A look at how the current top 30 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 (Nick Kingham), 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 30 active prospects on the list. Rankings are from the mid-season update, and links on each name go to their Pirates Prospects player pages.
1. Tyler Glasnow, RHP, Altoona – DNP
2. Jameson Taillon, RHP, Indianapolis – Disabled List
3. Austin Meadows, CF, Bradenton – DNP
4. Josh Bell, 1B, Altoona – 2-for-4, HR
5. Alen Hanson, 2B, Indianapolis – 0-for-4
6. Reese McGuire, C, Bradenton – DNP
7. Elias Diaz, C, Indianapolis – 3-for-4
8. Harold Ramirez, OF, Bradenton – DNP
9. Cole Tucker, SS, West Virginia – 2-for-4, 2B
10. Kevin Newman, SS, Morgantown – 3-for-5, 2B, 2 SB
11. Ke’Bryan Hayes, 3B, GCL – DNP
12. Mitch Keller, RHP, Bristol – DNP
13. Clay Holmes, RHP, Bradenton – DNP
14. Stephen Tarpley, LHP, West Virginia – 6.2 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 7 K, 0 HR
15. Adrian Sampson, RHP, Indianapolis – DNP
16. Max Moroff, 2B, Altoona – 1-for-4
17. Barrett Barnes, OF, Bradenton – DNP
18. JaCoby Jones, SS, Bradenton – DNP
19. Yeudy Garcia, RHP, West Virginia – DNP
20. Trey Supak, RHP, Bristol – DNP
21. Gage Hinsz, RHP, Bristol – DNP
22. Adam Frazier, SS, Altoona – 2-for-5, 2B
23. Willy Garcia, OF, Indianapolis – DNP
24. Steven Brault, LHP, Altoona – DNP
25. Kevin Kramer, 2B, Morgantown – 1-for-4, 2B, BB, SB
26. Tyler Eppler, RHP, Bradenton – DNP
27. Adrian Valerio, SS, GCL – DNP
28. Connor Joe, 1B, West Virginia – 0-for-4
29. Jacob Taylor, RHP, GCL – DNP
30. John Holdzkom, RHP, Indianapolis – Disabled List
Top Pitcher: Stephen Tarpley, LHP – 6.2 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 7 K, 0 HR
Top Hitter: Jordan George, 1B – 3-for-5, HR
Home Runs: Josh Bell (5), Jordan George (2)
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After allowing just one unearned run in the first inning, Radhames Liz continued his hot run with Indianapolis on Friday night. In the effort, Liz was consistently in the 96 to 98 MPH range with the fastball and occasionally touching 99. The velocity made the breaking ball even sharper. With the solid stuff, Liz struck out seven hitters. Since breaking into the rotation, Liz has not struck out any fewer than six hitters in a start. However, the control was not as strong as it was in his previous starts, as he allowed four free passes.
Bobby LaFromboise worked a perfect eight inning, to continue his long scoreless streak. Jeff Inman also worked a scoreless ninth. After allowing five runs on July 12, Inman has worked three straight scoreless games, with only four hits allowed.
Elias Diaz picked up three singles for Indianapolis, which accounted for half of the teams knocks for the game. Diaz is working on a four-game hit streak, with three of those contest being a multi-hit effort. – Ryan Palencer
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Josh Bell hit his fifth homer of the year for Altoona, raising his OPS up to .830 and his ISO up to .124. The numbers are much better from the left side when you look at the splits, with an .870 OPS as a left-hander, and a .145 ISO coming into this game. All five home runs this year have come from the left side, and Bell hasn’t hit a home run as a right hander since June 10th, 2014. The Pirates will spend time working on Bell’s swing from the right side while he’s in the minors, rather than giving up on switch hitting and having him learn how to hit left-handers from the left side.
Adam Frazier continues his impressive season, picking up his fifth straight multi-hit game, and extending his hitting streak to seven games. Frazier is currently hitting for a .361/.414/.457 line in 208 at-bats, and the more he does this, the more his season is looking like a legit breakout, giving him the chance to make it to the majors in the not-too-distant future.
Bradenton was suspended due to rain. The game will be completed tomorrow at 5:00 PM, followed by the regularly scheduled game.
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Stephen Tarpley is having a fantastic season in West Virginia, with a 2.06 ERA in 65.2 innings after tonight’s outing. That includes a 61:17 K/BB ratio. Last year he had a 3.66 ERA in 66.1 innings, with a 60:24 K/BB ratio. He’s managed to maintain the strikeouts, while cutting down on the walks a bit, and really limiting the damage. His batting average against has dropped from .279 to .245. What’s more impressive is that Tarpley’s numbers are inflated by one bad start, where he gave up five earned runs in 5.2 innings. In 10 of his 12 starts this year he has gone at least five innings with two or fewer runs allowed.
Cole Tucker stayed hot tonight, picking up his 12th double of the year. Tucker has been hitting well the last two months, with a .796 OPS in June, and a .785 OPS in July. Jordan Luplow has been a doubles machine this year. His double tonight was his 27th of the year. That currently leads the system. Last year’s high in doubles was 31, by Chris McGuiness. The last time someone got 40 or more was in 2012, when Dan Gamache hit 40 for West Virginia.
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After starting the season slow, Kevin Newman might be bouncing back. He has a .317 average in his last ten games, along with three doubles, a triple, and a homer. He is also showing off his speed on the bases lately, stealing six bases in his last three games. Kevin Kramer has also started to heat up, with a .275 average in his last ten games, along with two doubles and three stolen bases. Meanwhile, Logan Hill and Ty Moore continue to perform well as mid-to-late round picks. Hill has a .950 OPS, while Moore has an .859 OPS. Seth McGarry bounced back from a rough start the last time out, giving up just one run in four innings this time around. McGarry profiles as a potential late inning reliever in the majors one day, but will get a lot of work as a starter in the lower levels to maximize his innings.
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Jordan George hit his second homer of the year, with both coming in his last ten games. Sandy Santos, who John Dreker wrote about last night, had another big game. He has gone 7-for-10 in his last two games, and now has an .822 OPS. Erik Lunde made the switch to catcher this year, after being drafted as an infielder. I haven’t had a lot of opportunities to see his defense behind the plate, although his offense has been great, with a .902 OPS. He was drafted out of college last year, so he should be hitting this level. The fact that he’s getting a good amount of playing time with John Bormann on the same roster says that the Pirates see him as an interesting project worth getting a good amount of playing time.
The GCL Pirates were postponed due to rain.
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The DSL Pirates dropped to 18-29 on the season in a game that got off to a strong start, but the offense shut down and the pitching/defense was once again poor. The Pirates scored three in the first inning, then went 0-for-9 with runners in scoring position the rest of the game. Starter Domingo Robles made his tenth start and saw his season ERA go up to 4.80 with three runs over five innings. He was one of the top international signings last July and he is also one of the youngest players on the team, turning 17 at the end of April. Robles has a .311 BAA and 1.58 WHIP, so it’s been a tough rookie season so far.
Yondry Contreras had three hits for the third time this season, but the first time since the first week of the season ended. He was the top signing last year, getting a $400,000 bonus, yet has had some trouble adjusting to pro ball. He is hitting .219/.313/.290 in 39 games, with 52 strikeouts, which leads the team. The right-handed hitting Contreras has massive splits against LHP/RHP. He has a 1.110 OPS against lefties, which he has obviously seen less often. Against righties, he has a .487 OPS and he’s striking out once every 2.7 at-bats. – John Dreker
