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 (Clay Holmes, Jacob Stallings, Kevin Newman and Bryan Reynolds), 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, Nick Burdi and Stephen Alemais), 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, Indianapolis – DNP
2. Ke’Bryan Hayes, 3B, Indianapolis – 1-for-4, BB
3. Cole Tucker, SS, Indianapolis – 1-for-5
4. Oneil Cruz, SS, Altoona – 0-for-4
5. Travis Swaggerty, CF, Bradenton – DNP
6. Kevin Kramer, 2B, Indianapolis – 2-for-4, HR (9), RBI, BB
7. Will Craig, 1B, Indianapolis – 2-for-5
8. Jason Martin, OF, Indianapolis – 1-for-5, 2B
9. JT Brubaker, RHP, Indianapolis – DNP
10. Calvin Mitchell, OF, Bradenton – DNP
11. Cody Bolton, RHP, Altoona – DNP
12. Tahnaj Thomas, RHP, Bristol – DNP
13. Braxton Ashcraft, RHP, Morgantown – DNP
14. Lolo Sanchez, CF, Bradenton – DNP
15. Pablo Reyes, Util, Indianapolis – 2-for-3, 2B, 2 RBI, BB, SB
16. Braeden Ogle, LHP, Bradenton – DNP
17. Michael Burrows, RHP, Morgantown – DNP
18. Jared Oliva, CF, Altoona – 2-for-3, RBI
19. Ji-Hwan Bae, SS, Greensboro – 2-for-5, RBI
20. Max Kranick, RHP, Bradenton – DNP
21. Luis Escobar, RHP, Indianapolis – DNP
22. Osvaldo Bido, RHP, Bradenton – DNP
23. Eduardo Vera, RHP, Indianapolis – DNP
24. Gage Hinsz, RHP, Altoona – DNP
25. Aaron Shortridge, RHP, Bradenton – DNP
26. Blake Weiman, LHP, Indianapolis – DNP
27. Steven Jennings, RHP, Greensboro – 5.0 IP, 4 H, 3 ER, 1 BB, 3 SO
28. Brandon Waddell, LHP, Indianapolis – DNP
29. Jesus Liranzo, RHP, Altoona – DNP
30. Rodolfo Castro, 2B, Bradenton – DNP
Indianapolis won 6-4 over Toledo. Cam Vieaux has had some rough outings since joining Indianapolis, but this was one of the better ones. He gave up three runs over five innings, with six hits, one walk and seven strikeouts. That strikeout total matched his high in 12 starts at Triple-A. He now has a 5.49 ERA in 57.1 innings since being promoted from Altoona. Sean Keselica followed with one run over three innings, then Jake Brentz picked up his eighth save with a scoreless ninth.
Kevin Kramer has been hitting well lately and continued that tonight with a single, walk and his ninth home run. He has four homers in his last seven games. Pablo Reyes had a strong game too with two hits, two runs scored, two RBIs, a walk and a stolen base. Jake Elmore had two hits and two RBIs. Will Craig had two hits and scored two runs. Ke’Bryan Hayes hit his 25th double. Erik Gonzalez continued to struggle as he gets closer to his rehab ending (August 6th). He went 1-for-5 with three strikeouts. Cole Tucker played second base, which has only happened twice before in his career.
You can view the season preview here.
Altoona lost 7-2 to Trenton. Nicholas Economos had his worst start in quite some time. In his second game at Double-A, he allowed seven runs (six earned) on nine hits and a walk, in 3.1 innings of work. Angel German was strong after Economos, throwing 2.2 scoreless innings, while also stranding one inherited runner. Austin Coley covered the last two frames and threw shutout ball despite allowing four base runners. Each pitcher had one strikeout.
Jared Oliva led the offense with two hits and an RBI on a sacrifice fly. He was thrown out stealing for just the seventh time in 37 attempts. Mitchell Tolman had a single, two walks and a run scored. Bligh Madris hit his 21st double. Arden Pabst hit his third triple. Oneil Cruz played his third game for Altoona and went 0-for-4.
You can view the season preview here.
Bradenton was rained out on Wednesday. They will play a doubleheader tomorrow.
Here’s the boxscore.
You can view the season preview here.
Greensboro won 5-4 over West Virginia. Steven Jennings got the start and went five innings, surrendering four runs (three earned) on four hits and a walk, with three strikeouts. He had an 8:3 GO/AO ratio and he threw 50 of 73 pitches for strikes. Jennings now has a 5.04 ERA in 100 innings this season. Winston Nicacio followed and pitched terrific, throwing four shutout innings on two hits, with no walks and seven strikeouts.
The Grasshoppers got their scoring started in the fourth inning on an RBI double by Connor Kaiser. In the fifth inning, Jonah Davis hit his ninth home run of the season, a solo shot. In the sixth, a run came home on a wild pitch. They finally put up a crooked number in the seventh with an RBI single by Ji-Hwan Bae and a sacrifice fly by Fabricio Macias. Bae had two hits in the game. Jack Herman had a single, double and scored two runs. Kaiser walked twice in addition to his double.
You can view the season preview here.
Morgantown lost 3-1 to Staten Island. Fifth round pick Grant Ford tossed four innings, giving up two runs (one earned) on four hits and a walk, with seven strikeouts. He has 15 strikeouts in his last eight innings. Jacob Webb threw a scoreless fifth despite allowing three hits. Francis Del Orbe retired all six batters he faced. Garrett Leonard allowed a run in two innings of work.
The Black Bears had just four hits and struck out 18 times. Jared Triolo hit his 12th double and drew a walk. Ryan Haug had a single and a walk. Nick Patten walked twice. Blake Sabol drove in the lone run. Matt Gorski stole his sixth base.
You can view the season preview here.
Bristol won 13-3 over Greeneville. Adrian Florencio went five innings, allowing three runs on seven hits and a walk, with five strikeouts. He threw 51 of 77 pitches for strikes. Yoelvis Reyes and Saul de la Cruz finished off the win with two scoreless innings each, with neither giving up a hit.
Aaron Shackelford had a big day, hitting two doubles (11 on the season) and his fifth home run. He drove in four runs and scored twice. Fernando Villegas went 2-for-4 with his first home run and three runs scored. He’s batting .339 in 15 games, after going hitless in four rehab games with the GCL Pirates. Josh Bissonette had a double, two walks and drove in two runs. Francisco Acuna had a single, two walks and two runs scored. He has a .327 average. Eli Wilson had two hits and two RBIs. Chase Murray had two hits, three RBI’s and a stolen base.
You can view the season preview here.
The GCL Pirates lost 10-7 to the Red Sox. Estalin Ortiz got the start and lasted three innings, giving up six runs (five earned) on five hits and two walks. He was followed by Julio Rosario, who threw a scoreless fourth before giving up four runs in the fifth without recording an out. Daniel Ross came on with the bases loaded and no outs and walked three straight batters before being removed. Willy Basil was the third pitcher of the inning and inherited the three runners put on by Ross. Basil struck out the next three batters to limit the damage. He stayed on for two more scoreless frames, totaling five strikeouts. Angel Suero added a shutout inning in the eighth.
Emilson Rosado and Jasiah Dixon each collected three hits. Rosado fell a home run short of the cycle, but the GCL Pirates haven’t hit a home run all season (29 games), so that’s not surprising. Dixon collected his second double and scored a run. Jase Bowen drove in two runs with his fourth triple. Sammy Siani had a single, walk and run scored. Yoyner Fajardo stole his 15th base.
You can view the season preview here.
The DSL Pirates1 won 9-2 over the Cubs1. Joelvis Del Rosario got the start and tossed four shutout frames on two hits, with one walk and five strikeouts. He was followed by Carlos Campos, who gave up one run over four innings. Eddison Polonia gave up one run on three hits in the ninth, though that run was unearned.
Jose Berroa had a single, walk and his second triple. He scored once and drove in a pair. Luis Tejeda hit his sixth double and drove in a pair. Juan Jerez hit a single and his fifth triple. He scored two runs and picked up an RBI. Francisco Quintero had a single, walk, stolen base and two runs scored. Omar Matos had two hits.
The DSL Pirates2 won 2-1 over the Royals2 in a game shortened to six innings due to rain. Francisco Hodge got the start and gave up one run over 5.1 innings. That gives him a 1.41 ERA through 38.1 innings. Luis Gonzalez recorded the final two outs of the sixth and stranded two inherited runners. The game was called after the Pirates batted in the bottom of the sixth.
Alexander Mojica had two hits, including his tenth double. He scored one run and drove in the other. Fabian Urbina picked up his first RBI in pro ball. He had a single and a walk. Carlos Arroyo walked, stole his 12th base and scored a run. Jommer Hernandez had a single and a walk.
You can view the season preview here.
