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, 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 2016 prospect guide, and links on each name go to their Pirates Prospects player pages.
We’re working on a solution for the PHP stat codes not working in the app.
1. Tyler Glasnow, RHP, Indianapolis -[insert_php]
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2. Austin Meadows, CF, Altoona – [insert_php]
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3. Josh Bell, 1B, Indianapolis – [insert_php]
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4. Jameson Taillon, RHP, Indianapolis – [insert_php]
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5. Alen Hanson, 2B, Indianapolis – [insert_php]
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6. Harold Ramirez, OF, Altoona -[insert_php]
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7. Reese McGuire, C, Altoona -[insert_php]
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8. Elias Diaz, C, Pirates – Disabled List.
9. Nick Kingham, RHP, Indianapolis – Disabled List
10. Ke’Bryan Hayes, 3B, West Virginia -[insert_php]
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11. Kevin Newman, SS, Bradenton – Disabled List
12. Yeudy Garcia, RHP, Bradenton -[insert_php]
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13. Steven Brault, LHP, Indianapolis – Disabled List
14. Stephen Tarpley, LHP, Bradenton – [insert_php]
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15.Cole Tucker, SS, Bradenton – [insert_php]
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16. Chad Kuhl, RHP, Indianapolis – [insert_php]
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17. Max Moroff, 2B, Indianapolis -[insert_php]
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18. Mitch Keller, RHP, West Virginia -[insert_php]
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19. Clay Holmes, RHP, Altoona – [insert_php]
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20. Willy Garcia, OF, Indianapolis -[insert_php]
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21. Brandon Waddell, LHP, Altoona – [insert_php]
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22. Tyler Eppler, RHP, Altoona -[insert_php]
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23. Barrett Barnes, OF, Altoona -[insert_php]
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24. Trevor Williams, RHP, Indianapolis -[insert_php]
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25. Gage Hinsz, RHP – Extended Spring Training
26. Adrian Valerio, SS – Extended Spring Training
27. Adam Frazier, INF/OF, Indianapolis -[insert_php]
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28. Kevin Kramer, 2B, Bradenton -[insert_php]
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29. Jordan Luplow, OF/3B, Bradenton – [insert_php]
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30. JT Brubaker, RHP, West Virginia -[insert_php]
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Taillon started his day on Sunday very efficiently, getting four ground ball outs on his first ten pitches. That was followed by a seven pitch at-bat, which also ended with an easy grounder. Taillon finished the second with a strikeout, setting it up with a big curve, followed by a 95 MPH fastball on the outside edge. He threw 16 of his first 22 pitches for strikes.
The third started with a fastball right down the middle that got hammered to deep left for a double. Alen Hanson just missed catching it, and it looked like it possibly hit his glove. The next batter put down a nice bunt that both Taillon and Josh Bell went after, ending up as a single when Max Moroff couldn’t get over to cover first base in time. That was followed by a 1-6-3 double play, which brought home a run. The last batter lined out to Jason Rogers at third base. The inning could have been worse, as the third batter lined a ball down the left field line that just went foul. It was only an 11-pitch inning, but Pawtucket hit the ball hard three times. Taillon hit 95 with the fastball again.
Taillon sat for a long time before coming out for the fourth. Indianapolis put up six runs and there was a pitching change in the middle. The inning started with a strikeout swinging on a curve. Taillon got the next batter to fly out to left field, but he did miss his spot twice in the at-bat and left a fastball over the middle. That was followed by an easy grounder to second base for the final out and another 11-pitch inning.
The fifth started with a curve lined into center field for a single. The next batter drove a ball to deep center field for the first out. Taillon got the next batter to pop out to shallow center field. He struck out the fourth hitter of the inning on a terrific curve, that got an awkward swing. This was a 17-pitch inning, with a couple well struck balls. Through five innings, he had 61 pitches, 41 for strikes.
The sixth started with a long at-bat that included Taillon throwing all three pitches and the batter just missing a home run down the left field line, which went foul. It ended with the batter getting jammed on a 3-2 pitch for an easy fly to left field. The next batter grounded to Josh Bell, who booted the ball for an error. Taillon went 3-2 on the next hitter, who put a hard grounder between third base and shortstop for a single. That was followed by a high pop up in the infield for a second out. He got out of the inning by getting a foul out to Jacob Stallings for the final out. This was a 22-pitch inning and it ended his day with 83 pitches, 54 for strikes.
Due to skipping a start, Taillon was on a lower pitch count this game and he labored through the last two innings, with his fastball down to 91 a few times. He only gave up one run on four hits and didn’t walk any batters, so the results were great. He had just three strikeouts, and wasn’t getting many swing and misses. The curve looked really good, the command on the fastball wasn’t as good, which led to some hard hit outs, as he got too much of the plate a few times. He threw more changeups near the end, and while it’s clearly his third pitch, it’s still at least an average offering, looking better than average at times.
It was interesting to see how he would handle pitching on ten days rest because it could happen again at some point this season. He looked great in the first two frames, coming out strong and hitting 95 MPH. The third had hard contact and the only run, while the fourth was a quick inning. That was followed by lesser stuff in the last two innings, though mixing in the changeup more often probably helped him get through the innings unscathed. I expect him to build back up a little more in his next outing, and then we will see if he’s ready to go when that Super Two deadline passes, which is usually just figured out to be around June 10th.
As mentioned above, Indianapolis put up six runs in the fourth inning, on their way to an 8-2 win. Josh Bell had a big games, starting that fourth inning with a double. He also singled and homered in this game, his second consecutive home run off a left-handed pitch after going nearly two full years without one from the right side. It was Bell’s fifth homer of the season and his tenth double.
Dan Gamache and Daniel Ortiz both homered in the fourth inning, the first of the year for Gamache and the sixth for Ortiz. Pedro Florimon had two hits, scored twice and drove in a run in the fourth with a triple. Max Moroff had a single, two walks and scored a run. He also stole his fifth base of the season. Adam Frazier drove in three runs.
Alen Hanson, who came into the game 1-for-27 since being sent down, showed some possible signs of getting on track in this game. He looks like he has been trying to do too much since his brief Major League time, taking some huge swings and usually getting under the ball. In this game, he lined a single the other way in one at-bat, then switched sides of the plate later and crushed a long foul ball, about ten feet foul. It had plenty of home run distance, but it was followed by another big swing that ended up with a pop out to second base.
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BOWIE, MD – Brandon Waddell had a rough start against a very weak Bowie lineup in an 8-3 Altoona loss. Right from the start, Waddell simply couldn’t locate any of his pitches. He alternated between missing low, missing just inside, and leaving pitches up and over the plate, pitches that invariably got torched. As the game went on, he got progressively wilder. Waddell had a quick first inning thanks to two line outs, but things came undone quickly in the second. Former Pirate farmhand Quincy Latimore led off with a HR and Waddell walked the next two hitters. He got out of that inning with no further damage, but allowed three runs in the third on a walk, another HR, another walk and a double.
Three straight singles to start the fourth ended his day. He left with two men on and Brett McKinney let both of them score. Most of the batted balls he allowed, including many of the outs, were hit hard, and he didn’t record a single ground out. Waddell allowed seven runs on eight hits and four walks. He didn’t strike out a batter, the second game in a row in which the Curve starter failed to register a strikeout. Waddell threw only 38 of 74 pitches for strikes.
The Altoona offense never got much going except in the fourth. Erich Weiss led off that inning with a pop fly single and Austin Meadows lined a double to deep right center. Weiss scored when the relay got away and Edwin Espinal then belted his second HR. Meadows and Espinal each had two hits. Harold Ramirez was 0-for-2 with a walk and Reese McGuire 0-for-11 with a walk.
A note here on shifts: Tim Williams reported recently that Indianapolis is using extreme infield shifts. The Pirates’ lower level teams have been playing some hitters strongly to the pull side for a while, but I hadn’t seen a “Ted Williams type shift,” with three infielders on one side of second, until the Curve used it today against Latimore. In fact, they didn’t use it two days ago against Latimore (he wasn’t in the lineup yesterday). I’ve often wondered whether the necessary data was available for shifting in the minors. Shifts depend heavily on pitchers knowing what pitch to throw and where, so pitch data as well as spray chart data is important.
Latimore, though, came up through the Pirates’ system and has been in the Eastern League since night baseball was invented, so the Curve probably know all there is to know about him. He’s an extreme pull hitter who takes a huge cut every time, so he’d be a good candidate to shift against. It occurred to me that the Curve shifted against him today and not two days ago because Waddell normally has by far the best command of any Altoona starter, while Cody Dickson, who started on Friday, has below-average command. The shift was still on, though, when McKinney took the mound.
The shift only came into play once, as Latimore homered, walked and struck out in his other appearances. In one at-bat, he hit a grounder to the left of second, in between Weiss and shortstop Chris Diaz. Weiss should have been able to make the play, but he pulled up short and the ball went through for a hit. Weiss appeared to be distracted by Diaz, as the latter also went for the ball, and also appeared uncertain or uncomfortable about his location on the field. Some fans might see that as an indication that shifting is a bad idea, but I see it as evidence that shifting in the minors is vital once the needed data is available. – Wilbur Miller
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BRADENTON, Fla. – As John Dreker mentioned in today’s Morning Report, there was a big game in Bradenton this afternoon. In fact, that might be an understatement.
First, the Pirates had Justin Masterson on the mound, making his first official start in the organization. He went five innings, as planned, throwing 81 pitches and 52 strikes, while posting some good results on the day. I broke down his outing here, and what his future role looks like in the organization.
“He was good. Just like I remembered him,” Bradenton Manager Michael Ryan said. “Good sinkers, very good slider. He was in command. He got strike one. I think he accomplished what he wanted to coming over here. I thought it was really good.”
The Pirates also just promoted Cole Tucker, who made his Bradenton debut today. Tucker got off to a great start, going 2-for-3 with a walk. He started off with two hard hit singles on line drives up the middle in his first two at-bats. He was thrown out on the bases twice, although one was a close caught stealing where Michael Ryan felt he was safe. I talked with Tucker after the game about his debut, which you can read here.
The other big thing happening was an outing from Yeudy Garcia, who pitched the final four innings of the game after Masterson left. Garcia had great results, with four shutout innings, three walks, and three hits, along with six strikeouts. However, his command was off in most innings, leading to 89 pitches on the day.
Command has been his biggest problem this year, as he’s worked up some big pitch counts, and struggled to get ahead of hitters. Because of the problems with his fastball command, he’s turned to his slider more often, which isn’t preferable as it’s a good pitch, but not good enough to rely on as much as he’s been using it.
His second inning of work today was an example of what works for him. He got ahead of hitters with the fastball, then put them away with the slider, striking out the side. His other innings were an example of what didn’t work. He wasn’t getting ahead of hitters, and was using the slider too much. Since it’s an inconsistent pitch, that increased the chances of a bad slider, while also getting hitters more familiar with the pitch, and making it less effective. By the end of his fourth inning, he looked visibly frustrated on the mound.
The velocity has been a few ticks lower for Garcia this year, with no explanation. He was sitting around 92-93 MPH today, and touched 96 on a few occasions, including once in his fourth inning. But that’s down from last year where he would comfortably sit 93-96 and touch 97. His slider works around 84 MPH, so he’s got good separation there, even with lower velocity. He could be a good starter working in his current velocity range, but not with the command he has shown this year.
Along with Tucker’s big game, the Marauders got some good offense. Taylor Gushue picked up two hits, including a long home run to center field for his fourth of the year. Jordan Luplow also added his fourth, hitting an insurance homer in the eighth inning to the left field gap. Jerrick Suiter picked up a double, pulling one down the left field line, and Jeff Roy picked up two hits, scoring two runs in the process. – Tim Williams
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CHARLESTON, WV – Today’s matchup featured one starter with a 1-4 record and a 4.73 ERA and the other with 7-0, 1.06. If nothing else, the game between the Power and the Columbia Fireflies today proved that those numbers mean nothing.
Bret Helton came out firing, looking for only his second win of the season. Helton hasn’t had much support this year and took the loss in a sterling outing against Charleston last week. In his previous three starts, the Power hitters could only muster two runs total. Today, Helton scattered three hits in six innings of shutout ball.
Helton worked out of a bases loaded jam in the top of the fifth after a single, a hit batter, and a walk. Pitching coach Matt Ford and catcher John Bormann paid Helton a visit to settle him. He set up his fastball with a slow, looping curve and induced a weak grounder to first with the next pitch.
Tito Polo took care of the run support problem with a three-run homer in the bottom of the fifth. Polo has been on fire recently. In his past ten games coming into today, Polo is hitting .425. He also seems to have quelled his strikeout problems, with only two strikeouts in the last five games.
The only knock on Polo this year is his low walk rate. He is operating as the team’s leadoff man, and he has great speed for such a compact guy. As of today, though, he only has nine walks on the season.
As good as Helton was, his two relievers were better. Tanner Anderson and Cesilio Pimentel combined for three innings of no-hit relief to close out the game. Pimentel earned his first save of the season as the Power won their first ever series against the Columbia Fireflies. – Abigail Miskowiec
