Three weeks into the minor league season, we took a look at the league leaders among Pittsburgh Pirates players. It’s been 26 days since then, so it’s a good time for an update. If you look back to that article, you’ll see that third baseman Deibinson Romero was among the International League’s top ten in multiple categories, but he is no longer in the Pirates’ system. The list is definitely a little lighter this time out, and it’s not just Romero gone. The Altoona pitchers were on fire back then, and all of them have come back to Earth a bit.
Indianapolis
Steve Lombardozzi is seventh in batting with a .328 average. He also ranks second with a .413 OBP.
Gorkys Hernandez is tied for second with 27 runs scored. Alen Hanson is tied for sixth with 25 runs. One of the players he is tied with is Matt Hague, who plays for Buffalo(Blue Jays).
Hanson is fourth with 52 hits, tied for second with five triples and tied for fourth with 14 steals.
On the pitching side, Casey Sadler is eighth with a 2.52 ERA and Adrian Sampson in tenth with a 2.83 mark. Sampson is tied for second with 49 strikeouts, one behind the leader. Sadler leads the league with an 0.82 WHIP.
Blake Wood leads the league with 12 saves.
Altoona
In the Eastern League, Josh Bell is third with a .335 average. He ranks sixth with a .406 OPS, while Max Moroff is tenth with a .394 OBP. Bell is tenth with an .863 OPS.
Keon Broxton leads the league with 35 runs scored. Moroff is tied for seventh with 26 runs.
Bell leads with 55 hits, Broxton is tied for second with 54 and Moroff is tied four fourth with 53 hits.
Bell is tied for the lead with five triples, Broxton is tied for third with four.
Stetson Allie is tied for fourth with seven homers. Bell is fourth with 31 RBIs, while Allie has driven in 27 runs, ranking him tenth.
Moroff is fifth with 23 walks, while Bell is tied for eighth with 21 free passes.
On the pitching side, Zack Dodson(2.63), Chad Kuhl(2.73) and Jason Creasy(2.82) rank 7-9 in ERA. Dodson’s 1.08 WHIP is seventh. Yhonathan Barrios is second with nine saves.
Bradenton
In the Florida State League, Jin-De Jhang is fourth with a .338 average, while Austin Meadows is seventh with a .314 average.
Meadows is sixth with a .391 OBP, while the Marauders own the 8-10 spots with Wyatt Mathisen(.382), Justin Maffei(.381) and Jhang has a .377 OBP. Meadows is tenth with an .805 OPS.
Jose Osuna is ninth with a .433 slugging percentage, while JaCoby Jones comes in tenth, six points behind him.
Meadows is second with 30 runs and Jones is tied for third with 28.
Meadows is fifth with 53 hits. Jones is ninth with 50 and Erich Weiss is tied for tenth with 49 hits.
Osuna is tied for the league lead with 12 doubles. Jones, Mathisen, Meadows and Weiss are tied with about 50 others(exaggerating, but it’s a lot) for seventh place with two triples. Jones is tied for fifth with five homers, while Osuna is tied for eighth with four home runs.
Jones is second with 29 RBI’s, followed by Osuna, tied for third with 28 and Weiss is seventh with his 26 runs driven in. Meadows is tied for seventh with 22 walks.
For pitchers, Brett McKinney is tied for third with seven saves and no one else is close in any of the other major categories.
West Virginia
For the Power, Chase Simpson is third in the South Atlantic League with a .414 OBP. He’s fifth with an .871 OPS.
Elvis Escobar is tied for sixth with 11 doubles. Pablo Reyes is tied for eighth with five homers.
Simpson is third with 28 walks, while Michael Suchy is tied for sixth with 23 walks.
For the pitchers, Yeudy Garcia is sixth with a 1.70 ERA. Austin Coley is fourth with an 0.96 WHIP, while Garcia is fifth, just .01 behind him. Coley is ninth with 44 strikeouts.
Nick Neumann is tied for seventh with six saves.
Pirates Game Graph
Source: FanGraphs
Today’s Schedule
Today’s Starter and Notes: The Pirates won 5-2 over the Marlins on Wednesday to give them six wins in a row. Pittsburgh will send A.J. Burnett to the hill against the San Diego Padres for his tenth start tonight. He leads the Majors in ERA and hasn’t allowed more than two earned runs in any start this season. The Padres will send Ian Kennedy to the mound.
In the minors, Cody Dickson starts tonight and he is due for a strong outing, since he seems to be switching back and forth between good and bad this season. In his last game, he allowed three earned runs over 5.2 innings. Austin Coley is fourth in the South Atlantic League in WHIP(0.96). Matt Benedict will make his second start for Altoona this morning. He has also started for Indianapolis and Bradenton this year, plus pitched in relief for Bradenton and Altoona already. Indianapolis starter is listed as TBD, though it is Adrian Sampson’s turn in the order. You can view last night’s prospect watch here.
MLB: Pittsburgh (24-22) @ Padres (23-25) 10:10 PM
Probable starter: A.J. Burnett (1.37 ERA, 18:53 BB/SO, 59.0 IP)
AAA: Indianapolis (28-19) vs Toledo (19-27) 7:05 PM (season preview)
Probable starter: Adrian Sampson (2.83 ERA, 15:49 BB/SO, 54.0 IP)
AA: Altoona (26-18) @ New Britain (29-16) 10:35 AM (season preview)
Probable starter: Matt Benedict (5.40 ERA, 1:3 BB/SO, 5.0 IP)
High-A: Bradenton (22-24) vs Daytona (28-18) 6:30 PM (season preview)
Probable starter: Cody Dickson (3.71 ERA, 13:25 BB/SO, 43.2 IP)
Low-A: West Virginia (27-19) @ Delmarva (22-24) 7:05 PM (season preview)
Probable starter: Austin Coley (2.89 ERA, 4:44 BB/SO, 43.2 IP)
Highlights
In the video below, Josh Bell doubles home Max Moroff from Tuesday night. If a Major League team’s 3-4 hitters in the lineup combined for one homer through the first 44 games of the season, then it would be hard to believe that the team would have a 26-18 record, but that’s where Altoona sits right now. Bell(batting third) has one homer this season in 160 at-bats, while clean-up hitter Willy Garcia is still looking for his first homer after 135 at-bats.
Recent Transactions
5/27: Kelson Brown added to Indianapolis roster.
5/26: Harold Ramirez added to Bradenton roster. Jordan Steranka and Andy Otamendi assigned to Extended Spring Training.
5/26: Josh Wall placed on disabled list. Collin Balester added to Indianapolis roster.
5/26: Dovydas Neverauskas placed on disabled list. Julio Vivas sent from Bradenton to West Virginia.
5/26: Deibinson Romero sold to Doosan Bears of the Korean Baseball Organization.
5/25: Charlie Morton activated from disabled list. Radhames Liz designated for assignment.
5/25: Stephen Tarpley added to WV Power roster.
5/25: Jerrick Suiter activated from WV Power disabled list. Miguel Rosario and Montana DuRapau promoted to Bradenton
5/22: Jaff Decker activated from disabled list. Andy Vasquez assigned to WV Black Bears.
5/20: Tyler Glasnow placed on disabled list.
5/19: Julio Eusebio, Cesilio Pimentel and Ryan Hafner assigned to Extended Spring Training. Bradenton adds Henry Hirsch, Felipe Gonzalez and Brett McKinney to roster.
5/19: Jose Tabata added to 40-man roster and recalled. Wilfredo Boscan optioned to Indianapolis.
5/19: Justin Seller transferred to 60-day disabled list.
5/19: Matt Benedict assigned to Altoona.
5/17: Jeff Roy placed on disabled list. Trace Tam Sing added to WV Power roster
5/17: Bradenton adds Julio Eusebio, Cesilio Pimentel and Ryan Hafner to roster. Henry Hirsch, Felipe Gonzalez and Brett McKinney assigned to Extended Spring Training.
5/16: Luis Heredia added to Bradenton roster. Matt Benedict promoted to Indianapolis.
5/16: Wilfredo Boscan added to 40-man roster and promoted to Majors. Steve Lombardozzi sent to Indianapolis.
5/16: Brandon Cumpton transferred to 60-day disabled list.
5/15: Charlie Leesman placed on Indianapolis disabled list.
5/15: Antonio Bastardo activated from Paternity List. Bobby LaFromboise optioned to Indianapolis.
5/14: Charlie Morton assigned to Indianapolis on rehab.
5/14: Pirates sign catcher Paul Brands.
This Date in Pirates History
Five former Pittsburgh Pirates players born on this date, plus a trade of note, which is where we will start. On this date in 1960, the Pirates made a deal that would help them on their way to their third World Series title and first in 35 years. They dealt two minor league players to the St Louis Cardinals for veteran pitcher Wilmer “Vinegar Bend” Mizell and infielder Dick Gray. Mizell would win 13 games that year for the Pirates.
Former players born on this date include two special ones. The others are 2000-01 first baseman Alex Hernandez, 1992 outfielder Kirk Gibson(remember his short stay?) and 1906-07 pitcher King Brady.
The other two players born on this date are 1947 pitcher Steve Nagy and 1957 pitcher Bob Kuzava. Nagy turns 96 today and he is the 11th oldest living former big league player and second oldest Pirates player. Kuzava turns 92 today and he is the eighth oldest living Pirates player.
