Pirates Promote Pitching Prospect to Indianapolis
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PITTSBURGH -- The Pittsburgh Pirates saw great development from one of their top pitching prospects, as they promoted him within their minor league system.
The Pirates announced the promotion of right-handed pitcher Thomas Harrington from Double-A Altoona Curve to Triple-A Indianapolis Indians.
Keep 'em coming. 🔥
— Indianapolis Indians (@indyindians) August 4, 2024
Welcome to Triple-A, Thomas Harrington! pic.twitter.com/2oIvJ9Ho6p
Harrington starred for Southern Lee High School in Sanford, N.C., with a 4-0 record, 0.32 ERA and 54 strikeouts over 43.2 innings worked in his junior season in 2019.
He would commit to Campbell as a walk-on, not playing his senior season as COVID-19 pandemic cancelled it.
Harrington starred in 2021 as a freshman, starting 14 of 16 he pitched in, a 6-3 record, a 3.45 ERA in 75.2 innings pitched and 75 strikeouts to 28 walks. He earned Big South Freshman of the Year, Second Team All-Big South and Freshman All-American honors from CBN, Baseball America and D1Baseball.
He improved in his sophomore season, going 12-2 in 15 starts, a 2.53 ERA in 92.2 innings pitched, 111 strikeout to 18 walks and held opposing hitters to a .204 batting average.
Harrington earned First Team All-American honors from D1Baseball and ABCA, Second Team All-American honors from NCBWA and Collegiate Baseball News and Third Team All-American honors from Baseball America, He was also the Big South Pitcher of the Year and made the First Team All-Big South.
The Pirates would select Harrington with the No. 36 overall pick in Round 1, as a competitive balance pick, earning a $2,050,000 million signing bonus.
Harrington started out 2023 with the Bradenton Marauders of the Florida State League at Single-A, where he had a 4-1 record in eight starts, 2.77 ERA in 39.0 innings, 40 strikeouts to 12 walks and held opposing hitters to a .230 batting average.
He earned a promotion to the Greensboro Grasshoppers of High Single-A in June 2023, where he spent the rest of the season. He had a 3-5 record in 18 starts, a 3.87 ERA in 88.1 innings pitched, 106 strikeouts to 29 walks and holding opposing hitters to a .255 batting average.
Harrington started 12 of 13 games this season for Altoona, with a 2-2 record, 2.24 ERA in 68.1 innings pitched, 74 strikeouts to 10 walks and an opposing batting average of .227.
He is one of two Curve pitchers to earn a promotion to Indianapolis this past week, joining right-handed pitcher Bubba Chandler.
Harrington is the No. 6 prospect on the Pirates and No. 3 right-handed pitcher, according to MLB Pipeline.
Dominic writes for Pittsburgh Pirates On SI, Pittsburgh Panthers Pn SI and also, Pittsburgh Steelers On SI. A Pittsburgh native, Dominic grew up watching Pittsburgh Sports and wrote for The Pitt News as an undergraduate at the University of Pittsburgh, covering Pitt Athletics. He would write for Pittsburgh Sports Now after college and has years of experience covering sports across Pittsburgh.