TOP OF THE SYSTEM
A look at how the current top 20 prospects did today. Note that this list doesn’t include players currently in the majors (Casey Sadler #16). If a player is in the majors, he will be removed, everyone below him will be shifted up a spot, and a new player will be added to the bottom of the list. If a player is out for the season (Jameson Taillon #1, Clay Holmes #12), he will be removed and everyone below him will move up a spot. Removing these guys doesn’t mean they have lost prospect status. It is just an attempt to get 20 active prospects on the list. Rankings are from the mid-season top 20 update, and links on each name go to their Pirates Prospects player pages.
1. Tyler Glasnow, RHP, Bradenton – 5.0 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 7 K, 0 HR
2. Austin Meadows, CF, West Virginia – Disabled List (5/30 Update)
3. Reese McGuire, C, West Virginia – DNP
4. Nick Kingham, RHP, Indianapolis – DNP
5. Alen Hanson, SS, Altoona – DNP
6. Josh Bell, RF, Bradenton – 5-for-7, 2B, 2 HR, 4 RBI
7. Harold Ramirez, OF, West Virginia – DNP
8. Cole Tucker, SS, Signed – Agreed to terms
9. Luis Heredia, RHP, West Virginia Power – DNP
10. Mitch Keller, RHP, Unsigned – Agreed to terms
11. Adrian Sampson, RHP, Altoona – DNP
12. JaCoby Jones, SS, West Virginia – DNP
13. Blake Taylor, LHP, Extended Spring Training – DNP
14. Andrew Lambo, OF, Indianapolis – Disabled List (5/30 Update)
15. Joely Rodriguez, LHP, Altoona – DNP
16. Michael De La Cruz, OF, Extended Spring Training – DNP
17. Trey Supak, RHP, Unsigned – Agreed to terms
18. Buddy Borden, RHP, West Virginia – DNP
19. Stetson Allie, 1B, Altoona – DNP
20. Gage Hinsz, RHP, Unsigned
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DAILY SUMMARY
Top Hitter: Josh Bell, RF – 5-for-7, 2B, 2 HR, 4 RBI
Home Runs: Josh Bell 2(9) Victor Fernandez (2)
AAA: INDIANAPOLIS INDIANS
Result: Indianapolis 4, Durham 0
Starting Pitcher: A.J. Morris, RHP – 9.0 IP, 6 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 7 K, 0 HR
Top Hitter: Matt Hague, DH – 2-for-3, 2B, 3 RBI
Other Notable Performers:
Chris Dickerson, CF – 2-for-3, BB
Mel Rojas, RF – 1-for-3
Live Report: A.J. Morris’ strong start to the season continued. However, Thursday was the strongest of the strong, as Morris threw a 6-hit complete game shutout against division-leading Durham. Of his 97 pitches, 73 were strikes. Morris only allowed seven base runners, while striking out seven. His fast ball was between 88 and 90, but he lost none of this velocity as the game went on and even hit 91 in the ninth.
Mel Rojas, Jr. added an infield single in the sixth to extend his hitting streak to 10 games. This matched Gregory Polanco’s longest streak earlier in the campaign.
Chris Dickerson and Matt Hague each added a pair of knocks. Dickerson has a hit in five of seven games since being activated from the DL. Hague has a five game hitting streak and has reached base in 30 or 32 games since May 11. – Ryan Palencer
AA: ALTOONA CURVE
Altoona had two games rained out on Thursday
A+: BRADENTON MARAUDERS
Result: Bradenton 6, Palm Beach 5
Starting Pitcher: Jason Creasy, RHP – 4.0 IP, 5 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 1 BB, 1 K, 0 HR
Top Hitter: Josh Bell, RF – 3-for-4, HR, 3 RBI
Other Notable Performers:
Jin-De Jhang, C – 1-for-3, RBI, BB
Jose Osuna, 1B – 1-for-3, RBI, BB
Game Notes: This game was a completion of Wednesday’s game, which was suspended after four innings. The regularly scheduled game followed this game on Thursday and it was shortened to seven innings. Jason Creasy was having a tough time before the rain suspended the game. He allowed three runs on five hits and a walk in his four frames. Thomas Harlan threw four innings and allowed just two unearned runs. Jeff Inman pitched a scoreless ninth and got the win when Bradenton put up two runs in the bottom of the inning for the walk-off win. Josh Bell homered before the rain came, then he hit the two-run single to win the game, scoring Jeff Roy with the tying run and D.J. Crumlich with the winner.
Result: Bradenton 2, Palm Beach 0
Starting Pitcher: Tyler Glasnow, RHP – 5.0 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 7 K, 0 HR
Top Hitter: Josh Bell, DH – 2-for-3, 2B, HR, RBI
Other Notable Performers:
Max Moroff, SS – 2-for-3, RBI
Game Notes: After having his last outing wiped out by rain before the game became official, Tyler Glasnow came back with five shutout innings, picking up seven strikeouts. He threw 89 pitches in the game, 56 for strikes. It’s now his third straight shutout appearance. Over 15.2 total innings in those three games, he has given up just six hits. Glasnow now has a 1.90 ERA and he has 48 strikeouts in 42.2 innings. Josh Bell homered for the third straight game and also added his 14th double of the season. Bryton Trepagnier threw a scoreless seventh, lowering his ERA to 1.86 and picking up his fifth save.
A: WEST VIRGINIA POWER
West Virginia was rained out
RK: DSL PIRATES
Result: Pirates 16, Astros Orange 14
Starting Pitcher: Luis Escobar, RHP – 4.0 IP, 3 H, 4 R, 3 ER, 2 BB, 6 K, 0 HR
Top Hitter: Victor Fernandez, CF – 2-for-6, 3B, HR, 3 RBI, 3 R, SB
Other Notable Performers:
Adrian Valerio, SS – 4-for-6, 2 2B, RBI
Edison Lantigua, LF – 2-for-5, 3B, RBI
Game Notes: The Pirates won for the second day in a row, the first time they’ve done that all season. Pitcher Luis Escobar had some trouble, but it was a huge step up from his last outing in which he gave up ten runs in 1.2 innings. He allowed three earned runs over four innings and had six strikeouts, three more than he had in his first two starts combined. This game had 31 hits, 30 runs, 11 walks, eight errors, plus three hit batters. Catcher Mikell Granberry had a rough day behind the plate, with runners going 9-for-9 against him in stolen bases. He has a strong arm, so I’m sure the pitchers were also to blame for those totals.
On offense, Victor Fernandez had another big game, with a homer, triple, three runs scored and three RBIs, plus his seventh stolen base of the year. He’s hitting .368 with eight extra-base hits in ten games. Shortstop Adrian Valerio had a four hit game, including two doubles. He’s now hitting .275 with four doubles, a good sign from a 17-year-old, who has questions surrounding his bat. Felix Vinicio has his third straight two-hit game and he drove in three runs.
You can check out the DSL Pirates first week recap here.
John started working at Pirates Prospects in 2009, but his connection to the Pittsburgh Pirates started exactly 100 years earlier when Dots Miller debuted for the 1909 World Series champions. John was born in Kearny, NJ, two blocks from the house where Dots Miller grew up. From that hometown hero connection came a love of Pirates history, as well as the sport of baseball.
When he didn't make it as a lefty pitcher with an 80+ MPH fastball and a slider that needed work, John turned to covering the game, eventually focusing in on the prospects side, where his interest was pushed by the big league team being below .500 for so long. John has covered the minors in some form since the 2002 season, and leads the draft and international coverage on Pirates Prospects. He writes daily on Pittsburgh Baseball History, when he's not covering the entire system daily throughout the entire year on Pirates Prospects.
Any chance Fernandez gets promoted from the DSL to the States midseason? He’s already 19, right?, and dominating, albeit in a SSS.
They have done it before, but it’s rare to see in-season promotions from the DSL. Last year they called up two players, but that was more for need and neither was a prospect. Fernandez will probably come up in October for the Fall Instructional League and then come back in March for minor league Spring Training. The GCL team is going to have a couple real good outfielders with Michael de la Cruz and Tito Polo
I’ll look forward to that! Seems like its about time for the CGL to get going.
They start June 20th
Now Bell on the other hand should be promoted by now IMO. He may not be though because they aren’t sure what to do with him being blocked so they’ll take their time.
Bell should definitely be promoted. He has the tools to be a very good 1B in the future. He is unlikely to be able to stay in the OF unless protected by a RF that doesn’t require much room. However, I would suspect the team would keep him in the OF until absolutely necessary to move him to 1B. Bell is one of my top prospects and I see no reason why people are so eager to trade him. Yes, he’s a year older than Polanco was last year in Bradenton, but his numbers are outstanding. He’s still young and with some more HR power emerging (he’s always had good gap, doubles power) he’s a legitimate top prospect.
I hope that they move bell to 1B, but I would not be surprised if we keep competing and stay in the wild card hunt that they may trade a player like Bell for some starting pitching at the deadline. Especially if Liriano doesn’t pick it up. I hope this doesn’t happen but won’t be shocked if it does.
Great news from Valerio, Glasnow, and Bell…time for Bell to get promoted I think. He’ll eventually move to 1B and if the power continues to develop as expected…he’ll be a starting MLB 1B.
Any chance Glanow takes Kingham’s spot in Altoona? Kind of aggressive, I know, but if his previous outting had counted he would, again, be blowing away the competition with a sick K9…and that’s with almost only his fastball to rely on.
As I’ve said before he maybe the best hitting prospect in the FSL.
Or do you leave Bell in High A and move him to first to focus of the defensive side now. Get the learning curve out of the way. Double A in 2016, Triple A in 2017 in pittsburgh in 2018, just in time.
What happened to 2015? Haha. He will definitely be in AA in 2015.
Good point. Haha!
Glasnow should not be promoted until next season starts. He is way behind in innings with the injury early this season. He won’t be able to build off last year’s total. He needs a full season in Bradenton, then a full season next year in Altoona to get up to 150IP so he can be ready to pitch into September/October of 2016 for the Pirates.
I would almost bet my next paycheck that Glasnow doesn’t get called up for at least a couple more months. Not that I wouldn’t love to see it, I just think that if NH had to choose between losing his job, money and family and promoting Tyler Glasnow to AA tomorrow, he would probably choose the former. The guy is painfully slow with promotions. Hell it took a year and a half for Kingham to get from AA to AAA, so I think he’s stuck in Florida until at least August.
Glasnow is not nearly ready to be moved up. Command was awful early in the year and has just recently been OK. Needs to repeat that a lot more before he’s ready for AA. As for Kingham, he was mediocre the first six weeks at AA, which rightfully delayed his promotion.
Oh, I completely agree that Glasnow probably doesn’t get the call. I do think he would be just fine in AA however. I would like to see him get the call, as do you, but I agree he is unlikely. Bell, however, should get the call up.
just look at Tony Cingrani here in Cincinnati, came up last year with one dominant pitch (high riding fastball) and not much else, it worked for a while but this year guys are all laying off of it and he has nothing else and subsequently pitching like a #5 starter… give the Bucs credit for not falling into that trap
Glasnow has other pitches…he relies on his fastball because that is what the organization wants him to do at this point…fastball control.
agree and understand, just pointing out that when people complain about slow progression of prospects with dominant stats that there are plenty of cases of dominant stats in the minors or even initial small MLB sample that won’t translate to long term MLB success
I definitely see the merit of NH’s managing style. That doesn’t mean it
isn’t frustrating seeing a good prospect put up good numbers with no
promotion in sight.
Everyone should know by now that NH doesn’t promote based on numbers. They have specific goals for each player and when they feel that player has mastered those goals, he gets promoted.
You are right. I don’t think it is a bad thing. I just think it is something the fans can’t understand. There is so much more that goes on behind the scenes of player development that even the most die hard fan can’t grasp. Huntington and scouts has done a great job at player acquisitions through international signings, drafts and free agency. An O.K. through trades. The coaches and player development team have been great. Huntington smart, but not that much better than most GMs. But he know the most important role of a leader and being successful as a leader. Surround yourself with talent, give them a clear message and direction and let them do their jobs. Three things Littlefield didn’t and couldn’t do.
I absolutely understand, but it is the fact that most of us fans don’t get to see the development is why it is frustrating. The only thing to go on is the numbers and the reports we get from websites like this. But I certainly see the sense behind it.
What was that old saying, patience is a virtual.
Keep it up Tyler and Josh and you’ll be heading to Altoona!
With Polanco up, Rojas Up and Kingham now up, it should be time, like any hour, for Glasnow and Bell to head north to Altoona. The fact that they are both en fuego seals the deal. Any day now. Not sure if there are any corresponding matches in WV to fill their roles but too bad for Bradenton.
Your list is off. It was announced during the Pirate / Cubs game that Nick Kingham has been promoted to AAA Indy.
We actually announced it here well before they did, but the move wasn’t made official until today