Quinn Priester and Roansy Contreras to Represent Pirates Organization at All-Star Futures Game

Selections mark first time Bucs will have two pitchers in Futures Game since 2012

By Greensboro Grasshoppers

June 30, 2021

Pittsburgh Pirates pitchers Roansy Contreras and Quinn Priester have been named to the National League roster for the All-Star Futures Game. The announcement was made today by Major League Baseball. The game will take place on July 11 at Coors Field in Denver as part of All-Star Sunday. The 21-year-old

Pittsburgh Pirates pitchers Roansy Contreras and Quinn Priester have been named to the National League roster for the All-Star Futures Game. The announcement was made today by Major League Baseball. The game will take place on July 11 at Coors Field in Denver as part of All-Star Sunday.

The 21-year-old Contreras, who began this year as the ninth-youngest player in the Double-A Northeast League, has gone 3-1 with a 2.00 ERA (45.0ip/10er), 64 strikeouts, 0.84 WHIP and .178 batting average against in eight starts this season as a member of the Altoona Curve. Contreras entered today ranked second in the Double-A Northeast League in ERA, strikeouts, batting average against and WHIP (fourth in WHIP in all of MILB).

Contreras, who is currently rated as Pittsburgh’s 13th-best prospect (99TH in all of baseball) according to Baseball America, has also recorded three double-digit strikeout games this season, matching Ian Snell from 2004 for the most 10-strikeout games in a single season in Curve history.

The 20-year-old Priester, who is one of 29 former first-round picks in this year’s game, has gone 3-3 with a 3.32 ERA (38.0ip/14er) and 37 strikeouts in nine starts while spending the entire 2021 season with the Greensboro Grasshoppers of the High-A East League. Beginning with his outing on June 9, Priester is also 1-0 with a 1.59 ERA (17.0ip/3er) in four starts.

Priester is currently ranked as Pittsburgh’s fourth-best prospect (58th-best prospect overall in the game) by Baseball America. He entered this season rated by Baseball America as having the “Best Curveball” in Pittsburgh’s minor league system. The Pirates selected Priester with the 18th overall selection in the 2019 First-Year Player Draft out of Cary-Grove (IL) High School, where he was rated by Baseball America as the No. 1 draft prospect in the state of Illinois.

This is the first time the Pirates will have two pitchers represented at the All-Star Futures Game since Gerrit Cole and Jameson Taillon in 2012.