 ERA and 0.80 WHIP with 14 saves in 38 appearances between Greensboro and Altoona. He didn’t allow a hit for a stretch for 41 consecutive at-bats at one point, and he didn’t give up a run in 20 of his 24 appearances for the Curve.

Gorski had plenty of motivation when he started the season at Greensboro, where he finished the 2021 campaign. He ended up playing for all four Pirates affiliates, finishing the year at Triple-A Indianapolis.

“I should be proud of all the power and stuff, but I’m really just proud of the way I handled everything,” Gorski said. “At the beginning of the year, obviously didn’t start where I wanted to. Didn’t move up from last year. So just handling that adversity and getting up to the next level is just what I’m most proud of. Just getting my feet under me.”

Samaniego, 23, was 4-4 with a 2.45 ERA and 0.80 WHIP with 14 saves in 38 appearances between Greensboro and Altoona. He didn’t allow a hit for a stretch for 41 consecutive at bats at one point, and didn’t give up a run in 20 of his 24 appearances for the Curve.

After converting from infielder at Northeast Mississippi Community College to a relief pitcher at South Alabama, the 6-foot-4, 205-pound left-hander has embraced life coming out of the bullpen.

“I definitely would say I feel like a pitcher now,” Samaniego said. “I feel like I’ve settled in. I feel comfortable out there everytime I step on the mound. … I considered myself more of a thrower in the past. It feels really good being recognized as that, especially with all of the talented arms that we have in this organization and all of the talented arms they have around me in Greensboro and Altoona. It definitely means a lot to get that recognition.”

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The 24-year-old Triolo, a Rawlings Gold Glove winner as the best third baseman in the minors last season, won the Mazeroski award for the second consecutive season. He played 87 games at third base, 19 at shortstop and seven in center field for the Curve, and he led Eastern League third basemen with 15 double plays, tied for first with 165 assists, and ranked second with 237 chances and a .970 fielding percentage.

Cheng, a 23-year-old infielder at Low-A Bradenton, finished with 33 stolen bases to rank second in the Florida State League. He led the league with seven triples and 79 runs, ranked second with a .376 on-base percentage and was third in doubles (25) and extra-base hits (38).

The awards are named for Pirates greats. Stargell, a Hall of Famer who was selected to seven All-Star teams, led the Pirates to two World Series Championships and won the 1979 MVP Award. Tekulve is the Pirates career saves leader with 158, had a 2.68 ERA in 12 seasons and helped the Pirates win the 1979 World Series. Mazeroski, a Hall of Fame second baseman, won eight Gold Glove awards to earn a reputation as one of the finest fielding second basemen in baseball history and hit the game-winning, walk-off home run to win the 1960 World Series. Moreno, who started in center field from 1975-82, led the National League in stolen bases in 1978 (71) and 1979 (77).