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, Pablo Reyes, 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 – 3-for-4, 2B, RBI
3. Cole Tucker, SS, Indianapolis – DNP
4. Oneil Cruz, SS, Altoona – 0-for-5
5. Travis Swaggerty, CF, Bradenton – 1-for-4
6. Kevin Kramer, 2B, Indianapolis – 0-for-3, RBI, BB
7. Will Craig, 1B, Indianapolis – 2-for-4, 2B, RBI
8. Jason Martin, OF, Indianapolis – 1-for-5, 2B, RBI
9. JT Brubaker, RHP, Indianapolis – DNP
10. Calvin Mitchell, OF, Bradenton – 0-for-4
11. Cody Bolton, RHP, Altoona – DNP
12. Tahnaj Thomas, RHP, Bristol – 6.0 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 3 SO
13. Braxton Ashcraft, RHP, Morgantown – DNP
14. Lolo Sanchez, CF, Bradenton – DNP
15. Braeden Ogle, LHP, Bradenton – DNP
16. Michael Burrows, RHP, Morgantown – 3.1 IP, 5 H, 5 R, 3 ER, 2 BB, 3 SO
17. Jared Oliva, CF, Altoona – 1-for-2, 2 BB
18. Ji-Hwan Bae, SS, Greensboro – 4-for-5, 2 2B, 5 RBI, SB
19. Max Kranick, RHP, Bradenton – DNP
20. Luis Escobar, RHP, Indianapolis – DNP
21. Osvaldo Bido, RHP, Bradenton – 2.2 IP, 2 H, 2 ER, 3 BB, 3 SO
22. Eduardo Vera, RHP, – Released, article here
23. Gage Hinsz, RHP, Altoona – DNP
24. Aaron Shortridge, RHP, Bradenton – DNP
25. Blake Weiman, LHP, Indianapolis – DNP
26. Steven Jennings, RHP, Greensboro – 5.0 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 5 SO
27. Brandon Waddell, LHP, Indianapolis – DNP
28. Jesus Liranzo, RHP, Altoona – DNP
29. Rodolfo Castro, 2B, Bradenton – 3-for-4, 2 2B
30. Cam Vieaux, LHP, Altoona – DNP
Indianapolis lost 5-4 to Toledo. Yefry Ramirez had a start very similar to his last outing. Over six innings, he gave up two runs on four hits and a walk, with eight strikeouts. He allowed two runs over six innings in his previous game, striking out nine batters that night. Blake Cederlind followed with his Triple-A debut and it did not go well, though it should be noted that his last outing in Altoona was his worst, so he could be in a rut and the promotion was bad timing. In 1.2 innings, he gave up three runs on five hits, with no walks and three strikeouts. Cederlind gave up a home run, which was just the second one he allowed all season. JB Shuck recorded the final out on a strikeout.
Ke’Bryan Hayes had a nice game at the plate, going 3-for-4 with his 28th double, a run scored and an RBI. Will Craig had two hits, including his 22nd double. Jason Martin hit his 25th double. Kevin Kramer returned to action after missing time with a knee contusion. He had a walk and an RBI, but also struck out three times. Indianapolis struck out 15 times.
You can view the season preview here.
Altoona lost 9-2 to Bowie. Pedro Vasquez has pitched well all season, but this game got off the rails in a hurry. He lasted just two innings, giving up four runs on seven hits and two walks, with no strikeouts. Angel German followed as was barely any better. He allowed three runs over two innings. Elvis Escobar quieted things down with two shutout innings. Matt Eckelman handled a clean seventh, before infielder Jesse Medrano allowed two runs in the eighth.
Altoona had their chances to score. Logan Hill hit his 12th home run (14 total counting two with Indianapolis). Jared Oliva had a single and two walks. Bralin Jackson had two hits and a run scored. Adrian Valerio had two hits and drove in Jackson with the second run. Brett Pope had a single and a walk. They went 1-for-8 with runners in scoring position and stranded 11 runners on base.
You can view the season preview here.
Bradenton lost 3-0 to Palm Beach. Osvaldo Bido got the start after a short trip to the injured list. He was working on a limited pitch count and he went 2.2 innings, with two runs on two hits, three walks and three strikeouts. Conner Loeprich followed with 5.1 innings to finish out the night. He gave up one run on four hits, with zero walks and five strikeouts.
Despite the lack of offense, Rodolfo Castro had a really nice game. He collected two doubles and a single. He has 46 extra-base hits this year. The move of Oneil Cruz up to Altoona has opened up shortstop for Castro to get more experience there. He’s similar to Cruz is that he displayed the tools to play the position, but they can have trouble with the easy plays. Travis Swaggerty had a single to give him a 12-game hitting streak.
You can view the season preview here.
Greensboro won 11-3 over Delmarva. Ji-Hwan Bae had a career day at the plate, going 4-for-5 with two doubles, two singles, three runs scored and five RBIs. He has 24 doubles now and also added his 29th stolen base. Bae’s .319 average now leads the South Atlantic League by one point. Fabricio Macias had a single, double and drove in three runs. Jonah Davis hit his 17th home run. He went 2-for-4 with two RBIs, three runs scored and a walk. Jack Herman had a single, two walks and two runs scored. Zack Kone had two hits, a walk and two runs scored.
Steven Jennings had a nice night on the mound that was overshadowed by the offense. He went five innings, allowing one run on three hits, with no walks and five strikeouts. He now has a 4.88 ERA through 120 innings. The strong arm of Alfredo Reyes has not translated well to the mound so far. He gave up two runs in one inning to give him a 9.39 ERA. Will Gardner threw two shutout innings and Oliver Garcia finished things off with a scoreless ninth.
You can view the season preview here.
Morgantown lost 5-2 to Auburn. Michael Burrows got the start and almost didn’t make it out of the first inning, after two errors helped lead to three runs and a high pitch count. He ended up going 3.1 innings, giving up five runs (three earned) on five hits, two walks and three strikeouts. Denny Roman followed with 2.2 shutout innings and four strikeouts. Garrett Leonard chipped in two scoreless frames.
The Black Bears had six hits, all singles, and four walks. They went 1-for-11 with runners in scoring position. Matt Fraizer had that only timely hit, driving in Brett Kinneman with two outs in the fifth. Ethan Paul had a single and a walk. Cory Wood had two walks. The only other run was scored by Matt Gorski on the wild pitch. He had a single and a walk.
You can view the season preview here.
Bristol won 2-1 over Pulaski. Tahnaj Thomas got the start and he went six innings, allowing one run on five hits, with one walk and three strikeouts. After running up his pitch count early in his last outing, which was one run over three innings, Thomas needed just 68 pitches on this night, with 44 going for strikes. He now has a 3.32 ERA in 43.1 innings, with 54 strikeouts. Yordi Rosario followed with two shutout innings, then Samson Abernathy picked up his sixth save.
Jesus Valdez was the offense in this game. He homered in the first inning, his fifth of the season. He singled, stole a base and scored the second run in the sixth inning. Aaron Shackelford had a single, walk and stolen base. Jake Snider had a walk and an outfield assist. No other Pirates reached base.
You can view the season preview here.
The GCL Pirates lost 10-4 to the Rays. Arlinthon De Dios started and went four innings, allowing four runs on six hits and three walks. Daniel Ross had a rough fifth inning, giving up three runs. Starlyn Reynoso allowed two runs over two innings. Angel Suero gave up the final run in the eighth.
The Pirates had a lot of base runners, but three were thrown out trying to steal (they went 0-for-3) and another was thrown out trying to take an extra base. Sammy Siani had one of his better days, going 2-for-4 with a walk, RBI and two runs scored. He hit his third double. Juan Pie had two hits and a sacrifice fly. Angel Basabe had two hits and a walk in three trips to the plate. Andres Alvarez doubled and drove in two runs.
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The DSL Pirates1 played to a 1-1 tie in five innings due to rain. Andy Maldonado gave up the only run, though it was unearned. In three innings, he allowed four hits and a walk, with no strikeouts. Yeison Santos tossed shutout ball over the final two frames. The Pirates scored three runs in the top of the sixth before the game was called. Those runs won’t count in the final stats, since the game reverts back to the previous inning. An error on a Jose Berroa single allowed Omar Matos to come home with the only run.
The DSL season ends on Saturday and the Pirates1 and Indians don’t play again, otherwise the game would have just been suspended. I didn’t include the boxscore because the game won’t be officially declared a tie until the season ends, so some of the stats are wrong.
Here’s the boxscore.
The DSL Pirates2 won 6-0 over the Mariners. Carlos Jimenez finished his regular season with four shutout innings, giving him a 2.54 ERA in 39 innings, with 45 strikeouts. He turned 17 a month ago, making him one of the youngest players in the league. Miguel Diaz followed with 2.1 shutout frames, then Axel Rosario recorded the next five outs, though he gave up three hits. Luis Gonzalez took the final inning.
The offense was led by Juan Mena, who had a single, double, two RBIs and a run scored. Rodolfo Nolasco had two hits, a walk and a run scored. Randy Romero had a single, walk and two stolen bases, giving him 36 steals in 37 attempts. The Pirates moved to 55-15 with two games left.
You can view the season preview here.
