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, 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 2015 Prospect Guide, and links on each name go to their Pirates Prospects player pages.
1. Tyler Glasnow, RHP, Altoona – 5.0 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 4 BB, 6 K, 0 HR
2. Jameson Taillon, RHP, Indianapolis – Disabled List
3. Austin Meadows, CF, Bradenton – 0-for-3, BB
4. Josh Bell, 1B, Altoona – 1-for-4
5. Reese McGuire, C, Bradenton – 1-for-4, 2B
6. Nick Kingham, RHP, Indianapolis – DNP
7. Alen Hanson, 2B, Indianapolis – 1-for-3, BB
8. Mitch Keller, RHP, Extended Spring Training
9. Cole Tucker, SS, West Virginia – DNP
10. Elias Diaz, C, Indianapolis – DNP
11. Harold Ramirez, OF, Extended Spring Training
12. Adrian Sampson, RHP, Indianapolis – DNP
13. John Holdzkom, RHP, Indianapolis – DNP
14. Cody Dickson, LHP, Bradenton – DNP
15. Trey Supak, RHP, Extended Spring Training
16. Gage Hinsz, RHP, Extended Spring Training
17. Clay Holmes, RHP, Bradenton – Disabled List
18. Willy Garcia, OF, Altoona – 0-for-4, 3 K
19. JaCoby Jones, SS, Bradenton – 0-for-4
20. Luis Heredia, RHP, Extended Spring Training
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DAILY SUMMARY
Top Hitter: Jerrick Suiter, DH – 2-for-4, HR
Home Runs: Stetson Allie (1), Jerrick Suiter (1)
AAA: INDIANAPOLIS INDIANS
Result: Indianapolis 2, Columbus 0
Starting Pitcher: Chris Volstad, RHP – 6.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 2 K, 0 HR
Top Hitter: Jaff Decker, LF – 2-for-2, 2B, BB
Other Notable Performers:
Jose Tabata, RF – 1-for-3, 3B, BB, SB
Alen Hanson, 2B – 1-for-3, BB
Blake Wood, RHP – 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 K, 0 HR
Game Notes: After a bit of a rough start, Chris Volstad settled down nicely in his Indianapolis debut. Volstad was a bit all over the zone in the first couple innings, leading to a higher pitch count. However, he settled down, started attacking the zone more and retired the final 13 hitters that he faced. Of Volstad’s 79 pitches, 48 were strikes. The number is a bit deceiving as the control improved in the later innings. His fastball shifted nicely to each side of the plate and sat in the high 80s to low 90s.
In relief of Volstad, A.J. Morris pitched around a pair of walks to get out of his inning of work. Bobby LaFromboise struck out the side, while issuing one walk in the eighth. Blake Wood nailed it down with a perfect ninth, as he was hitting 96-98 on the gun.
Jaff Decker was productive in his three at bats with a double, RBI sacrifice fly, and a hard-hit single. Jose Tabata showed some speed as he added a triple and a stolen base. – Ryan Palencer
AA: ALTOONA CURVE
Result: Harrisburg 4, Altoona 1
Starting Pitcher: Tyler Glasnow, RHP – 5.0 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 4 BB, 6 K, 0 HR
Top Hitter: Stetson Allie, RF – 1-for-4, HR
Other Notable Performers:
Keon Broxton, CF – 1-for-4, 2B
Jhondaniel Medina, RHP – 2.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 2 K, 0 HR
Game Notes: Tyler Glasnow made his Double-A debut on Saturday and it was a typical Tyler Glasnow start. He went five shutout innings, allowing two hits, four walks and he struck out six batters. Except for the fifth inning, when he got three grounders on seven total pitches, Glasnow had control issues which ran his pitch count up to 67 through the first four innings. He hit 96 MPH with his fastball and was using all three of his pitches, getting multiple strikeouts with his curve. Glasnow didn’t allow a hit after giving up a single to the lead-off batter in the second inning.
The Curve didn’t get their first hit until Keon Broxton doubled with one out in the sixth inning. Stetson Allie hit his first homer of the season in the seventh inning and that gave Altoona a 1-0 lead. Things got ugly in the eighth inning. Harrisburg scored four runs off John Kuchno with the help of three errors, including the third of the season by Allie in right field and the first from Josh Bell at first base. Jhondaniel Medina threw two shutout innings in his season debut and hasn’t allowed an earned run in the regular season in his last 42.2 innings, dating back to last April. – John Dreker
A+: BRADENTON MARAUDERS
Result: St. Lucie 3, Bradenton 2
Starting Pitcher: Frank Duncan, RHP – 5.0 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 6 K, 0 HR
Top Hitter: Erich Weiss, 2B – 2-for-4, 2B
Other Notable Performers:
Reese McGuire, C – 1-for-4, 2B
Jin-De Jhang, DH – 3-for-4, SB
Game Notes: Reese McGuire had a nice game on both sides of the ball tonight. At the plate he was making solid contact, hitting a deep fly ball that was caught with a leaping catch against the wall. He later ripped a double down the first base line. Defensively he made two strong throws to beat base runners attempting to steal second. The first throw beat the runner by a mile. The second was a close play on a pitch out against Champ Stuart. McGuire delivered a strong throw that beat the runner, but the ump at second called the runner safe, saying the tag was high. This prompted manager Michael Ryan to argue the call, which would have ended the eighth inning. The next batter hit a two-out home run, giving St. Lucie a 3-2 lead, which led to Ryan walking out to argue with the umpire again, and led to his ejection. Ryan said after the game that he told the umpire he would be back out if the runner scored, and sure enough he was. “I’m a man of my word,” Ryan said with a laugh after the game.
Justin Maffei showed off some solid range in left field, including making a great catch running back to his right, seen in the picture below.
Austin Meadows had a rough night at the plate. He didn’t get many good pitches, and laid off them in his third at-bat to draw a walk, but couldn’t lay off a curveball in the dirt for a swinging strikeout in his second at-bat. Meadows did make a nice Andrew McCutchen style sliding catch to his side in center field on a shallow fly ball.
Jin-De Jhang had a nice night at the plate, picking up three hits and also getting a stolen base. He followed that up by taking third on a wild pitch in the dirt. Erich Weiss showed some solid hitting, including a double that he took to the opposite field gap on an outside pitch, giving the Marauders their only runs. Frank Duncan was very effective, throwing all three pitches for strikes, including an 89-91 MPH fastball.
A: WEST VIRGINIA POWER
Result: Savannah 11, West Virginia 4
Starting Pitcher: Dovydas Neverauskas, RHP – 1.2 IP, 4 H, 5 R, 5 ER, 4 BB, 2 K, 1 HR
Top Hitter: Jerrick Suiter, DH – 2-for-4, HR
Other Notable Performers:
Elvis Escobar, CF – 2-for-5, 2B
Chase Simpson, 1B – 2-for-4
Francisco Diaz, C – 2-for-4
Junior Lopez, RHP – 3.0 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 1 K, 0 HR
Game Notes: Jerrick Suiter didn’t hit a single home run in his three years at TCU, spanning 412 at-bats. He hit just one homer last year in 190 at-bats in Bristol. It only took him ten at-bats this year to get one. I wouldn’t count on him suddenly being a power hitter, based on the history. He does a good job of getting on base, but he’s going to need to start hitting for power, especially with his move this year to first base. Dovydas Neverauskas looked promising the last few years as a guy who could hit 95 MPH at a young age. The downside was that he lacked consistency, and that becomes more of a concern the older he gets. He struggled with his control today and saw an early exit.
