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 (Austin Meadows, 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, Indianapolis – DNP
2. Cole Tucker, SS, Altoona – 3-for-9, HR, RBI
3. Shane Baz, RHP, Bristol – DNP
4. Ke’Bryan Hayes, 3B, Altoona – DNP
5. Kevin Newman, SS, Indianapolis – 0-for-4
6. Taylor Hearn, LHP, Altoona – DNP
7. Lolo Sanchez, CF, West Virginia – DNP
8. Bryan Reynolds, OF, Altoona – 3-for-6, 3 2B, 3 BB
9. Jordan Luplow, LF, Pirates – In Majors
10. Luis Escobar, RHP, Bradenton – DNP
11. Clay Holmes, RHP, Indianapolis – DNP
12. Braeden Ogle, LHP, West Virginia – DNP
13. Nick Kingham, RHP, Pirates – In Majors
14. Kevin Kramer, 2B, Indianapolis – 2-for-4, 2B
15. Adrian Valerio, SS, Bradenton – 0-for-5
16. Calvin Mitchell, OF, West Virginia – 1-for-5
17. Oneil Cruz, SS, West Virginia – 1-for-5, 2B
18. Nick Burdi, RHP, Pirates (disabled list) – DNP
19. Dario Agrazal, RHP, Altoona – DNP
20. JT Brubaker, RHP, Indianapolis – DNP
21. Will Craig, 1B, Altoona – 2-for-7, HR, 3 RBI, 2 BB
22. Stephen Alemais, 2B/SS, Altoona – 1-for-8, BB, SB
23. Jason Martin, OF, Indianapolis – 2-for-4, 2B, 2 RBI
24. Brandon Waddell, LHP, Indianapolis – 7 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 9 SO
25. Eduardo Vera, RHP, Altoona – DNP
26. Mason Martin, 1B, Bristol – 1-for-3, RBI
27. Conner Uselton, OF, Bristol – DNP
28. Cody Bolton, RHP, West Virginia – 7 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 9 SO
29. Steven Jennings, RHP, Bristol – DNP
30. Max Kranick, RHP, West Virginia – DNP
Indianapolis won 8-0 over Toledo.
Brandon Waddell got the start and had a tremendous outing against the first place team in the West division. He threw seven shutout innings on just two singles and a walk. Waddell struck out nine batters, which sets a career high for him. He went seven innings for the second start in a row, after pitching a total of 6.1 innings in his previous two games. Jesus Liranzo threw a scoreless eighth, then Dovydas Neverauskas retired the side in order in the ninth.
Pablo Reyes had the big hit in the fourth inning, driving in three runs with his fourth home run of the season. Kevin Kramer, Jacob Stallings and Jason Martin each had two hits. Kramer and Stallings scored two runs, while Martin drove in a pair. Kramer hit his 22nd double. Adam Frazier went 0-for-4, dropping him down to a .209 average in 23 games. Sean Rodriguez hit his second home run of his rehab, and also drew two walks.
Here is the boxscore from the MiLB site.
You can view the season preview here.
Altoona lost 8-7 to Erie.
Cam Vieaux has been pitching great since he was promoted to Altoona, but he ran into trouble early in the first game of Friday’s doubleheader. Vieaux lasted just four innings, allowing three runs on six hits, with no walks and five strikeouts. He needed 78 pitches to get through his abbreviated outing, with 51 of those pitches going for strikes. He now has a 2.51 ERA in 43 innings with Altoona.
Logan Sendelbach followed with two scoreless innings, then Geoff Hartlieb blew a save opportunity in the seventh, which sent it to extra innings. Sean Keselica allowed an unearned run in his two innings, then Yeudy Garcia lost in it the 11th.
Cole Tucker reached base four times yesterday, then came back with his third home run of the season in this game. He also had a single and two runs scored. Bryan Reynolds hit two doubles, giving him 11 on the season. Will Craig had a single, two walks and two runs scored. Jordan George had a single, double and an RBI. Logan Hill had two hits and drove in three runs.
Here is the boxscore from the MiLB site.
In game two, Scooter Hightower got the spot start and Arden Pabst was behind the plate for the first time since his promotion. Hightower tossed four scoreless frames on four hits and one walk, with three strikeouts. Bret Helton followed with one run over three innings, as Altoona won 5-1.
Will Craig had the big hit, slugging a three-run home run. It’s his 13th home run of the season. Tyler Gaffney hit his second homer for Altoona, which accounted for the other two runs. Bryan Reynolds hit his third double of the day and also drew two walks, plus he picked up an outfield assist. Arden Pabst went 1-for-4 in his debut. Stephen Alemais stole his 11th base.
You can view the season preview here.
Bradenton won 9-2 over Daytona.
James Marvel got the start and he was strong for seven innings, allowing just two run, but both were unearned. He allowed four hits, no walks, struck out six and posted a 9:5 GO/AO ratio, while throwing 62 of 92 pitches for strikes. Marvel came into the day with three runs allowed over his last 20 innings. His ERA has dropped from 4.52 to 3.64 in the last three weeks. Evan Piechota followed and tossed two scoreless to end the night.
Brett Pope went 4-for-4 with two runs scored and an RBI, raising his average with Bradenton to .400 through 12 games. Hunter Owen and Albert Baur each contributed their 11th homers and they were both big hits. Owen hit a grand slam in the third inning, while Baur hit a three-run shot in the fourth. Bligh Madris had a triple and a walk. Jared Oliva had a double, walk and two runs scored.
Here is the boxscore from the MiLB site.
You can view the season preview here.
West Virginia lost 5-4 to Hickory.
Cody Bolton got the start tonight, coming off of two outings in which he allowed a total of nine earned runs over eight innings. He had a strong night on Friday, going seven innings, with two runs on five hits and one walk, while striking out a career high nine batters. Bolton had a 7:2 GO/AO ratio and threw 60 of his 91 pitches for strikes. Seven innings is also a career best game for him. Elvis Escobar made his fifth appearance and allowed his first runs. He gave up two runs on three hits, with no walks and two strikeouts, in two innings. Matt Seelinger allowed the winning run in the bottom of the tenth for the loss.
The Power put up four runs on seven hits early, then failed to collect a hit in their last seven innings. Seven players had one hit each and everyone contributed to the 16 strikeouts on the night. Oneil Cruz hit his 18th double. Fabricio Macias had a single, walk and an RBI. Ryan Peurifoy had a double, walk and drove in two runs.
Here is the boxscore from the MiLB site.
You can view the season preview here.
Morgantown lost 2-0 to Hudson Valley.
Alex Manasa started Friday’s game off with three walks in the first. He allowed just three hits and no walks over his final five innings. Manasa finished with one run over six innings, striking out two batters and posting a 10:2 GO/AO ratio. Francis Del Orbe gave up one run in his only inning. Conner Loeprich threw a scoreless eighth.
The offense was awful in this game. Jhoan Herrera hit his eighth double. Nick Valaika had a single. Robbie Glendinning had the only walk. That was it for the night. Zack Kone, who was the last draft pick to sign, made his pro debut at shortstop and went 0-for-4.
The two teams combined for just 183 pitches and the game was done in under two hours.
Here is the boxscore from the MiLB site.
You can view the season preview here.
Bristol lost 8-1 to Pulaski.
Oliver Garcia made the start and couldn’t get out of the first inning due to his pitch count. He allowed two runs on three hits and two walks, and was bailed out of a bases loaded jam by Argenis Romano, who recorded the final out of the frame. He went on to pitch four innings total and had his season long scoreless streak snapped at 17.2 innings in the fifth. Allen Montgomery was out next and he gave up three runs (one earned) in 1.1 innings. Alec Rennard closed out the night with two scoreless innings.
On offense, six players had one single each. Mason Martin had the only RBI on a sacrifice fly. Sherten Apostel and Francisco Mepris each reached twice on a single and a walk. Mepris stole two bases. Victor Ngoepe scored the lone run. Jonah Davis had a single, HBP and his fourth steal.
Here is the boxscore from the MiLB site.
You can view the season preview here.
The GCL Pirates lost 10-2 to the Phillies West.
Randy Jimenez got the start and lasted just one inning, allowing four runs on three hits, two walks and two wild pitches. He had two strikeouts. Luis Nova came on in the second and he allowed five runs (four earned) over 4.2 innings. Wilmer Contreras kept his season ERA at 0.00 with 1.1 shutout innings (10.1 total on the year). Jake Mielock allowed a run in the eighth.
The Pirates got all of their runs in the second inning on one swing of the bat, as Rafelin Lorenzo hit a two-run homer. The Pirates also got doubles from Matt Morrow and Kyle Mottice, plus a triple by Fernando Villegas, but they went 0-for-11 with runners in scoring position and stranded nine runners.
Here is the boxscore from the MiLB site.
You can view the season preview here.
The DSL Pirates1 won 4-3 over the Red Sox2.
Yandy Vega got the start and got hit around for four innings, allowing three runs on ten hits. He didn’t walk anyone and had three strikeouts. Domingo Gonzalez pitched the fifth and walked two batters, but faced the minimum thanks to Jommer Hernandez throwing out both runners attempting to steal. Yerry De Los Santos made his season debut in the sixth and struck out the side. Jordy Ortega, Miguel Diaz and Julio Rosario each threw a shutout inning to help pick up the win.
Lead-off hitter Norkis Marcos reached base all five times, picking up a single and four walks. He also scored a run. Daniel Rivero had a single, walk and run scored. Juan Pie had a single and run scored. Ruben Gonzalez and Emilson Rosado each had an RBI on a sacrifice fly.
The Pirates1 go to the All-Star break with a 17-19 record. They will send Yoyner Fajardo to Sunday’s All-Star game.
Here is the boxscore from the MiLB site.
The DSL Pirates2 lost 7-6 to the Mariners.
Willy Basil has been one of the best starters for either Pirates team in the Dominican, but he didn’t have it in this game. He allowed six runs on seven hits and two walks in 3.1 innings. The lone positive was five strikeouts. He now has a 3.27 ERA in 33 innings, with 35 strikeouts. Luis Peralta finished the fourth inning, then tossed shutout ball in the fifth and sixth. Mario Garcia allowed a run in the seventh, then Christian Charle finished things off in the eighth.
On offense, Pedro Castillo had an RBI ground out in the seventh inning and an RBI double in the ninth. His fourth double of the season was the only extra-base hit for the Pirates2. Tilsaimy Melfor and Eduar Ramirez each had two hits and one RBI. Omar Matos had a run scored, an RBI and a walk.
The Pirates2 head into the All-Star break with a 14-21 record, with 37 games remaining, including a makeup of a postponed game. They will send Angel Basabe to the All-Star game on Sunday.
Here is the boxscore from the MiLB site.
You can view the season preview for both teams here.
