Pirates Make Another Move, Promoting Rising Third Baseman
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PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Pirates have decided that it's time for one of their better hitting prospects to take on a new challenge.
The Pirates are promoting third baseman prospect Murf Gray from Single-A Bradenton to High-A Greensboro, according to Jonathan Mayo of MLB.com.
Gray is one of the better prospects in the Pirates farm system, with Baseball America ranking him 14th and MLB Pipeline ranking him 17th in the franchise's top 30 prospects
It's a big moment for Gray, who has only just started his professional career and shown that the Pirates are monitoring him very closely.
Murf Gray Dominates in Bradenton
Gray was sensational at the plate for Bradenton, slashing .359/.436/.606 for an OPS of 1.042 in 38 games, with 51 hits, 29 runs scored, 11 doubles, eight home runs, 34 RBI and 15 walks to 30 strikeouts.
He was one of the best hitters in the Florida State league, leading in five different categories, including 86 total bases, and ranking in the top three in all major categories, other than walks.
Stat | Ranking |
|---|---|
Hits/Total Bases/RBI/Slugging %/OPS | First |
Home Runs/Batting Average | Second |
Runs Scored | Tied-Second |
On-Base % | Third |
Doubles | Tied-Third |
Gray earned FSL Player of the Week honors for his performances against the Lakeland Tigers, the Single-A affiliate of the Detroit Tigers at home, April 28-May 3. He slashed .455/.518/.846 for an OPS of 1.364, with 10 hits in 22 at-bats, two doubles, two home runs, eight RBI and two walks to four strikeouts.
His May was also great with Bradenton, slashing .368/.439/.684 for an OPS of 1.123, with 21 hits in 57 at-bats, 14 runs scored, three doubles, five home runs, 13 RBI and eight walks to 10 strikeouts.
Gray clearly showed that he was well beyond the level of Bradenton and Greensboro will give him a much better challenge.
Other Things to Know About Murf Gray
The Pirates took Gray with the 73rd overall pick in the 2025 MLB Draft in Competitive Balance Round B out of Fresno State.
Gray excelled in his three seasons with the Bulldogs, winning Mountain West Freshman of the Year honors in 2023 and earning Mountain West Championship MVP and All-Mountain West Conference First Team honors for his play in 2025.
His first name is actually Triston, but Pirates fans will know him as "Murf", which is the name he has listed on the roster.
Gray has shown that he can hit and the next challenge is for him to do that at Greensboro, where he'll join a fantastic lineup, with the likes of shortstop Wyatt Sanford, power-hitting first baseman Tony Blanco Jr., catchers Axiel Plaz and Easton Carmichael, plus first baseman Jared Jones.
Greensboro now has many 2025 MLB Draft picks, including first round selection in Seth Hernandez, who earned promotion from Bradenton last week, plus Carmichael (Third Round, Oklahoma), Jones (Ninth Round, LSU), and right-handed pitcher Cameron Keshock (12th Round, Samford.
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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.