MiLB Monday: Pirates No. 7 prospect Wyatt Sanford hopes to best father Chance's career

Minor league Monday is a recurring weekly notebook highlighting the past week of baseball from the Pirates' four full-season minor league affiliates. All prospect rankings are per MLB Pipeline. Below are the most notable storylines from the last week:

Top story: At Greensboro, Wyatt Sanford works to follow dad's footsteps

Wyatt Sanford has his major league debut all figured out. He may just be 20 years old, a shortstop at High-A Greensboro and the Pirates' No. 7 prospect, but he knows exactly what he wants to do after the game.

First, he'll change out of his uniform. He'll get himself settled. Then he'll find his father, Chance.

"I guarantee, after I get out of that locker room, after I get showered up, I'm just going to give him a handshake and be like, ‘Hey, man. I think I've got you now,' " Sanford said with a smile before the Spring Breakout game in March.

That day, Wyatt believes, will be the culmination of a lifelong debate. Since childhood, he and his dad have debated who's the better baseball player.

Chance, of course, has a head start. The infielder was drafted by the Pirates in the 27th round of the 1992 draft and made 14 appearances for the 1998 Pirates, then five more with the Los Angeles Dodgers in 1999. He achieved a lifelong dream. His MLB career lasted 19 games.

His son is already a different kind of prospect. Wyatt was drafted in the second round, 47th overall, by the Pirates in 2024, their third consecutive prep selection behind Konnor Griffin and Levi Sterling. He batted .243 with five homers, 25 RBIs and 34 stolen bases in his first professional season, earning a June promotion to Low-A Bradenton before an August groin injury ended the year.

Wyatt leaned on his dad for advice throughout that year. Going directly from high school (Independence High in Frisco, Texas) to the minors was a challenge. There were lows, but Chance reminded his son that in pro ball, there's almost always another game tomorrow.

Wyatt spent the offseason getting stronger. He lost 10 pounds playing every day, so he worked to put muscle and weight on. His mom, Wendy (Wyatt jokes both he and his dad can't even touch a stove) cooked chicken, steak and lasagna for him, helping him get stronger after late-night hitting sessions or lifts with Chance.

The muscle seems to have helped early. In 14 games at High-A Greensboro, Sanford is batting .300 with four homers, nine RBIs and six stolen bases.

The offseason and early success have drawn attention for Sanford. ESPN listed him slightly off its top-100 prospects list, starting the year at No. 104. It means a lot to him.

"Shoot, I can't tell you how many days I took off this offseason," Sanford said. "... I think that's something me and my dad have a really good relationship with, is just being able to at night, go up and hit the cages or take some ground balls. So I think that's a big thing that we have. And again, having a dad who did it, he's been my best coach my whole life."

While he has a long way to go, Sanford has more than just his debut figured out. He didn't grow up in a major league clubhouse - he was born in 2005, after his father's big league career ended - but he's already imagining the next generation.

One of his goals is to have a son. When he does, he wants to bring that son to the ballpark. They'll play together in the outfield, father coaching son, just like Chance did with him. Then he'll bring him into the clubhouse, just like major league veterans do.

"That'd definitely be a dream come true," Sanford said. "That's definitely something that I'm working toward, and I'm looking forward to the future."

Farm records and results

Triple-A Indianapolis: 6-15, 10th in International League West

Last week: lost four of six at Omaha (Royals)

Double-A Altoona: 2-13, sixth in Eastern League Southwest

Last week: lost four of six hosting Portland (Red Sox); snapped 0-12 start with win Friday

High-A Greensboro: 11-4, first in South Atlantic League North

Last week: won four of six at Brooklyn (Mets)

Low-A Bradenton: 6-9, fifth in Florida State League West

Last week: won four of six at Tampa (Yankees)

Starting nine

1. C Rafael Flores (Triple-A): Flores, 25, hit his first homer of the season on Saturday as part of a 2 for 4 day with a double. The Pirates' No. 9 prospect is off to a slow start, batting .208, but he is nine for his last 30 (.300) dating back to April 11.

2. C Endy Rodriguez (Triple-A): Like Flores, Rodriguez has also gotten off to a slow start in Indianapolis. The 25-year-old is batting .185 to start the season, although he went 3 for 4 with two doubles and two runs in a 12-5 win on Thursday.

3. CF Jhostynxon Garcia (Triple-A): Garcia, 23, was placed on the injured list on Sunday with lower back tightness. The Pirates' No. 5 prospect was batting .158 with a sub-.400 OPS before he was placed on the seven-day IL.

4. RHP Noah Davis (Triple-A): Davis, 28, has had success through five starts in Indianapolis. He's 1-2 with a 2.74 ERA and has struck out 19 batters in 23 innings. Davis said in spring training that he prefers a starter role, but he does have major league experience in long relief if the Pirates eventually choose to try him out. That said, he's also struggled to a 9.53 ERA in 27 career MLB appearances, the majority in relief.

5. 1B Callan Moss (Double-A): Moss, the Pirates' No. 29 prospect, is batting .245 with one homer and five RBIs in his first taste of Double-A baseball. He was acquired in the Bailey Falter trade last year and dominated at High-A Greensboro.

6. LHP Dominic Perachi (Double-A): Perachi, 25, has been a bright spot amid a difficult start for Altoona. He has a 1.80 ERA in three starts, including six shutout innings Saturday in the Curve's second win of the year (a 2-0 decision that took 1 hour, 47 minutes). Perachi was originally selected out of Division III Salve Regina University (R.I.) in 2022.

7. C Axiel Plaz (High-A): Plaz, 20, is batting .340 with a .979 OPS through 20 games in Greensboro. The Pirates' No. 20 prospect is striking out once per game, but his current average is 100 points higher than it was in 2025 and 137 points higher than 2024, despite playing at a higher level.

8. 3B Murf Gray (Low-A): Gray was nearly the top of this notebook, as he's on a seven-game hitting streak and drove in seven with a two-homer game Tuesday. Gray, 22, was drafted in the Competitive Balance-B round out of Fresno State last year. He's batting .382 to start his pro career, so a move up to Greensboro to face more advanced competition seems likely.

9. RHP Seth Hernandez (Low-A): Hernandez Watch seems likely to be this year's Konnor Griffin watch. Hernandez, 19, earned his first professional win on Friday with five hitless innings and eight strikeouts. He has a 0.75 ERA in his first three outs with Bradenton.

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This story was originally published April 20, 2026 at 8:04 AM.