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, Pirates – In Majors
2. Ke’Bryan Hayes, 3B, Indianapolis – 0-for-5
3. Cole Tucker, SS, Indianapolis – 2-for-4, RBI
4. Oneil Cruz, SS, Altoona – 0-for-3, RBI
5. Travis Swaggerty, CF, Bradenton – 2-for-2, 2B, RBI, BB, 2 HBP
6. Kevin Kramer, 2B, Indianapolis – DNP
7. Will Craig, 1B, Indianapolis – 2-for-5, RBI
8. Jason Martin, OF, Indianapolis – 1-for-4
9. JT Brubaker, RHP, Indianapolis – DNP
10. Calvin Mitchell, OF, Bradenton – DNP
11. Cody Bolton, RHP, Altoona – 1.0 IP, 5 H, 5 ER, 1 BB, 0 SO
12. Tahnaj Thomas, RHP, Bristol – DNP
13. Braxton Ashcraft, RHP, Morgantown – DNP
14. Lolo Sanchez, CF, Bradenton – 0-for-5, BB
15. Pablo Reyes, Util, Pirates – In Majors
16. Braeden Ogle, LHP, Bradenton – 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 SO
17. Michael Burrows, RHP, Morgantown – 4.1 IP, 6 H, 3 ER, 2 BB, 3 SO
18. Jared Oliva, CF, Altoona – DNP
19. Ji-Hwan Bae, SS, Greensboro – 0-for-4
20. Max Kranick, RHP, Bradenton – DNP
21. Luis Escobar, RHP, Indianapolis – 2.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 SO
22. Osvaldo Bido, RHP, Bradenton – DNP
23. Eduardo Vera, RHP, – Released, article here
24. Gage Hinsz, RHP, Altoona – DNP
25. Aaron Shortridge, RHP, Bradenton – DNP
26. Blake Weiman, LHP, Indianapolis – DNP
27. Steven Jennings, RHP, Greensboro – DNP
28. Brandon Waddell, LHP, Indianapolis – DNP
29. Jesus Liranzo, RHP, Altoona – DNP
30. Rodolfo Castro, 2B, Bradenton – 2-for-5, 2B, 2 RBI, BB
Indianapolis lost 7-3 to Rochester. Alex McRae started and went four innings, allowing all seven runs, while serving up ten hits. JB Shuck was the next one out and he threw two scoreless innings, followed by Luis Escobar, who matched Shuck’s effort. Parker Markel struck out three in a scoreless ninth.
Cole Tucker had two hits, a run scored and an RBI. Jake Elmore hit two doubles, to give him 29 on the season. Will Craig had two hits and his 64th RBI. Francisco Cervelli caught an entire game for the first time during his rehab. He went 0-for-4, HBP at the plate.
Kevin Kramer was placed on the injured list with a knee contusion. He’s had a rough season this year. With offense up around all of Triple-A, he has watched his OPS go from .856 last year to .747 this season. To put that in better perspective, that 2018 number was about 150 points above league average, while this year’s OPS is about 50 points below league average.
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Altoona lost 12-1 to Harrisburg. Cody Bolton got the start and gave up two runs in the first, then three more runs in the second before he could record an out. Yeudy Garcia didn’t do any better, giving up six runs in 1.2 innings. Beau Sulser settled things down with 3.1 shutout innings. After Matt Eckelman pitched the seventh, Joel Cesar allowed a run in the eighth. Jerrick Suiter had to come on to get the final out. Altoona pitchers gave up 19 hits.
The Curve offense managed just five hits, with one walk and ten strikeouts. Chris Sharpe doubled, then scored the lone run on an Oneil Cruz sacrifice fly. Brett Pope added a double. Bligh Madris, Logan Hill and Bralin Jackson each had singles. Arden Pabst drew the walk.
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Bradenton won 14-4 over Florida. Brad Case got the start and went six innings, allowing four runs on four hits, three walks and five strikeouts. Braeden Ogle followed with a clean seventh inning and Hunter Stratton retired the final six batters in order.
The Marauders had 26 base runners in the game and a handful of strong games at the plate. Mason Martin had a two-run double and a three-run homer, driving in five runs total. He now has 119 RBIs on the season in 118 games. Travis Swaggerty reached base five times on a single, his 17th double, a walk and two hit-by-pitches. Daniel Amaral also reached five times, with a single, double, two walks and a HBP. He scored three runs and drove in a pair. Rodolfo Castro had three hits, a walk, two runs scored and two RBIs. Lucas Tancas had three hits, two runs scored and an RBI. He collected his 24th double.
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Greensboro lost 5-1 to Augusta. After throwing six no-hit innings in his last start, Noe Toribio began this night with three more no-hit innings. He ended up lasting just 3.2 innings and giving up three runs in the fourth inning. Cam Alldred gave up one run in 2.1 innings. Alfredo Reyes continued his conversion to the mound, which hasn’t been an easy switch so far. He gave up a run in his only inning and now has a 9.53 ERA. Cody Smith finished with two shutout innings.
The only run came in the third inning when Grant Koch walked, Kyle Mottice and Fabricio Macias hit back-to-back singles, then a passed ball allowed the run to score. Michael Gretler had two hits. Koch had two walks (the only two walks). Jack Herman hit his seventh double. Jonah Davis went 0-for-4 with four strikeouts.
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Morgantown won 10-4 over Batavia. Michael Burrows got the start and he went 4.1 innings, giving up three runs on six hits, two walks and three strikeouts. Burrows has a 4.21 ERA in 36.1 innings, with 33 strikeouts. Francis Del Orbe threw 2.2 shutout innings, striking out four batters. Trey McGough tossed a scoreless eighth, followed by a run in the ninth from Cameron Junker.
The lower part of the lineup had a big night. The top four hitters went 3-for-18, but the next four batters went 11-for-20. Brett Kinneman had three hits, three runs and two RBIs. Will Matthiessen had two singles, his first triple, two runs scored and an RBI. Elys Escobar had three hits and drove in a pair. Brendt Citta had two hits and two RBIs.
Four Morgantown players were selected for the NYPL All-Star game on Thursday.
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Bristol lost 7-6 to Princeton in ten innings. Luis Ortiz was putting up some strong stats until this start. He gave up six runs on seven hits and three walks over 3.2 innings. Ortiz allowed a total of five runs in his last four starts combined. Matt Eardensohn had four strikeouts over 2.1 scoreless innings. Saul de la Cruz tossed two shutout frames, then Samson Abernathy gave up the walk-off run (unearned) in the tenth.
Jesus Valdez drove in three runs with a single and his fourth home run. Aaron Shackelford hit his eighth homer. Jake Snider had two hits and drove in a pair. Josh Bissonette had two hits and scored twice. Francisco Acuna hit his 18th double. Daniel Rivero had a double, walk and run scored.
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The GCL Pirates won 5-4 over the Red Sox. Estalin Ortiz got the start and went five innings, allowing three runs on six hits, with no walks and six strikeouts. This is the longest outing for Ortiz, who came into the game with a 9.88 ERA. Willy Basil allowed one run over three innings, then Wilger Camacho retired the side in order in the ninth, striking out two batters, to pick up the save.
Norkis Marcos had the big hit of the game, belting a two-run homer in the fourth inning. It’s his first home run of the season. Angel Basabe had two single, two RBIs and a run scored. Jase Bowen had two singles and a run scored. Carlos Canache had a single, double and a run scored. Deion Walker hit his third triple.
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The DSL Pirates1 lost 11-3 to the Rangers1. Starter Andy Maldonado couldn’t get out of the first due to his pitch count. He gave up four runs on three hits, with two walks and two strikeouts. Eddison Polonia followed with two runs over 3.1 innings. Wilkin Valdez lasted one rough inning, surrendering three runs (one earned) on five walks. Luis Peralta took the last three innings and gave up two runs, with one being earned.
Fleury Nova raised his average to .339 with three hits. He also had an outfield assist. Orlando Chivilli had a single, double and an RBI. Eudys Carrasco had two doubles and an RBI. Rafael Escalante hit his second triple, walked and scored two runs. Omar Matos had a single and a walk, but also committed two of the four errors.
The DSL Pirates2 won the first game of a doubleheader over the Tigers2 by a 9-0 score. Wandi Montout got the start and he went five shutout innings on two hits and two walks, with three strikeouts. Carlos Campos, who was shifted to this team from Pirates1 yesterday, closed things out with two shutout frames.
Dariel Lopez went 3-for-4 with his fourth triple, two runs scored and two RBIs. He is now batting .354, with a .929 OPS. Jauri Custodio had three hits, including his third triple. He scored three runs. He has a .337 average this season. Geovanny Planchart had two hits and drove in three runs. Alexander Mojica went 0-for-2 with two walks, a run scored and an RBI. Randy Romero stole his 32nd base in 32 attempts.
The Pirates2 lost game two by a 14-10 score. Adrian Mendez had his worst outing, recording just one out before being removed due to his pitch count. He allowed four runs on two hits and four walks. Mendez was the highest price pitcher signed by the Pirates last year ($355,000) on the international side, but his first season has not gone as planned. He has a 7.01 ERA in 43.2 innings, with more walks (33) than strikeouts (32). It didn’t get much better with Johan Montero, who allowed six runs on seven hits in 2.2 innings. Darvin Garcia allowed four runs in three innings, before Enmanuel Mejia struck out the side in the eighth. In 16.2 innings, he has allowed three hits, with no runs and 29 strikeouts.
The Pirates scored the last nine runs in this game, so it was a blowout for most of the contest. Jommer Hernandez led the offense with a single, double, walk, two RBIs and a run scored. Deivis Nadal had two hits and two RBIs. Luis Hernandez had two hits, two walks and two runs scored. Randy Romero stole his 33rd base in 33 attempts.
You can view the season preview here.
