Pirates' No. 2 prospect Oneil Cruz to start in Double-A, top pick Nick Gonzales in High-A

Apr. 30—After a season without minor league baseball, the Pittsburgh Pirates are in the process of assigning players to their affiliates, and four of their top five prospects are on rosters at three different levels.

Top prospect Ke'Bryan Hayes made the Opening Day roster but has been on the injured list since April 4 because of a sore left wrist. Oneil Cruz, the 6-foot-7 shortstop ranked their No. 2 prospect by Baseball America, will start the season with the Double-A Altoona Curve.

The Pirates' Nos. 3 and 5 prospects, infielders Nick Gonzales and Liover Peguero, are slated to play for the High-A Greensboro Grasshoppers. No. 4 prospect Quinn Priester, a right-handed pitcher, is on the roster of the Low-A Bradenton Marauders. Priester was the Pirates' first-round pick in 2019, Gonzales in 2020. Peguero was acquired from Arizona in the Starling Marte trade in January 2020. All four spent last season at the alternate site in Altoona.

Pirates manager Derek Shelton said it was "very exciting" to see that there will be a minor league season.

"As we've talked about numerous times, losing the 2020 season for development, for an organization like us, that hurts," Shelton said Friday afternoon. "I'm excited because the lifeblood of our organization is going to be development. We need to get these guys on the field. To get these guys on the field, it's really cool. I'm excited for our baseball (operations) group, I'm excited for our players, I'm excited for our staff. I can't imagine when I was a minor league coach spending a whole year not being able to do what I love. So I think it's cool for everybody that's involved. I'm excited for minor league baseball to start."

In 2019, Cruz slashed .298/.356/.475 with 15 doubles, four triples, eight home runs and 34 RBIs over three levels, including .296/.346/.412 with eight doubles, three triples, a homer and 17 RBIs in 35 games with the Curve. He spent last season at the Pirates' alternate training site in Altoona. Cruz was involved in a crash that killed three people riding a motorcycle in the Dominican Republic last fall. He spent spring training with the Pirates.

Cruz is one of three players on the 40-man roster who will start the season with the Curve, along with infielder Rodolfo Castro, who made his major league debut April 21, and right-handed pitcher Max Kranick. Cruz also is one of six players who previously have spent time with the Curve, along with right-handed pitchers Cody Bolton, Shea Murray and John O'Reilly, catcher Arden Pabst and outfielder Bligh Madris.

The Curve roster features eight players ranked among the Pirates' top 30 prospects by Baseball America, including Bolton (No. 6), infielder Ji-Hwan Bae (No. 9), first baseman Mason Martin (No. 16) — their 2019 minor league player of the year — outfielder Cal Mitchell (No. 19) and right-hander Travis MacGregor (No. 28). Right-hander Roansy Contreras and outfielder Canaan Smith-Njigba, both acquired from the New York Yankees in the Jameson Taillon trade, are two other top-30 prospects, according to MLB Pipeline, on the Curve roster.

The Curve opens the season against the Bowie Baysox on May 4 at Peoples Natural Gas Field.

The Triple-A Indianapolis Indians have not announced their roster.

Gonzales, the No. 7 overall pick out of New Mexico State last June, will be joined by three other 2020 draft picks to start the season in Greensboro: right-handers Carmen Mlodzinski (No. 31). Nick Garcia (third round) and Logan Hofmann (fifth round).

Priester, the Pirates' 2019 first-round pick and No. 4 prospect by Baseball America, will be joined in Bradenton Marauders by Omar Cruz, a left-hander acquired from San Diego in the Joe Musgrove trade who is ranked the team's No. 23 prospect by Baseball America.

Kevin Gorman is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Kevin by email at kgorman@triblive.com or via Twitter .