A look at how the current top 30 prospects did today. If a player is in the majors and loses his prospect eligibility, 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 mid-season update, 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, Pirates -[insert_php]
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2. Austin Meadows, CF, Indianapolis – [insert_php]
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3. Josh Bell, 1B, Indianapolis – [insert_php]
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4. Kevin Newman, SS, Altoona – [insert_php]
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5. Mitch Keller, RHP, West Virginia -[insert_php]
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6. Nick Kingham, RHP, Bradenton – [insert_php]
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7.Cole Tucker, SS, Bradenton – [insert_php]
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8. Chad Kuhl, RHP, Pirates – [insert_php]
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9. Will Craig, 3B, Morgantown – [insert_php]
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10. Steven Brault, LHP, Indianapolis – [insert_php]
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11. Ke’Bryan Hayes, 3B, West Virginia -[insert_php]
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12. Elias Diaz, C, Indianapolis – [insert_php]
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13. Clay Holmes, RHP, Altoona – [insert_php]
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14. Yeudy Garcia, RHP, Bradenton -[insert_php]
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15. Gage Hinsz, RHP, West Virginia – [insert_php]
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16. Trevor Williams, RHP, Indianapolis – [insert_php]
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17. Alen Hanson, 2B, Indianapolis – [insert_php]
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18. Tito Polo, OF, Bradenton – [insert_php]
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19. Stephen Tarpley, LHP, Bradenton – [insert_php]
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20. Brandon Waddell, LHP, Altoona – [insert_php]
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21. Tyler Eppler, RHP, Altoona -[insert_php]
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22. Max Moroff, 2B, Indianapolis -[insert_php]
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23. Taylor Hearn, LHP, West Virginia – [insert_php]
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24. Adrian Valerio, SS – Bristol – [insert_php]
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25. Braeden Ogle, LHP, GCL Pirates – [insert_php]
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26. Kevin Kramer, 2B, Bradenton -[insert_php]
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27. Travis MacGregor, RHP, GCL Pirates – [insert_php]
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28. Max Kranick, RHP, GCL Pirates – [insert_php]
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29. Frank Duncan, RHP, Indianapolis – [insert_php]
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30. Dovydas Neverauskas, RHP, Indianapolis – [insert_php]
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Indianapolis won 8-7 over Louisville, as both Max Moroff and Austin Meadows hit homers. Drew Hutchison started and had a tough fourth inning, allowing six runs, which erased an early 5-0 Indianapolis lead. Only two of the runs were earned, as Josh Bell committed errors on back-to-back plays. Bell now has 15 errors on the season. Hutchison still gave up ten hits in his five innings, including two home runs, so it wasn’t a good outing regardless of the defense. Four relievers combined for four shutout innings, as Indianapolis tied the score in the seventh, then took the lead in the ninth.
Austin Meadows hit a two-run homer in the seventh, which tied the score. It was his third homer since joining Indianapolis. He also stole his fourth base. On the season, he has nine homers and 13 steals. Max Moroff hit his eighth homer of the season. He also drew his league leading 76th walk, which also leads all Pirates in the minors. Alen Hanson hit his seventh triple. Willy Garcia hit his 26th double and fourth triple. His triple led to the winning run in the ninth when Danny Ortiz singled him home with the go-ahead run.
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Altoona got hit around on Friday night, losing 12-2 to New Hampshire. Brandon Waddell started and gave up five runs on nine hits and a walk in 6.1 innings. It was a tough outing, but it had a couple positives. The one walk is the lowest total for him since late June, as control has been an issue with Altoona. Waddell also posted an impressive 12:2 GO/AO ratio. He now has a 4.19 ERA in 103 innings with Altoona.
Jason Creasy did not get welcomed back to Double-A in a nice way. After making two rehab appearances with Morgantown, he appeared in his first game for the Curve since April 29th. Creasy couldn’t even make it through one inning, giving up six runs on five hits and two walks.
Altoona had just three hits, but they had their chances to score due to seven walks and two hit batters. Eric Wood had a nice game with a walk and two doubles, which gives him 18 on the season. Barrett Barnes had the other hit, and he also reached on a hit-by-pitch. Edwin Espinal had two walks and an RBI. The Curve went 1-for-9 with runners in scoring position and they left 11 runners on base.
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Bradenton had their game rained out. It will be made up tomorrow as part of a doubleheader.
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West Virginia won 4-0 behind another strong start for Mitch Keller, who looks like he’s finishing up his first full season strong. Pitching on two days extra rest, Keller threw seven shutout innings, allowing two singles and a walk. He had five strikeouts, a 10:1 GO/AO ratio, and 51 of his 81 pitches went for strikes. Keller had an 0.97 GO/AO ratio coming into this game, so that is quite the impressive ground ball total compared to the rest of his season. He now has a league best 0.91 WHIP, to go along with 124 strikeouts in 119.1 innings. Keller has thrown 18 shutout innings over his last three starts.
West Virginia had nice production throughout their lineup, with everybody reaching base at least once. Casey Hughston was the only player without a hit and he had two walks, a stolen base and a run scored. Jordan George stole home plate for the second Power run. His RBI double brought home Carlos Munoz with the first run. Munoz scored two runs and collected his 23rd double. Logan Ratledge had two hits and stole his 24th base. Danny Arribas had a single, a walk and an RBI.
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Luis Escobar allowed just one run over six innings in Morgantown’s 5-2 win. He gave up just hits in the game, with out of them popping out of the mitt of Sandy Santos as he made a diving catch, while the other fell just out of the reach of Santos as he tried for another diving catch. It sounds like a strong game for Escobar, but he was extremely wild after the second inning.
Through the first two innings, Escobar had thrown 18 pitches, with 12 going for strikes. In his last four innings, he threw a total of 67 pitches, with only 29 going for strikes. Many of those strikes came from impatient Vermont hitters, who chased balls in the dirt, even after Escobar issued each one of his four walks. Part of that was because his curveball looked great, but they were also chasing his fastball and even a few changeups in the dirt, helping out a pitcher struggling to find the strike zone.
When he was in the zone, Escobar was getting soft contact, or no contact. When he was able to set up hitters, he used all of his pitches effectively to get outs. He got third strikes with all three pitches. He just wasn’t in the strike zone enough the final four innings. Escobar has allowed three earned runs or less in every game so far, leading to a 2.81 ERA through 51.1 innings. In 37 pro games, he has allowed more than four runs just twice. The first time was in his second pro start. The second time was his last game in the DSL, where they found out immediately afterwards that he was pitching with appendicitis, which required surgery and ended his season early.
The Black Bears manufactured five runs on eight hits (all singles) and four walks. Matt Diorio and Erik Forgione each had two hits. Diorio scored one run, while Forgione scored twice, walked and stole a base. Ty Moore had a single, walk, stolen base and a run scored. Kevin Mahala had a walk, a hit and an RBI. Will Craig didn’t play after limping off the field during the first game of a doubleheader yesterday. The injury did not appear to be serious.
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Bristol is the worst hitting team in the Appalachian League, so it should figure on a night that they picked up six runs on 11 hits, their pitching wouldn’t show up. Johnson City collected 15 runs on 20 hits, scoring at least one run in seven different innings. Ike Schlabach started and allowed three runs in the first inning. He ended up going 3.2 innings, giving up four runs. David Whitehead followed and he surrendered three runs on five hits in only 1.1 innings. John Pomeroy pitched the sixth and gave up one run. Juan Diaz, an infielder who has been the 26th man for Indianapolis all season, then gave up one run in his inning of work. He was followed by Nick Hutchings, who got hit around for six runs (five earned) in the final two innings.
There was a bright spot on offense in this game. Yoel Gonzalez had a career-high four hits and even stole home. Now in his fourth season of pro ball, the 20-year-old catcher had just one three-hit game in his career before today. Raul Siri had two hits, including his eighth double. Alexis Bastardo had a forgettable night, going 0-for-5 with five strikeouts.
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The GCL Pirates were down 4-0 before an out was recorded in the bottom of the first. They scored the next seven runs, but ended up losing 9-7 to the Blue Jays. Miguel Hernandez started this game and showed why he is so frustrating. The same pitcher who can breeze through five shutout innings on his good days, can’t find the plate on his bad days. This was a bad day and he lasted just five batters, which included three walks and two hit batters.
Hernandez was followed by Chris McDonald, who pitched terrific. He threw five shutout innings and left with the lead. Eduardo Vera made his fifth appearance in his return from Tommy John surgery and allowed his first run, giving up one in the sixth, which made it 7-5 at the time. Francis Rodriguez was up next and he allowed four runs in the seventh, though all four ended up being unearned due to a Victor Ngoepe error. Mister Luciano finished out the game with 1.1 scoreless frames.
The Pirates scored single runs in the third, fourth and fifth, before putting up a four spot in the sixth inning. In the third, Nelson Jorge was hit by a pitch, then eventually scored on an Edison Lantigua single. In the fourth, Paul Brands reached on an infield single, then scored after a sacrifice bunt and two errors. Boomer Synek singled to start the fifth, then moved up one base each time on a grounder, wild pitch, and then a strikeout, where the catcher threw to first for the out. The sixth includes four singles and three errors to get the four runs home.
Edison Lantigua drove in two runs and had three hits. Boomer Synek had two hits, two runs, a walk and an RBI. Nelson Jorge had a single and scored two runs. Victor Ngoepe drove in two runs. The Pirates trail the first place Braves by 2.5 games, with 11 games left in the season, two against the Braves.
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The DSL Pirates lost 3-1 to the Cubs1, as their season winds down, with just seven games left and a 26-39 record. Sergio Cubilete started and went five innings, allowing just one run, but that was enough to give him the loss. He lowered his ERA to 3.83 through 14 starts.
Jose Delgado allowed one run in his 1.2 innings, walking four batters. The Pirates had hard-throwing Joel Cesar in the rotation early this season before he got hurt. He was a small reliever who supposedly touched 100 MPH. As a starter this season, he hit 97 MPH, but he quickly came up with an arm injury that has put him out since June. Without him around, Jose Delgado is the hardest thrower on the team, hitting 94-95 consistently. The problem is that he has no control, with 28 walks now in 29.1 innings. If he can gain some fastball command, then he becomes a player to watch, but as a player who signed for a small bonus (low five figures) at age 21, he’s just a hard-throwing lottery ticket at this point.
The Pirates had five hits and two walks in this game, with Kyle Simmons being the only player who reached base twice. He had a single, a walk, and stole his sixth base. Rudy Guzman hit a triple and scored the only run. Yair Babilonia doubled, and Rodolfo Castro and Ramy Perez each had one hit.
