Ex-Rutgers Nick Cimillo has been promoted to the Pittsburgh Pirates High-A team
Former Rutgers catcher Nick Cimillo signed with the Pittsburgh Pirates in late July. The Pirates signed the former Scarlet Knight with their 16th-round pick, No. 470 overall. Since signing with the Pirates, Cimillo has been climbing the ladder ever since.
While with the Scarlet Knights, Cimillo led the Big Ten conference in batting average (.385), slugging percentage (.707), and on-base percentage (1.199) during the 2022 season. Also, he ranked top ten in walks, hits, home runs, runs, and total bases.
When signing with the Pirates, the New York native from Suffern, New York, started with the Low Single-A team, the Bradenton Marauders. While playing Low Single-A ball, Cimillo appeared in 59 games throughout the 2022 and 2023 seasons. He recorded eight home runs, 50 hits, 29 RBIs, 32 walks, and 48 strikeouts throughout 179 at-bats. In 2023, Cimillo logged a .288 batting average and an OPS of .952.
On August 1, 2023, the former All-Big Ten player got promoted to the High-A Greensboro Grasshoppers in the Pirates organization.
Nick Cimillo is moving 🆙!
After hitting 8 home runs with a .952 OPS in Low-A, Nick has been promoted to the High-A Greensboro Grasshoppers in the @Pirates organization!
Keep making us proud, Nick!#TCD pic.twitter.com/kZwJsXkxLq
— Rutgers Baseball (@RutgersBaseball) August 1, 2023
In the last two games with the Greensboro Grasshoppers, the 6-foot-3, 215-pound catcher recorded two hits, two RBIs, one walk, two strikeouts, and a batting average of .400 in five at-bats. His best game came on Wednesday, where he produced two RBIs in a 4-3 victory against the Asheville Tourists, a High-A team within the Houston Astros organization. Cimillo has the potential to continue climbing the ladder onto the Pirates’ Double-A team, the Altoona Curve.
