The Pittsburgh Pirates opened their week of minor league awards Tuesday by honoring the organization’s top rookie-level player and pitcher of the year, baserunner and coaching staff.
At the rookie level, 18-year-old outfielder Edward Florentino was named player of the year and 20-year-old right-hander Yonleg Gaetano is the pitcher of the year. Double-A shortstop Duce Gourson won the Omar Moreno Baserunner of the Year Award. The High-A Greensboro Grasshoppers were selected staff of the year.
The awards were announced by Pirates director of coaching and player development Michael Chernow.
Florentino became a top-100 prospect — ranked No. 81 by MLB Pipeline and No. 94 by Baseball America — by dominating the Florida Complex League and earning a promotion to Low-A Bradenton in late June. He hit a combined .290 with 23 doubles, 16 home runs, 59 RBIs and 35 stolen bases in 83 games split between the levels.
The 6-foot-4, 200-pounder slashed .347/.442/.642 with six doubles, two triples, six home runs and 23 RBIs in 29 games with the FCL Pirates. Florentino batted .262 with 17 doubles, 10 homers and 36 RBIs in 54 games with the Marauders, and ranked second in the Florida State League in stolen bases, runs scored, extra-base hits (27) and total bases (98) and in the top five in hits, home runs, RBIs, slugging (.503) and OPS (.883).
Gaetano, signed as an undrafted free agent in April, went 2-2 with five saves, an 0.93 ERA, 0.90 WHIP, 39 strikeouts and a .168 batting average against in 13 appearances (three starts) with the Dominican Summer League Pirates Gold team in 2025. He allowed an earned run in only two of his 13 regular-season appearances. Gaetano recorded five strikeouts in five scoreless innings without allowing a hit in his lone start for the Gold team in the DSL Cup.
The 23-year-old Gourson, a 2024 ninth-round pick out of UCLA, ranked seventh in the Pirates’ farm system with 31 stolen bases and batted .275 with 21 doubles, two triples, 10 home runs, 38 RBIs and scored 56 runs in a season split between Low-A Greensboro and the Curve. Gourson has been successful in 89.7% of his stolen base attempts in two pro seasons.
The Greensboro Grasshoppers, whose 88 wins were tied for fourth-most in the minor leagues, were selected the staff of the year. The Grasshoppers clinched the second-half postseason spot from the South Atlantic League’s North Division for their second straight postseason berth and third in the last five seasons.
Led by South Atlantic League manager of the year Blake Butler, the Grasshoppers’ coaching staff features pitching coach Matt Myers, hitting coaches Jon Prieto and Jonathan Roof and bench coach Phillip Wellman. The support staff includes development coach Steph Lombardo, athletic trainer Coleman Duke, strength and conditioning coach Nick Ritchie, baseball operations assistant MaryAlice Baldwin, nutritionist Kelliann Harnden and clubhouse manager Alonzo Whiteside.