Brendt Citta Flying Under the Radar in Altoona Debut
When looking at a list of Pirates Minor Leaguers, the name Brendt Citta isn't going to be one that jumps out at you. He isn't among the top prospect lists with Oneil Cruz, Travis Swaggerty, or Quinn Priester and his draft selection spot doesn't have him ranked very high. He was taken in the 38th round of the 2018 MLB Draft, and most of those picks don't ever make it to the Major Leagues. However, the Kansas University graduate was determined to prove the odds wrong and ended up signing just days after the draft. This allowed him to head right to Bristol to start his rookie ball career rather than just waiting around to sign. He was noted for his contact ability in college, hitting .322 his junior year and the Pirates decided to take a chance on the outfielder.
He has proven so far that they made the right choice as in his three years in the Pirates organization, he has hit .270 with five home runs, 61 RBI, and an impressive .829 OPS. Citta is listed as an outfielder on the Curve roster, but did some catching in college as well as played first base. However, when the Pirates selected him, they moved him to the outfield, a questionable move initially considering his speed and defense were ranked well below average. After a slow start to his pro career that saw him hit just .250 with former Rookie Ball Bristol, Citta picked it up in his second year, hitting .282 between Bristol and short-season West Virginia. At 24-years-old, the Pirates decided to advance Citta to Double-A Ball to see what he could do, and so far he has not disappointed the Pirate's front office.
Starting Double-A Off With A Bang
They say that the hardest jump for any Minor Leaguer to make is the move from A-Ball to Double-A Ball. This is where the competition really starts to heat up, and you see who is really contending for a spot with the Pittsburgh Pirates in the future. A guy like Citta was almost set up to fail as he completely skipped A-Ball due to the pandemic and instead went straight from Rookie Ball to Double-A. However, he has taken the promotion in stride in the early going, hitting .357 (5-14) with two RBI and an OPS of .829 in his first 15 Double-A at-bats. Of his five hits, one has gone for extra bases but he has yet to hit a home run this season. However, as most power hitters do, Citta does have some problems striking out as he has five already in 15 at-bats.
The big thing with Citta is even though he has been profiled as a raw power guy, that hasn't translated into many home runs. He only has five career home runs, but he has thrived as a clean-up hitter. In 2019, he hit .262 with a home run and seven RBI in that spot of the batting order. It is still early in his Double-A days, but he has appeared once as the clean-up hitter for the Curve and went 3-5 with both of his RBI this season. As you see by the numbers, he hasn't hit a lot of home runs during that body of work, but what he does well is rack up extra-base hits. He had 12 doubles in each of his first two professional seasons and already has one double in his first 14 at-bats this season.
Defensive, Citta has moved around in his professional baseball career, playing both corner outfield positions as well as first base. Outfield is his primary position, and as we said before his defense definitely needs some work as he progresses through the system. One thing he does possess is a very strong arm with five career outfield assists in just over 500 Minor League innings played. However, his skills in the outfield need some work as he has a career fielding percentage of just .959 between right field and left field. He doesn't possess a lot of speed, but he has shown problems taking routes to the ball, which is why the Pirates have tried him at first base. His bat looks good early in his career, but if he wants to go from MLB hopeful to MLB prospect, he is going to have to get his defensive numbers straightened out.
Battle For Playing Time In Altoona
As Citta makes the move to Double-A Altoona, his biggest battle is going to be finding playing time on the field. Luckily for the 24-year-old, there is a Designated Hitter in Double-A, and that is where he has spent most of his time. In fact, in his first six games for the Curve, he has been the team's Designated Hitter five times. His only game that he played defensively was at first base when he gave Mason Martin a much-needed night off. That is the problem for Citta moving forward if he wants to be a first baseman. He will have to compete for playing time with Mason Martin, who is absolutely crushing the ball with three home runs already. Citta will have to prove with his glove that he can handle first base in order to stay there consistently.
However, if he is to go back to the outfield, the path to playing time doesn't get much clearer for Citta. In Double-A Altoona, the Curve already features Cal Mitchell, Canaan Smith, and Jonah Davis all of which are formidable outfielders in their own right. With Citta's career outfield fielding percentage sitting at .959, he is going to have to do a lot more to earn any consistent time out in the field. For now, he has played a lot of DH for Altoona, and I assume this will continues. Given that he doesn't have a lot of speed, first base may be the best option defensively for Citta moving forward. However, with Martin pounding the ball the way he has while playing solid defense, it is going to be hard for Citta to find a spot defensively.
At least in the short-term, it looks more like Citta is going to be a DH in the middle of the order for Double-A. His bat has gotten him this far, but if he really wants to make the jump to the next level, he is going to have to start showing that he can field a little bit. First base has seemingly been a better option for the 24-year-old, as he has yet to commit an error there in his short time manning the position. At 24-years-old, Citta doesn't have a lot of time to prove himself, and if he shows a consistent bat, the Pirates may want to move his progress along. There is still a lot of baseball left to play, but early on Citta is showing he can be a weapon in the lineup.
The Pittsburgh Pirates (17-24) wrap up their abbreviated two-game series with the St. Louis Cardinals (24-17) tonight at 7:45 pm. Trevor Cahill (1-4, 5.97) takes the hill for the Pirates as he looks to continue his momentum from last time out against Jake Flaherty (7-0, 2.47) for the Cardinals. You can watch the game live on AT&T Sportsnet, listen on 93.7 The Fan, or follow along with us on Twitter by following @Buccos_Cove.
Trade him to Dodgers or Yankees.
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