Paul Skenes makes his second appearance for Bradenton this afternoon. The right-handed pitcher was selected by the Pirates with the first overall pick in the 2023 draft, and immediately became the top prospect in the system.
MLB Pipeline and Baseball America have each released their updated top 100 prospects, and updated team top 30s, following the draft. Below are the Pirates prospects who made each list.
Baseball America
4 – Paul Skenes
34 – Endy Rodriguez
66 – Jared Jones
79 – Termarr Johnson
5. Quinn Priester, RHP
6. Anthony Solometo, LHP
7. Liover Peguero, SS
8. Nick Gonzales, 2B
9. Bubba Chandler, RHP
10. Thomas Harrington, RHP
MLB Pipeline
3 – Paul Skenes
23 – Termarr Johnson
42 – Endy Rodriguez
74 – Jared Jones
89 – Anthony Solometo
98 – Quinn Priester
7. Nick Gonzales, 2B
8. Liover Peguero, SS
9. Bubba Chandler, RHP
10. Thomas Harrington, RHP
GREENSBORO COVERAGE
I’ve been in Greensboro this week, checking out the High-A affiliate of the Pittsburgh Pirates. This team is fun to watch on a nightly basis. The pitching at this level has some of the most intriguing arms in the system, with a legit pitching prospect to watch each night. The offense includes 2022 first rounder Termarr Johnson, along with a few other recent draft picks out of college who have stood out.
Be sure to check out all of the Prospect Watch articles this week for my daily reports. I’ll have a team report on Monday, and player features throughout the upcoming week.
Pirates Prospect Watch
Saturday: Termarr Johnson Returns and Hits a Grand Slam
Friday: Thomas Harrington Shines in Greensboro
Thursday: More Live Reports From Greensboro
Wednesday: Bubba Chandler’s Start and Live Reports From Greensboro
Tuesday: Po-Yu Chen and The Greensboro Power Bats
DAILY VIDEO RUNDOWN
Termarr Johnson returned to the Greensboro lineup last night, and crushed this grand slam in his second at-bat.
Grand slam! Termarr Johnson is back! pic.twitter.com/MFFFIt1b7Z
— Tim Williams (@TimWilliamsP2) August 19, 2023
J.P. Massey pitched three shutout innings. Watch the 2023 MLB Future’s Game participant strike out two in the third.
J.P. Massey strikes out two in the third inning. Massey represented the #Pirates in the MLB Future's Game last month. pic.twitter.com/WzBqGG5eVC
— Tim Williams (@TimWilliamsP2) August 19, 2023
QUICK PIRATES RECAP
PIRATES (55-68) AT Twins
Score: Pirates 7, Twins 4
Pittsburgh Starter: Mitch Keller, RHP (4.22)
–Line: 6.0 IP, 7 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 12 K, 0 HR
Player of the Game: Andrew McCutchen, DH (2-for-5, HR [11], 2 RBI)
Attendance: 23,822
Notable Performers
- Ji Hwan Bae, 2B (1-for-3, 2 BB, 2B)
- Ke’Bryan Hayes, 3B (2-for-5, RBI)
- Jason Delay, C (2-for-3, BB, 2B)
One Sentence Recap: Andrew McCutchen’s 298th homer gave the Pirates enough in the late innings to secure the win, after Mitch Keller struck out 12.
BULLPEN GAME TODAY
The Pirates are starting left-hander Ryan Borucki in today’s game, going with a bullpen effort at the MLB level. I’m glad they’re moving to this outside the box type strategy.
SONG OF THE DAY
If I had to lose a mile
If I had to touch feelings
I would lose my soul
The way I do
I don’t have to think
I only have to do it
The results are always perfect
And that’s old news
Would you like to hear my voice
Sprinkled with emotion
Invented at your birth?
