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, Jacob Taylor), 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, Indianapolis -[insert_php]
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2. Jameson Taillon, RHP, Indianapolis – Disabled List
3. Austin Meadows, CF, Bradenton -[insert_php]
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4. Josh Bell, 1B, Indianapolis -[insert_php]
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5. Alen Hanson, 2B, Indianapolis -[insert_php]
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6. Reese McGuire, C, Bradenton -[insert_php]
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7. Elias Diaz, C, Indianapolis -[insert_php]
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8. Harold Ramirez, OF, Bradenton -[insert_php]
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9. Cole Tucker, SS, West Virginia – Disabled List
10. Kevin Newman, SS, West Virginia -[insert_php]
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11. Ke’Bryan Hayes, 3B, Morgantown -[insert_php]
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12. Mitch Keller, RHP, Bristol -[insert_php]
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13. Clay Holmes, RHP, Bradenton -[insert_php]
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14. Stephen Tarpley, LHP, West Virginia -[insert_php]
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15. Max Moroff, 2B, Altoona -[insert_php]
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16. Barrett Barnes, OF, Altoona -[insert_php]
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17. Yeudy Garcia, RHP, West Virginia -[insert_php]
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18. Trey Supak, RHP, Bristol -[insert_php]
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19. Gage Hinsz, RHP, Bristol -[insert_php]
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20. Adam Frazier, SS, Altoona -[insert_php]
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21. Willy Garcia, OF, Indianapolis -[insert_php]
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22. Steven Brault, LHP, Altoona -[insert_php]
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23. Kevin Kramer, 2B, Morgantown -[insert_php]
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24. Tyler Eppler, RHP, Bradenton -[insert_php]
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25. Adrian Valerio, SS, GCL -[insert_php]
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26. Connor Joe, 1B, West Virginia -[insert_php]
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27. John Holdzkom, RHP, Indianapolis – Disabled List
28. Jordan Luplow, 3B, West Virginia -[insert_php]
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29. Casey Hughston, OF, Morgantown -[insert_php]
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30. Billy Roth, RHP, Bristol -[insert_php]
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Vance Worley went six innings in a 3-0 Indianapolis loss on Thursday afternoon and did not look sharp in the game. He allowed three runs on nine hits and three walks, throwing a total of 102 pitches, with 64 going for strikes. Worley had a tough first inning, allowing two runs on a lead-off walk, followed by three straight singles with two outs. He threw 25 pitches just in that inning. He didn’t have any clean innings and allowed the third run on a sixth inning solo homer. In his first two AAA starts combined, Worley allowed two earned runs over 12 innings.
Indianapolis was facing Michael Lorenzen, who has made 17 starts this season for the Cincinnati Reds. He dominated the lineup, allowing one hit and two walks over eight innings. Travis Snider had the lone hit, a fourth inning single. He was quickly erased on a double play off the bat of Willy Garcia. Josh Bell and Tony Sanchez drew the walks. Bell has reached base safely in ten straight games. Garcia is in a 1-for-19 slump.
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ALTOONA – The Curve have been a relentless team, making multiple comebacks in late innings lately. Tonight, they battled back from down 6-2 in the bottom of the 9th to tie the game at six. Ultimately, they were beaten in the 10th after three walks and an error by Jhondaniel Medina. With Akron winning and the Curve lose, they only hold a two game lead on the Rubberducks for second in their division and a playoff spot.
Adam Frazier had three hits tonight, all line drive singles into the shallow outfield. Frazier added to his league leading batting average, and he now sits at .330, 14 points more than Binghamton’s Gavin Cecchini. Frazier had two clutch hits in the game in the 9th and 10th, showing great poise in pressure situations. Max Moroff also hit an RBI single in the 9th inning, giving him 143 hits on the year.
Erich Weiss went 3-for-4 with a walk to raise his Double-A average to .319. He has mostly been a singles hitter, hitting the gaps and holes through the infield; however, he launched a ball to the deepest possible part of the field in the bottom of the ninth. Down a run with a runner on first, Weiss hit the ball more than 405 feet to center field off of the top of the extended wall, tying the game at six.
Max Moroff made his fifth start of the season at third base tonight. As expected with the first time playing a position, he has had his ups-and-downs so far this year. He picked up his third error of the year at third on a ground ball. The error followed Moroff making a great play on a swinging bunt by charging in and throwing to first on the run. He also made a throw to first which took Jose Osuna towards the baseline, and Osuna did his best impersonation of a brick wall by hanging onto the ball and recording the out while the runner ran into him hard. Overall, you can tell that Moroff may be a little uncomfortable, but he has performed admirably so far even given the errors.
Zack Dodson did what he needed to do to keep the Curve in the game, only allowing two first inning runs then shutting it down through four more innings. He gave up a single, double, and triple in the first to allow two runs, then he scattered a few singles and a double the rest of the way. He got his pitch count up quickly, throwing 98 pitches in five innings, but he was able to strike out six and only walk one.
Dodson’s main problem over his last five starts has been the inability to go deep in a game, not reaching the sixth inning in any of those games. Comparing this year to last year, Dodson’s K% is down, but this has been his most effective professional year in giving up walks, and his WHIP is the best since 2011. He also hasn’t had an ERA under 4.00 since 2011, while he is currently sitting at 3.91.
Clario Perez relieved Dodson and allowed a grand slam in the 7th inning after a couple of walks and a single. Perez had a 0.92 ERA in his first 11 appearances (19.2 innings), but he has allowed 13 earned runs in his last six appearances (11.1 innings).- Sean McCool
Bradenton has off on Wednesday.
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After a tough start last time out, Stephen Tarpley came out Wednesday night to prove it was just a bump in the road. He gave up one run over seven innings, giving him a 2.49 season ERA. Tarpley did walk three batters in the game, which hasn’t happened since June 10th. He has now made 18 starts and surrendered two earned runs or less in 15 of those games. It’s also the 11th time he has given up one run or less. Tarpley had 11 ground ball outs in this game, improving on the 1.46 GO/AO ratio he had coming into the day.
This was the low-A debut of second round pick Kevin Kramer. While with Morgantown, he had a .305/.390/.379 slash line in 46 games. In this contest, he went 0-for-3, but walked twice and scored two runs. Kevin Newman had a good game, continuing a recent stretch of success. He went 2-for-4 with a double, RBI, walk and stolen base. That gives him a .290 average in 14 games since being promoted from Morgantown. He has hits in nine of his last ten games. Michael Suchy picked up his 71st RBI.
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Morgantown won 4-2, giving them a 34-30 record on the season, including 9-2 in their last 11 games. This game was the NYPL debut of Ke’Bryan Hayes, who will now get an extra week of the regular season(GCL ends Saturday), plus possible playoffs. He left the GCL with a .333 batting average, which currently leads the league. Hayes went 0-for-4 with a run scored, reaching on an error.
The Black Bears had just four hits in this game, but they were helped by five Batavia errors. Logan Hill hit his third triple and stole his 12th base. He drove in Christian Kelley with the triple, then scored when the throw to third base went wild. Casey Hughston went 0-for-3 with three strikeouts and he is now in a slump that has reached 12 games. During that span, he is 5-for-48 with 23 strikeouts.
Seth McGarry has been able to limit hits during most of his starts with Morgantown, but has had some games with control issues. On Wednesday night, he lasted 3.2 innings, allowing one run on three hits and four walks. McGarry has now issued 23 walks in his 39 innings since being promoted from the GCL. The 2015 eighth round pick has a 4.62 ERA.
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Mitch Keller had a very tough outing last time out, giving up seven earned runs in just two innings. He missed the beginning of the season due to forearm tightness and this game was his fifth start. He still hasn’t been able to go five innings(his limit), though he was still building up to his pitch limit during his first two starts. Keller had a decent game on Wednesday, but saw more of the control issues he experienced in his previous two starts. In those games, he issued a total of eight walks in 4.2 innings. In this game, he walked four batters in 4.1 innings. The good part is that he allowed just one run on one hit and he picked up five strikeouts.
Bristol lost 4-0, with the offense failing to show up. They had four singles, four walks and they went 0-for-5 with runners in scoring position. Raul Siri made his Bristol debut and went 1-for-4, though it was a tough day. He was at third base, where he had some trouble in the GCL, but didn’t play it often with Ke’Bryan Hayes there full-time. Siri made an error, he was thrown out stealing and hit hit into a double play. Carlos Munoz had two walks, but his slump has now reached two full weeks. He is 7-for-44 in his last 14 games. The good part for him is that the Appalachian League can’t take back the Player of the Year award they gave him on Monday.
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The GCL Pirates have just three days/four games left in their season after today, so many of the pitchers are wrapping up their regular season now. Thursday’s starter was Luis Escobar, a hard-throwing 19-year-old righty from Colombia. He threw three shutout innings in this game, giving up one hit and no walks. He had two strikeouts and four ground ball outs.
Assuming he doesn’t move up a level or two to get in 1-2 more starts, he finishes this season with a 3.54 ERA in 40.2 innings, with 13 walks and 37 strikeouts. The control numbers are a huge step up from 31 walks in 55 innings last year in the DSL. That’s a very good sign because Escobar was a third baseman at this time three years ago, so he has made huge strides in a very short time. He hits 95 mph with his fastball, so between his arm and his quick progress, there could be huge potential with him.
He had times this season where he dominated and other times where he had trouble getting through one inning, but that’s due to inexperience, rather than the actual stuff. He allowed just one homer this season and finished with a .200 BAA, while holding left and right-handed batters to nearly identical averages. He’s the type of pitcher that the Pirates usually promote for 1-2 more games elsewhere after the GCL season, but he also was cut down to only three innings in this game. So it seems more likely that they are shutting him down, and then he will get more work in two weeks when the Fall Instructional League starts.
Not much else went on in this game. The Pirates lost 1-0, with Shane Kemp allowing the lone run, while going four innings. The offense had just four singles and a walk, with two of those runners getting thrown out stealing. No one reached base more than once. Michael de la Cruz has left games early twice in the last week with leg injuries and both times he returned quickly. On Wednesday he injured his ankle on the slide during a stolen base and needed a pinch-runner, but he started on Thursday and went 1-for-4 with a single. He has a five-game hit streak and he has reached base safely in eight straight games. Adrian Valerio has played 31 straight games at shortstop without committing an error.
The DSL Pirates have completed their season. You can read our full season recap here, with reports on 41 different players. There is also a list of 12 players to watch, which can be found here.
