37.3 F
Pittsburgh

Morning Report: Takeaways From This Week’s Live Bradenton Marauders Coverage

Published:

This is our 11th season covering the Pittsburgh Pirates and their minor league teams, and as always, that coverage will include live reports from the minor league levels. We’re doing a new feature this year where we recap a team after seeing them for a few games.

The focus of the new feature will be to give some quick takeaway thoughts, along with some key updates. The feature will combine whatever information we have, whether that’s our live view, reports from scouts, or information from the players or the team. We’ll expand on some of the topics and observations, with some of them already having articles in the works.

I saw the Bradenton Marauders for three games over the last few days, before moving the rest of my stuff to Raleigh (which, if you’re reading this article anywhere from 11 AM to midnight or (hopefully not) later, that would be right now. I’ve got a few features lined up from the trip, and some of the notes below serve as a preview of some of those features.

Oneil Cruz – I’m not going to make too much out of a few games (two exactly) of watching Cruz at shortstop. I was previously skeptical of Cruz’s ability to stick at shortstop long-term, and while I’m not going to jump anywhere close to “he has a good chance to stick”, let’s just say that I could see myself in the “he has a CHANCE to stick” camp. That’s vague, so to be more clear, I was impressed with his defense, got some new information that is encouraging, but I definitely don’t want you coming away projecting him as a shortstop in the comments or on other sites simply because you think I’m projecting that. Again, not anywhere close yet.

With that disclaimer out of the way, I liked what I saw from Cruz. He’s shown speed and a strong arm in the past, but his routes looked much better this time around, and he looked a bit smoother than the awkward third baseman that I first saw enter the system in 2017 (and smoother than he was at shortstop last year). There could be a good reason for this. He’s been working with Argenis Diaz — yes, the strong defensive shortstop from the Adam LaRoche trade — on his defense, specifically with his angles and routes.

My biggest takeaway in the last week is that Cruz was more impressive than I thought he would be at this point at shortstop. We’ll see how that continues the rest of the year.

Cal Mitchell – He’s going to need to figure out how to beat the shift, or hope MLB outlaws it, as he saw some extreme shifting to the right side of the infield, with the second baseman playing in shallow right field (and making a few plays there). Mitchell’s spray chart suggests a shift is warranted, and he’ll need to show that he can hit for average and beat that shift consistently this year. He’s got good raw power, and good ability to make contact. He’ll just need to find a way to start hitting to the opposite field more often.

Cody Bolton – I didn’t see Bolton live, but did talk with him. He’s focusing on a cutter this year, which is his old slider grip, only thrown harder. He’ll be using that pitch frequently to get a better feel for it, and hopefully develop a solid out pitch for the upper levels.

Max Kranick – I did see Kranick, and saw some good velocity and good control of his fastball once the early jitters wore off. He was hitting 95 MPH frequently, and working with his changeup often. That’s going to be a focus for him this year, working on improving the pitch by throwing it a lot at this level. Bolton and Kranick will make for an exciting rotation to watch, especially if their respective secondary pitches develop with the increased usage.

Oddy Nunez – I can’t see Nunez making it as a starter. The lefty has some control issues, with a lot of run on his fastball, which he can’t keep in the zone and catch the glove side corner when throwing an extension fastball. He also tries to hit the edges too often, rather than attacking the zone, and his control isn’t good enough to hit those spots. The control got worse as he got deeper in his start. Perhaps a shorter outing could help him out, and I wouldn’t be surprised if he ends up in that type of role at some point this year.

Dylan Busby/Mike Gretler – Busby was the third round pick in 2017, receiving $575,000. Gretler was the tenth round pick in 2018, receiving $50,000. At this point, I think Gretler is the better prospect, and I don’t see that changing. Busby showed poor control of the strikezone, swinging at some bad pitches, and continuing a bad trend in his early career. The trend will only get worse as he moves up. Gretler makes better contact and is a better defender at third base in the field. Busby’s key tool is his power, but it’s ineffective without the ability to make good contact, or control the strike zone.

This is an interesting comparison that happens all the time in the minors. I think Gretler is the better prospect right now, but I think Busby has the better chance to reach the majors. Gretler’s profile is more of a guy who will hit in A-ball, and end up a good bench guy in Double-A or maybe Triple-A. He lacks the power to make it beyond that role. Meanwhile, Busby might flame out in A-ball, or after a “sink or swim” push to Double-A. That seems like his most likely upside right now. But his power gives him more upside than Gretler, even if he’s very unlikely to reach that upside.

Do you take the guy who is most likely going to fade out in Double-A, with a shot at Triple-A, and a very slim chance of a cup of coffee in the majors? Or do you take the guy who is most likely going to fade out in High-A, or after a failed push to Double-A, but with a very slim chance of figuring it out offensively and becoming a regular bench player in the majors, or even a starter?

John Bormann – I’d like to see him improve his offense, because the defense is there to be an MLB backup one day. He should get a good opportunity for playing time with Deon Stafford out.

TODAY’S SCHEDULE

Today’s Starter and Notes: The Pittsburgh Pirates won 5-2 over the Chicago Cubs on Wednesday night. Joe Musgrove gets the start tonight. Between his one start and one relief appearance, he has thrown nine shutout innings this season. Lefty Jose Quintana goes for the Cubs tonight. He threw four shutout innings in his season debut, then gave up eight earned runs over three innings last Friday against the Milwaukee Brewers.

The minor league schedule includes the home openers for both Altoona and Indianapolis. Top prospect Mitch Keller will be on the mound for Indianapolis tonight. He allowed two runs over 4.2 innings in his debut, while issuing five walks. Osvaldo Bido will get the start for Greensboro. He pitched five shutout innings in his debut this season. Altoona’s Cam Vieaux threw 4.2 shutout innings in his debut last week.

The full 2019 Pirates Prospects Prospect Guide is now available, up to date as of April 3rd, with every player in the minor league system. Includes full reports on the top 50 prospects, reports on over 150 other players, as well as looks back at the recent drafts and international signing classes.

MLB: Pittsburgh (6-4) @ Cubs (3-8) 8:05 PM
Probable starter: Joe Musgrove (0.00 ERA, 9:1 SO/BB, 9.0 IP)

AAA: Indianapolis (3-3) vs Charlotte (5-1) 7:05 PM (season preview)
Probable starter: Mitch Keller (3.86 ERA, 6:5 SO/BB, 4.2 IP)

AA: Altoona (5-2) vs Akron (1-6) 6:00 PM (season preview)
Probable starter: Cam Vieaux (0.00 ERA, 2:1 SO/BB, 4.2 IP)

High-A: Bradenton (5-2) vs Charlotte (3-4) 6:30 PM (season preview)
Probable starter: Oddy Nunez (5.40 ERA, 5:2 SO/BB, 3.1 IP)

Low-A: Greensboro (3-4) @ Charleston (3-3) 7:05 PM (season preview)
Probable starter: Osvaldo Bido (0.00 ERA, 3:0 SO/BB, 5.0 IP)

HIGHLIGHTS

From Altoona on Tuesday night, three highlights. We start with Hunter Owen’s second homer

Then a home run by Robbie Glendinning the opposite way

Finally, a nice defensive play by Bligh Madris out in right field

RECENT TRANSACTIONS

4/10: Ryan Haug placed on injured list. Raul Siri added to Greensboro roster.

4/9: Pirates release John Pomeroy and Jake Mielock

4/9: Elias Diaz assigned to Indianapolis on rehab. Rookie Davis added to Indianapolis roster

4/8: Jonah Davis and Braeden Ogle added to Greensboro roster. Zac Susi and Raul Siri assigned to Morgantown

4/8: Sean Keselica assigned to Altoona from Indianapolis

4/7: Gage Hinsz placed on injured list.

4/6: Eduardo Vera promoted to Indianapolis. Beau Sulser promoted to Altoona

4/5: Jared Oliva placed on injured list. Ryan Peurifoy added to Altoona roster

4/5: Kyle Crick placed on disabled list. Jason Martin recalled from Indianapolis.

4/4: Corey Dickerson placed on injured list. Jordan Lyles activated from IL

4/4: Jake Barrett claimed off waivers by New York Yankees

4/4: Rookie Davis and Stephen Alemais assigned to Extended Spring Training

3/30: Pirates trade Aaron Slegers to Tampa Bay Rays

3/29: Pirates sign Jorge Ramos and Geovanny Planchart

3/29: Pirates sign Eric Wood

THIS DATE IN PIRATES HISTORY

There have been four former Pirates born on this date, including the famous wall-crasher Turner Ward (see video below). He turns 54 today. The other players include:

Hank Schenz, infielder for the 1950-51 Pirates. Schenz served in WWII before he made his Major League debut. He played six years in the majors and hit .222 in 83 games for the Pirates.

Red Smith, 1917-18 catcher. Hit .156 in 26 games for the Pirates, his only Major League experience. His minor league career spanned from 1910 until 1928. There have been four players in Major League history who were known by the name Red Smith.

Pop Corkhill, 1891-92 outfielder. He was a star outfielder for the Reds before coming to Pittsburgh. He hit just .200 with the Pirates, ending his ten-year career in the Steel City.

Tim Williams
Tim Williams
Tim is the owner, producer, editor, and lead writer of PiratesProspects.com. He has been running Pirates Prospects since 2009, becoming the first new media reporter and outlet covering the Pirates at the MLB level in 2011 and 2012. His work can also be found in Baseball America, where he has been a contributor since 2014 and the Pirates' correspondent since 2019.

Related Articles

Article Drop

Latest Articles