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 (Kevin Newman, Nick Burdi, Bryan Reynolds and Cole Tucker), 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 (Travis MacGregor), 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 updated 2019 Prospect Guide, and links on each name go to their Pirates Prospects player pages.
1. Mitch Keller, RHP, Pirates – In Majors
2. Ke’Bryan Hayes, 3B, Indianapolis – 0-for-1
3. Oneil Cruz, SS, Bradenton – DNP
4. Travis Swaggerty, CF, Bradenton – DNP
5. Kevin Kramer, 2B, Indianapolis – DNP
6. Will Craig, 1B, Indianapolis – 1-for-4, 2B
7. Jason Martin, OF, Indianapolis – 2-for-3, 2 2B, 2 BB
8. JT Brubaker, RHP, Indianapolis – DNP
9. Calvin Mitchell, OF, Bradenton – DNP
10. Cody Bolton, RHP, Bradenton – DNP
11. Tahnaj Thomas, RHP, Extended Spring Training – DNP
12. Braxton Ashcraft, RHP, Extended Spring Training – DNP
13. Lolo Sanchez, CF, Greensboro – DNP
14. Pablo Reyes, Util, Indianapolis – 3-for-5, 2B, HR (2), 3 RBI
15. Clay Holmes, RHP, Pirates – In Majors
16. Braeden Ogle, LHP, Greensboro – DNP
17. Stephen Alemais, 2B/SS, Altoona – Out for the Season
18. Michael Burrows, RHP, Extended Spring Training – DNP
19. Jared Oliva, CF, Altoona – 2-for-5, HR (2), RBI
20. Ji-Hwan Bae, SS, Greensboro – 2-for-5, 2B, SB
21. Max Kranick, RHP, Bradenton – DNP
22. Luis Escobar, RHP, Indianapolis – DNP
23. Osvaldo Bido, RHP, Greensboro – DNP
24. Eduardo Vera, RHP, Indianapolis – DNP
25. Gage Hinsz, RHP, Altoona – DNP
26. Aaron Shortridge, RHP, Bradenton – DNP
27. Blake Weiman, LHP, Altoona – 2.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 SO
28. Steven Jennings, RHP, Greensboro – DNP
29. Brandon Waddell, LHP, Indianapolis – DNP
30. Jesus Liranzo, RHP, Indianapolis – DNP
Indianapolis won 8-3 over Columbus to hold on to first place. Cam Vieaux was promoted to replace Alex McRae, who joined the Pirates earlier in the day. Vieaux battled through some control issues to allow just two runs over five innings. He gave up three hits (one homer), walked five and struck out five batters. He threw 86 pitches, with 44 going for strikes. Jake Brentz got in three innings for the short-handed bullpen and allowed one run. Tyler Lyons finished things off with a quick ninth inning.
The offense went on a power tear in the seventh inning, led by Jung Ho Kang in his first rehab game. He hit a two-run homer, then JB Shuck and Pablo Reyes each added solo shots. Reyes had three hits on the night, drove in three runs and scored twice. He is 9-for-18 in his last four games, after beginning the season 9-for-81 between Pittsburgh and Indianapolis. Kang also had a single and a walk. Jason Martin had a nice game in the lead-off spot, with two doubles, two walks and two runs scored. Will Craig added an RBI double. Every starter had at least one hit.
Here is the boxscore from the MiLB site.
You can view the season preview here.
Altoona lost 7-3 to Portland on a walk-off grand slam. With Cam Vieaux up in Indianapolis, Altoona received reinforcements in the form of Austin Coley and Ryan Valdes. They also received Domingo Robles, but he wasn’t activated today and will instead start on regular rest later this week. Coley hasn’t been stretched out, so when he reached 50 pitches after giving up one run in two innings, he gave way to Valdes. The latter also went two innings, allowing two runs. They were followed by matching performances from Joel Cesar and Blake Weiman, who each finished two innings with no hit, no walks and three strikeouts. Matt Eckelman took the ninth and allowed the walk-off homer to Tate Matheny, son of Mike Matheny.
Jared Oliva hit his second home run of the season. He also added a single. Arden Pabst had two hits, including his sixth double. Alfredo Reyes had a single, walk, run scored and RBI. Logan Hill and Bralin Jackson each had a single and a walk.
Here is the boxscore from the MiLB site.
You can view the season preview here.
Bradenton has off today
Here is the boxscore from the MiLB site.
You can view the season preview here.
Greensboro won 8-2 over Hickory. Alex Manasa allowed three earned runs in each of his last four starts going into Monday night. He was also averaging one strikeout per inning and he’s a heavy ground ball pitcher. This game didn’t resemble any of those stats. Manasa threw seven shutout innings on six hits, with no walks and one strikeout. He threw 55 of 82 pitches for strikes and had a 7:10 GO/AO ratio. Yerry De Los Santos followed with a scoreless eighth, then ran into trouble in the ninth, though the game was out of hand at the time, so it just hurt his own ERA. He had thrown 6.2 shutout innings on one hit and ten strikeouts before tonight.
The big hit of the game was a three-run homer by Mason Martin in the ninth inning. He had already driven in a run earlier in the game on a sacrifice fly. Martin has 52 RBIs in 48 games. He was named our Player of the Week earlier today, the first player to be named Player of the Week twice this season. Ji-Hwan Bae picked up two hits and scored two runs. He has six straight multi-hit games and five straight games with two runs scored. Bae had his third double and fourth stolen base. Fabricio Macias had two hits, two runs scored and his fourth stolen base. Justin Harrer had two hits and scored two runs.
Here is the boxscore from the MiLB site.
You can view the season preview here.
