PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Pirates had some top performers in the lower level of the minor leagues this season and have honored them for their efforts.
The Pirates announced right-hander Irwin Ramírez as their 2026 Rookie-Level Pitcher of the Year and infielder Johan De Los Santos as their 2026 Rookie-Level Player of the Year.
Pittsburgh also named Cecilio Beltre the Staff Member of the Year, who has spent the past 25 years with the franchise and the past nine years as senior advisor/mentor for the Dominican Summer League.
The Pirates will announce the Willie Stargell Slugger of the Year, the Kent Tekulve Reliever of the Year and Bill Mazeroski Defender of the Year on Oct. 21 and the Honus Wagner Player of the Year and the Bob Friend Pitcher of the Year on Oct. 22.
Irwin Ramírez Takes Big Step in 2026
Ramírez joined the Pirates during the 2024 International Signing Period, becoming their third-highest signing at $395,000.
The Venezuelan is in his third year with the Pirates organization and had success in the Florida Complex League, posting a 1-1 record in eight starts, a 3.67 ERA over 27 innings, 27 strikeouts to 23 walks, a .157 BAA and a 1.30 WHIP.
Ramírez earned promotion to Single-A Bradenton on June 23, but had his struggles at a higher level, posting a 0-5 record in nine starts and 11 appearances, a 6.75 ERA over 41.1 innings pitched, 41 strikeouts to 36 walks, a .301 BAA and a 1.98 WHIP.
Some encouraging signs from Ramírez were that his 36 strikeouts were the third-most for Bradenton, behind left-hander Reinold Navarro (51 strikeouts) and Levi Sterling (41 strikeouts), both of whom earned promotions to High-A Greensboro in late August.
Ramírez didn't work too long of outings, three to five innings, but showed improvement towards the end of the campaign.
He's got great fastball velocity, 96.8 mph, and posted impressive whiff (34.0%) and barrel rates (1.9%), all of which should help him next season with Bradenton.
Ramírez must cut down on the walks, but if he can continue improving, he'll join both top 100 prospects in outfielder Edward Florentino and Navarro as successes from the Pirates' 2024 International Signing Period.
Johan De Los Santos Could be Next Great Pirates Infielder
The Pirates took a big bet when they gave De Los Santos their biggest signing bonus in 2025, $2.25 million, making him the prize of that International Signing Period.
De Los Santos showed promise in the Dominican Summer League in 2025, batting .353/.451/.460 for an OPS of .911 and then continued that with in the FCL in 2026.
He hit .310/.431/.434 for an OPS of .865 in 31 games, with 35 hits in 113 at-bats, four triples, two home runs, 10 RBI, 22 walks to 11 strikeouts and 26 stolen bases on 31 attempts.
De Los Santos also had two stints with Bradenton, with less success, hitting .218/.258/.310 for an OPS of .568 in 21 games, but at just 18, there's a lot to like from his game.
He's a contact-over-power hitter, doesn't strike out very often and has good speed on the basepaths, with an aggressive approach.
De Los Santos is also solid defensively and can play both shortstop and second base going forward.
He is one of the Pirates' top prospects, with MLB Pipeline ranking him 11th and Baseball America ranking him 13th.
De Los Santos will need to adjust to Single-A much better next season, but being so young, he has time to develop into the player the Pirates hope he becomes in the coming years.
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