A look at how the current top 30 prospects did today. If a player is in the majors for an extended time or loses his prospect eligibility (Colin Moran, Edgar Santana, Kyle Crick, Max Moroff and Dovydas Neverauskas), he will be removed from this list. 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 more active prospects on the list. Rankings are from our 2018 Prospect Guide, and links on each name go to their Pirates Prospects player pages.
1. Mitch Keller, RHP, Altoona – DNP
2. Austin Meadows, CF, Pirates – In Majors
3. Cole Tucker, SS, Altoona – 1-for-5
4. Shane Baz, RHP, Bristol – DNP
5. Ke’Bryan Hayes, 3B, Altoona – DNP
6. Kevin Newman, SS, Indianapolis – 1-for-5
7. Taylor Hearn, LHP, Altoona – DNP
8. Lolo Sanchez, CF, West Virginia – 0-for-3
9. Bryan Reynolds, OF, Altoona – 1-for-3, 2B, BB
10. Jordan Luplow, LF, Indianapolis – 3-for-3, 2B, HR, RBI, BB
11. Luis Escobar, RHP, Bradenton – DNP
12. Clay Holmes, RHP, Indianapolis – DNP
13. Braeden Ogle, LHP, West Virginia – DNP
14. Nick Kingham, RHP, Indianapolis – DNP
15. Kevin Kramer, 2B, Indianapolis – 2-for-4, 2B, HR, 3 RBI
16. Adrian Valerio, SS, Bradenton – DNP
17. Calvin Mitchell, OF, West Virginia – 1-for-3, RBI
18. Oneil Cruz, SS, West Virginia – 4-for-5, 2B, 2 3B, 3 RBI
19. Nick Burdi, RHP, Pirates (disabled list) – DNP
20. Dario Agrazal, RHP, Altoona – DNP
21. JT Brubaker, RHP, Indianapolis – DNP
22. Will Craig, 1B, Altoona – 1-for-4, BB, HR, 3 RBI
23. Stephen Alemais, 2B/SS, Altoona – 0-for-2, RBI
24. Jason Martin, OF, Altoona – 2-for-4, 3B, BB
25. Brandon Waddell, LHP, Indianapolis – DNP
26. Eduardo Vera, RHP, Altoona – DNP
27. Mason Martin, 1B, Bristol – DNP
28. Conner Uselton, OF, Bristol – DNP
29. Cody Bolton, RHP, West Virginia – DNP
30. Steven Jennings, RHP, Bristol – DNP
Indianapolis lost 10-4 to Columbus.
Jordan Luplow has been struggling recently, but he was strong in this game, hitting his sixth homer and his 20th double. He also walked and singled. Kevin Kramer hit his 14th double and tenth homer, driving in three runs. Jung Ho Kang was 1-for-2 with a walk and a hit-by-pitch. Pablo Reyes had two hits to bring his average over the .300 mark.
Alex McRae got the start and was doing well until the sixth inning when things really fell apart for the Indians. He gave up four runs in the inning, then Johnny Hellweg, who had allowed one run all season, gave up four more runs (only two were earned). Even Tanner Anderson had trouble, allowing two runs in his only inning and he has been pitching great since his poor Opening Day appearance.
Here is the boxscore from the MiLB site.
You can view the season preview here.
Altoona won 9-5 over New Hampshire.
The Curve put runs on the board with three-run homers from Will Craig and Jin-De Jhang. For Craig it was his tenth of the season, just beating Kevin Kramer to being the first Pirate player to reach double digits in homers. It was the first of the season for Jhang, who also singled twice and scored two runs. Jason Martin had a single, triple and a walk. Bryan Reynolds had a double, walk and scored three runs.
Pedro Vasquez got the start and gave up four runs over six innings. He allowed three runs in the sixth before recording an out, but was able to pitch out of a jam to finish off his night. He gave up seven hits, with no walks and three strikeouts. Sean Keselica allowed one run in two innings. It was his first run given up in ten appearances. Montana DuRapau threw a scoreless ninth.
Here is the boxscore from the MiLB site.
You can view the season preview here.
Bradenton has off for the FSL All-Star break
Here is the boxscore from the MiLB site.
You can view the season preview here.
West Virginia won 10-8 over Delmarva.
Oneil Cruz had a big game, going 4-for-5 with his 14th double and two triples, giving him seven triples on the year and 29 total extra-base hits. He drove in three runs and now has a .304 average on the season. Rodolfo Castro connected on his seventh home run of the season. Brett Pope connected on his second home run. John Bormann, Chris Sharpe and Kyle Watson each had two hits. Sharpe scored three runs, stole his tenth base and picked up an outfield assist.
Domingo Robles got the start and had a tough outing. He went 3.1 innings, allowing six runs on seven hits and a walk, with three strikeouts. Four of the runs were unearned, though his own error contributed to making that happen. Ike Schlabach was out next and he allowed two runs (one earned) over 2.1 innings. Samuel Reyes finished things up with three shutout frames. He has given up three base runners in six shutout innings since being promoted to West Virginia.
Here is the boxscore from the MiLB site.
You can view the season preview here.
Morgantown lost 9-3 to Mahoning Valley.
Osvaldo Bido got the start in game two of the season for the Black Bears. He is making the jump from the DSL over two levels. He was doing well in this game until the sixth inning when four runs came into score. It was actually a fairly high pitch count at that point, so it was surprising that he was still out there in his first start. Bido finished with five runs over 5.2 innings on six hits and a walk, with four strikeouts. He had an 8:1 GO/AO ratio and threw 61 of his 90 pitches for strikes.
Ryan Valdes, the only pitcher in the system who throws a palmball, was out next. He had a rough debut, going 1.1 innings, with three runs (two earned) on three hits and three walks. Up next was John Pomeroy, who had Tommy John surgery and missed all of last year. On a strict pitch limit, he walked one batter and recorded two outs. Second baseman Melvin Jimenez had to record the final out.
The offense had five hits, all singles. Daniel Amaral recorded his first hit as a pro. Zac Susi picked up his first RBI. Edison Lantigua had two hits, a walk and a run scored. The Black Bears went 0-for-6 with runners in scoring position and stranded eight runners, while also striking out 13 times.
Here is the boxscore from the MiLB site.
You can view the season preview here.
The DSL Pirates1 lost 5-3 to the Dodgers.
Bryan Torres, the top pitcher signed by the Pirates on the international side last year, made his third start. He went four innings, allowing one run on four hits and three walks, with two strikeouts. He now has a 3.46 ERA in 13 innings, with five walks and 11 strikeouts. Julio Rosario followed and gave up two runs in three innings, while Starlyn Reynoso finished it off with two unearned runs in two innings.
The Pirates had just four hits, but they all went for extra bases. Randy Romero homered, his first as a pro. Ronaldo Paulino and Daniel Rivero each doubled. Rivero also had a walk and an RBI. Rayvi Rodriguez tripled. Yoyner Fajardo had two walks and scored two runs.
Here is the boxscore from the MiLB site.
The DSL Pirates2 won 6-5 over the Tigers.
Francisco Hodge started for the third time and went four innings, allowing two runs on three hits and a walk, with six strikeouts. He has a 2.13 ERA and 11 strikeouts in 11.2 innings. Yeison Santos got the win with one run over 2.1 innings. Eddison Polonia allowed two runs in his 0.2 innings, while Eddy Vargas and Carlos Campos each tossed a scoreless frame.
Matthew Mercedes doubled in two runs, giving him 14 RBIs through 13 games. Mario Jerez had two hits and an RBI. Juan Mena had two hits. Pedro Castillo had two walks and scored two runs. Darwin Baez had a double, walk, RBI and run scored. Angel Basabe had a single and a run scored, but he also struck out three times.
Here is the boxscore from the MiLB site.
You can view the season preview for both teams here.
