San Marino-born Alessandro Ercolani, who was named the Florida State League (FSL) Pitcher of the Week for the week of June 12-18 after tossing five shutout innings for the Pittsburg Pirates‘ Single-A affiliate in Bradenton on June 16, did one better on Saturday, pitching six shutout innings on the way to his second consecutive W.
The 19-year-old Ercolani, who signed with the Pirates in March 2021, allowed just one hit and walked two on June 16, with yesterday’s performance a one-walk, three-hit gem while facing the Lakeland Flying Tigers, the Detroit Tigers‘ FSL affiliate.
Ercolani impressed in 2022, recording a 1.19 ERA in 30.1 innings in the rookie-level Florida Complex League, but he started the 2023 FSL season unevenly.
The back-to-back strong performances cap off a resurgent June for the right-hander however. In four June starts, he allowed just five earned runs, striking out 19 batters in 20 innings, with a 1.05 WHIP and a .206 BAA.
Ercolani now has a 4.03 ERA after 11 starts and 46.1 innings of work with Bradenton.