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. 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 – DNP
2. Austin Meadows, CF, West Virginia – 0-for-4
3. Reese McGuire, C, West Virginia – 0-for-2, BB
4. Nick Kingham, RHP, Indianapolis – DNP
5. Alen Hanson, SS/2B, Altoona – 1-for-5, SB
6. Josh Bell, RF, Altoona – DNP
7. Harold Ramirez, OF, West Virginia – Disabled List (7/24 Update)
8. Cole Tucker, SS, GCL Pirates – 0-for-5
9. Luis Heredia, RHP, West Virginia – DNP
10. Mitch Keller, RHP, GCL Pirates – DNP
11. Adrian Sampson, RHP, Indianapolis – 3.2 IP, 10 H, 6 R, 5 ER, 3 BB, 0 K, 0 HR
12. JaCoby Jones, SS, West Virginia – 1-for-4, HR, RBI
13. Casey Sadler, RHP, Indianapolis – DNP
14. Andrew Lambo, OF, Indianapolis – 0-for-4
15. Joely Rodriguez, LHP, Altoona – DNP
16. Michael De La Cruz, OF, GCL Pirates – DNP
17. Trey Supak, RHP, GCL Pirates – DNP
18. Buddy Borden, RHP, West Virginia – 5.0 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 8 K, 0 HR
19. Stetson Allie, 1B, Altoona – 1-for-3, RBI, BB
20. Gage Hinsz, RHP, GCL Pirates – DNP
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DAILY SUMMARY
Top Hitter: Jose Osuna, 1B – 3-for-9, 3 RBI
Home Runs: JaCoby Jones (21), Tony Sanchez (9)
AAA: INDIANAPOLIS INDIANS
Result: Toledo 10, Indianapolis 6
Starting Pitcher: Adrian Sampson, RHP – 3.2 IP, 10 H, 6 R, 5 ER, 3 BB, 0 K, 0 HR
Top Hitter: Brent Morel, 3B – 2-for-4, 3B, 2 RBI
Other Notable Performers:
Andrew Lambo, 1B – 0-for-4
Tony Sanchez, C – 1-for-4, HR, RBI
Game Notes: Adrian Sampson made his AAA debut tonight and it wasn’t pretty. He was in trouble every inning, giving up 14 base runners and six runs over 3.2 innings. Sampson wasn’t able to pick up a strikeout and he had a 3:5 GO/AO ratio. Toledo teed off on Vin Mazzaro as well, scoring four runs in 2.2 innings from him. Tony Sanchez hit his ninth homer of the season, though he also struck out three times in the game and made a throwing error. Tommy Field, a recent waiver pickup, went 2-for-4 and drove in two runs.
AA: ALTOONA CURVE
Result: Trenton 4, Altoona 3
Starting Pitcher: Angel Sanchez, RHP -5.0 IP, 6 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 2 BB, 5 K, 1 HR
Top Hitter: Elias Diaz, C – 2-for-3, RBI, BB
Other Notable Performers:
Alen Hanson, 2B – 1-for-5, SB
Drew Maggi, LF – 1-for-3, 2B, RBI
Stetson Allie, 1B – 1-for-3, BB
Game Notes: Clint Barmes played his first rehab game with Altoona, starting at shortstop. He went 0-for-3 and was replaced after five innings by Gift Ngoepe. Angel Sanchez looked decent in his first two starts with Altoona since being picked up off waivers, but tonight was not his night. He allowed four runs over five innings to take the loss. Elias Diaz had two singles to extend his hitting streak to 16 games. Alen Hanson picked up his 24th stolen base of the season. Jeff Inman threw a scoreless inning, giving him an 0.95 ERA over 19 innings with Altoona.
A+: BRADENTON MARAUDERS
Result: Jupiter 4, Bradenton 3
Starting Pitcher: Jason Creasy, RHP – 6.0 IP, 7 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 3 BB, 7 K, 1 HR
Top Hitter: Jose Osuna, 1B – 2-for-6, 2 RBI
Other Notable Performers:
Walker Gourley, RF/P – 3-for-6, 2 SB
Jordan Steranka, 1B – 3-for-6
Game Notes: Jason Creasy had an unusual outing for him in game one of a doubleheader. He walked three batters in a game for the first time all season. Creasy allowed three runs on seven hits and also struck out seven batters, one short of his season high. Prior to tonight, he had issued just 15 walks in 24 starts. It’s possible Creasy is starting to tire out this year. He is now 16 innings over last year’s total and he hasn’t been sharp at all in his last four starts. Prior to that, he had an outing in which he threw 7.2 shutout innings, giving up a walk and seven hits, but that followed a game in which he surrendered seven earned runs over four innings. Jhondaniel Medina threw three scoreless innings to run his amazing streak to 36 innings and 25 straight games without an earned run. The streak dates back to April 30th, when he allowed one run in his only inning of work. Medina gave up three runs in his prior outing and that’s it this season for earned runs. This game went 14 innings, with Walker Gourley collecting three hits, two stolen bases and the loss. It was Gourley’s fourth appearance on the mound this year.
Result: Bradenton 3, Jupiter 2
Starting Pitcher: Shane Carle, RHP – 6.0 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 3 BB, 3 K, 0 HR
Top Hitter: Jose Osuna, DH – 1-for-3, 2B, RBI
Other Notable Performers:
Jin-De Jhang, C – 1-for-3, 2B, RBI
Raul Fortunato, RF/CF, 1-for-3, RBI
Game Notes: After going 14 innings in the first game, the Marauders needed some strong starting pitching in the nightcap. Shane Carle gave them six solid innings in the win they desperately needed for the playoff race. The Marauders hold a one game lead over Palm Beach for the second half title, as the season enters it’s final three weeks. Jose Osuna was the top hitter in both games for Bradenton, though he only went 3-for-9 on the day. He drove in three of their six runs on the night. Carle gave up just one earned run and Josh Smith finished it off for his seventh save.
A: WEST VIRGINIA POWER
Result: Lexington 2, West Virginia 1
Starting Pitcher: Buddy Borden, RHP – 5.0 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 8 K, 0 HR
Top Hitter: JaCoby Jones, SS – 1-for-4, HR, RBI
Other Notable Performers:
Edrich Weiss, 2B – 1-for-3, SB
Game Notes: JaCoby Jones hit his 21st homer of the season, which accounted for the only run in a 2-1 loss. He hit two home runs in Wednesday’s game. Buddy Borden had another solid outing, following up two strong performances that earned him the SAL Pitcher of the Week last week. He threw three-hit ball over five shutout innings and struck out eight batters. In his last start, Borden set a career-high with ten strikeouts. Austin Meadows had a tough day, going 0-for-4 with three strikeouts. He won SAL Player of the Week last week, but has gone 1-for-10 so far this week.
A-: JAMESTOWN JAMMERS
Result: Jamestown 3, Auburn 1
Starting Pitcher: Frank Duncan, RHP – 6.0 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 9 K, 0 HR
Top Hitter: Erik Lunde, 2B – 1-for-1, 2 RBI, HBP
Other Notable Performers:
Taylor Gushue, C – 1-for-3
Game Notes: Frank Duncan had his best career outing, as Jamestown took game one of a doubleheader against Auburn. He went six innings for the second time since being taken in the 13th round of this year’s draft. Duncan gave up one run, didn’t walk a batter and struck out nine, topping his career best of six, which he had done twice. He now has a 3.22 ERA and hasn’t given up more than two runs in any of his last eight starts. The eighth and ninth place hitters, Trace Tam Sing and Erik Lunde, drove in all three runs for Jamestown.
Result: Jamestown 4, Auburn 3
Starting Pitcher: Montana DuRapau, RHP – 5.0 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 5 K, 0 HR
Top Hitter: Michael Suchy, RF – 1-for-2, RBI, BB
Other Notable Performers:
Elvis Escobar, CF – 1-for-3, SB
Kevin Ross, 1B – 1-for-3
Game Notes: Montana DuRapau had an impressive outing, helping Jamestown sweep the doubleheader against Auburn. He threw five shutout innings, allowing just three hits and no walks. He has a 2.54 ERA in 46 innings this year. Reliever Miguel Rosario ran into trouble, allowing Auburn to score three runs, before Eric Dorsch recorded the final out for his third save. Jamestown had only five hits in the game, all singles and by five different batters.
RK: BRISTOL PIRATES
Result: Kingsport 5, Bristol 3
Starting Pitcher: Junior Lopez, RHP – 4.2 IP, 4 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 1 BB, 4 K, 2 HR
Top Hitter: Jerrick Suiter, RF – 2-for-4, RBI
Other Notable Performers:
Eduardo Figueroa, CF – 2-for-5
Game Notes: Bristol lost to Kingsport on Thursday, dropping them down to 15-37 on the season. With 16 games left in their schedule, they have basically been eliminated from the playoffs already, which could officially happen as early as Saturday. A team’s win-loss record in the minors doesn’t always translate to a lack of prospects if it’s bad, but in this case, Bristol is seriously lacking any top prospects. Right now they don’t have anyone that would rate in the Pirates top 30 and it’s possible they might not have a top 40 player either. The better performers on the team are too old for the level, while the players with potential, like Trae Arbet, Billy Roth and Jon Sandfort, are all struggling. Keep an eye on second baseman Pablo Reyes and lefty pitcher Hector Garcia as possible sleeper prospects.
RK: GCL PIRATES
Result: Phillies 8, Pirates 7
Starting Pitcher: Nick Hutchings, RHP – 3.1 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 2 K, 0 HR
Top Hitter: Henrry Rosario, CF – 2-for-6, 2B, 3B, RBI
Other Notable Performers:
Cole Tucker, DH – 0-for-5
Alexis Bastardo, RF – 2-for-4, BB, RBI
Julio de la Cruz, 3B – 2-for-5, RBI
Game Notes: The Pirates lost to the Phillies in a wild one that went back and forth. The game featured 20 hits, ten walks and a hit batter, plus each team used six pitchers and there was a half hour rain delay. Sam Kennelly had a hit and a walk, keeping up his impressive season-long stretch of getting on base. He has reached base safely via hit, walk or HBP in 23 of the 24 games he has played. In the one game he didn’t get on base any of those ways, Kennelly still scored a run after reaching base on a fielder’s choice. Right fielder Alex Bastardo had two hits and a walk. He was battling a shoulder injury for most of this season and has played just 12 games, but when he’s in the lineup, he has been productive. Bastardo is hitting .342, with an .890 OPS and five stolen bases. When healthy, he is a four-tool player, who only lacks plus power in his game. Cole Tucker went 0-for-5, but he was still able to pick up his eighth stolen base.
RK: DSL PIRATES
Result: Angels 8, Pirates 2
Starting Pitcher: Jherson Esqueda, RHP – 4.0 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 3 K, 0 HR
Top Hitter: Raul Siri, 2B – 2-for-5, 2B, 2 RBI
Other Notable Performers:
Johan De Jesus, 3B – 2-for-4, BB
Adrian Valerio, SS – 1-for-5
Game Notes: The Pirates lost 8-2 on Thursday to drop to 31-33 on the season. They have just eight more games left to their schedule. Starter Jherson Esqueda pitched well through four innings, but reliever Edgar Santana came on and gave up six runs over 2.1 innings. Raul Siri had two hits and drove in two runs. He hit his 22nd double of the season, the only extra-base hit for the Pirates. In 60 games, Siri has reached base safely 111 times. The Angels attempted eight stolen bases in the game and they were successful on five of them. The Pirates didn’t attempt to steal any bases.
You can check out the DSL Pirates week ten 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.
I’m not familiar with Jhondaniel Medina. Would you consider him a prospect to watch?
He’s a reliever and on the small side, so the upside is obviously limited. I saw him a few times last years and liked what I saw. He was hitting 93 MPH consistently with good results. The streak he is on right now is amazing because it’s tough to not have a single off-day over a 3 1/2 month stretch. He’s only 21, so that’s a plus, but while he has held batters to a .179 BAA, he has issued 28 walks in 45.1 innings, so that needs to improve.
Never quite understood what a guy’s size has to do with it…I’d care about one thing, can he get guys out or not? Isn’t that the right question to ask, rather than his height? What am I missing?
If I’m correct, taller pitchers are able to get a downward plane on the FB because of how high they’re realease point is. Also, they can get better velo when they fall towards the plate, as long as they keep their mechanics in line. The only downside of a tall pitcher is it’s harder for them to keep the same mechanics and realease point, which is why a lot of times you hear of control probs from tall pitchers. Ex: Tyler Glasnow
The downward plane on the fastball is correct and durability is another issue. A 93 MPH fastball from someone like Glasnow and one from Medina are two totally different pitches because of the angle and drop and even how close they are when they release the ball
Holding runners on is easier for a little guy. Sonny Gray seems to do alright for a little guy without the downward plane, although overall I agree that the downward plane is something nice to have. Seems there are more little guys in the Pen, might be my imagination, but looks that way.
I never said that Medina couldn’t make the majors, limited upside implies he won’t be a starter, which is obviously the more valuable spot. If he threw 93(which he does) and had other plus pitches, durability and better control, then he would be a starter and have more upside, yet he could still be the same height. Just like a pitcher being 6’7″ doesn’t make them a better pitcher automatically, they actually need to be able to pitch too, but the same stuff coming from a taller guy will get on batters quicker and change their eye level. A straight 93 MPH isn’t that hard to hit for a ML player, but one that starts well above their head and gets to their knees in less than 60 feet, that is nearly impossible when done right.
I understand that a shorter guy “might” be a bit less likely to have success at the upper level (although I don’t believe it just because you write it), but his upside isn’t limited just because he’s 5’11. He’s almost the exact same size as a guy like Lincecum. who has two Cy Youngs. That alone completely refutes the downward plane is the only thing of importance which you seem to imply. Just because it’s a “different pitch” coming from Glasnow doesn’t make it a better pitch. You should really stop portraying players ability based on their size, it’s just flat out wrong and makes you look a like robot, repeating whatever everyone else says, because it’s the convential wisdom.
His upside is limited because he is a reliever and because he is on the small side. He will likely remain a reliever, since he doesn’t hold velocity late in short outings. That’s what limits his upside, the fact that he will never be a starter. As far as it being a different pitch coming from someone like Glasnow, yes it does make it better if it’s coming from someone that is 6’7″ as opposed to 5’11”, that’s just common sense. It changes the batters eye level and the release point is closer, so you’re getting more of a downward plane from a closer point, which makes it much harder to hit. That’s not me guessing or my opinion, that’s math and science at work. I did not imply that downward plane was the only important thing, you seemed to confuse upside with whether he can make the majors or not. You can’t compare a two-time Cy Young winner to someone that might make it as a middle reliever and say they have the same upside because they both made the majors.I’m not sure why you focused in on half of what I said, but they go together to prove a point. You also skipped over the control issues at the end.
John, with JaCoby Jones being old for the SAL, having some seasons of college ball and having a good year at the plate do you think the organization goes aggressive with him in 2015 and puts him in Altoona to start the season?
No, I think he will start at Bradenton and move to Altoona if he earns it at mid-season. Basically the same path that Polanco, Bell and Hanson took. I believe Frazier will move up to AA, so both can remain at shortstop.