7-23-2025 – By Michael Castrignano – @412DoublePlay on X
Following strong pitching and hitting in the first two games against Detroit, the Pirates are poised for a potential series sweep against the Tigers if they can keep hot and overcome the MLB debut of today’s starter, Troy Melton.
The Tigers 10th ranked prospect (per MLB Pipeline) was drafted in the 4th round of the 2022 MLB draft out of San Diego State and moved quickly through the minor leagues, splitting this season between AA and AAA with a combined 2.99 ERA across 75.1 innings with 101 strikeouts to 20 walks in 2025.
Melton features a 5-pitch mix of all above-average rated offerings: a mid-90s 4-seam fastball, a high-80s cutter, a high-80s changeup, a high-70s curve and a mid-80s slider which has a 53% whiff rate on the season.
Melton had some early struggles following his promotion to the Tigers top minor league affiliate, the Toledo Mud Hens, as he posted a 7.59 ERA through his first three starts over 10.2 innings – but, over his next 5 appearances since then posted a 0.70 ERA over 25.2 innings with 40 strikeouts to 5 walks over that stretch.
It’s going to be a difficult matchup with Melton but expect that he’s going to fill up the strike zone with everything in his arsenal as he was among the best in the International League for K-BB rate.
After building momentum with wins in the first two games of this series against more established arms, it’ll be key to stay hot in order to ice out Melton. Look for a heavy dose of the fastballs up in the zone a
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