Six weeks ago, Pirates Prospects returned as a solo project. Since that point, this article is the 122nd that I’ve posted. If you’re doing the math at home, that’s an average of about three articles per day over a little more than a month of daily publishing.
At this point, the site is publishing almost four articles per day.
Every day features two recap-style articles. The nightly Pirates Prospect Watch recaps the action in the minor league system. This article, Pirates Prospects Daily, recaps the happenings in the entire organization, and doubles as a free daily newsletter. These two articles are reactionary to the events that take place, and they don’t take a lot of time to produce. I could produce this type of content on the side from a full-time job, and I’m saying that as a person who has been running this site full-time for over a decade.
From there, I have been producing 12 “premium” articles per week. Six of these articles are released in an article drop form every Tuesday. The other six are released as individual features every other day of the week at noon. These are “premium” features due to the amount of time and effort put into them, compared to the nightly recaps. These articles lead to about 100-150 hours of work per month on my end.
Until today, only the article drops required a subscription. Starting today, a subscription to Pirates Prospects on Patreon will be the only way you can access these premium articles. This includes every column I write, every player feature and scouting note, and basically every article that isn’t the Pirates Prospect Watch or P2Daily.
The goal is to get paid for my work, and my time. Your subscription pays for less than one meal per month. I need over 100 subscribers just to stay alive each month with sustenance. The site needs almost 200 subscribers to pay the server fees and avoid all of the hacking attempts we received right before last year’s MLB draft. After 300 subscribers, the site stays online, and I can feed myself with no other expenses covered. Ultimately, I need 1,000 subscribers per year in order to continue doing this full-time.
You can support the effort, and get access to all of my work on this site, with a Patreon subscription.
PIRATES LOSE TO BREWERS
The Pirates dropped a 3-2 contest to the Milwaukee Brewers. They were playing a bullpen game, sending Josh Fleming to the mound for the start. Fleming pitched 2.1 scoreless frames, before Luis Ortiz entered the game and allowed three runs in the third. The Pirates scored two on a Bryan Reynolds home run, but pitching ruled the rest of the game on each side, leaving all of the scoring in the third inning.
STATCAST HEROES
The home run from Reynolds traveled 402 feet with a 103.1 MPH exit velocity. STATS
The minor league Statcast Heroes can be found in the nightly Pirates Prospect Watch.
DAILY VIDEO RUNDOWN
Bryan Reynolds tried to get the Pirates back in the action, cutting the Brewers lead to one run with this two run homer.
A B-Rey blast! pic.twitter.com/BSFeieZz1U
— Pittsburgh Pirates (@Pirates) April 24, 2024
Paul Skenes picking up seven strikeouts in his latest start.
SKKKKKKKenes. pic.twitter.com/QluckxMUxH
— Indianapolis Indians (@indyindians) April 24, 2024
Nick Gonzales extended his hitting streak to 14 games with a three hit day, including this home run.
"What a ridiculous start to the season for Nick Gonzales."
Yep. Today: 3-for-4, 2 R, 1 HR, 2 RBI pic.twitter.com/8hxOmHwYRp
— Indianapolis Indians (@indyindians) April 24, 2024
Kervin Pichardo hit his first home run with Altoona, after being acquired from the Padres at the start of the season.
Kervin Pichardo has made it a one-run game in the eighth!
LISTEN: https://t.co/aioWvW3Svf
WATCH: https://t.co/6GP894jPtF pic.twitter.com/DTC7oPcYuf— Altoona Curve (@AltoonaCurve) April 24, 2024
Garret Forrester, last year’s third round pick, had a two hit night, including this double.
Forrester AGAIN! pic.twitter.com/vGRcm7nbGY
— Bradenton Marauders (@The_Marauders) April 25, 2024
PROSPECT WATCH
Paul Skenes pitched into the fifth inning on Wednesday, while Bubba Chandler didn’t make it out of the first. Read all about their outings and more in the latest Pirates Prospect Watch.
TODAY: PIRATES (13-12) VS BREWERS (15-8)
Game Time: 12:35 PM EDT
Watch: SportsNet-PIT
Listen: KDKA-FM 93.7
Pirates Starter: Mitch Keller, RHP (2-2, 4.80)
Brewers Starter: Freddy Peralta, RHP (2-0, 1.90)
In the Minors…
- Triple-A: Indianapolis, 7:05 PM – TBD
- Double-A: Altoona, 6:00 PM – RHP Sean Sullivan (0-2, 3.55)
- High-A: Greensboro, 7:05 PM – RHP Patrick Reilly (0-1, 6.17)
- Single-A: Bradenton, 6:30 PM – RHP Antwone Kelly (0-2, 11.70)
PIRATES PROSPECTS DAILY
This week’s Statcast Heroes, which is now a premium article, looks at the whiffs from Jared Jones and Bailey Falter, last week’s Paul Skenes start, the success from Eric Lauer in his most recent start for Indianapolis, and the hard hits from Omar Alfonzo in Bradenton.
Statcast Heroes: Jared Jones, Bailey Falter, Paul Skenes, Eric Lauer, Omar Alfonzo
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THIS WEEK ON PIRATES PROSPECTS
This week’s premium article drop for Patreon subscribers looks at players in Single-A with the Bradenton Marauders. Like every other level, this group is highlighted by interesting pitchers. There are also some hitters to follow on the position player side, which I broke down in my premium column.
**Williams: Pirates Prospects Sleepers to Follow in Single-A
Michael Kennedy was an over-slot prep pick in the fourth round of the 2022 draft. The lefty is in his first full-season league in pro ball, and showed promise this past weekend with an eight strikeout performance.
**Michael Kennedy Shows Path to Big Leagues With Eight Strikeout Performance
Khristian Curtis has a six pitch mix, despite not having a lot of time on the mound in his pitching career. The Pirates gave him an over-slot bonus as a 12th rounder last year, giving them the chance to develop his arsenal.
**Khristian Curtis Features Big Stuff From a Six Pitch Mix
Carlson Reed is showing promise in his early results with Bradenton. The West Virginia draftee has a 2.45 ERA in his first three starts this year, after being taken in the fourth round last year.
**West Virginia Pitcher Carlson Reed is Off to a Great Start With the Pirates
Relievers aren’t usually prospects in the lower levels, but Magdiel Cotto is a lefty who can get his fastball up to 95. The Pirates went over-slot on him in the 11th round last year, and he’s showing good results as a reliever in the 2024 season.
**Magdiel Cotto is an Over-Slot Lefty With a Fastball That Gets Up to 95
The Pirates traded for Connor Oliver at the start of the season, getting something in return for Colin Selby. This marks his sixth different organization since the start of 2020, with hopes that the Pirates can develop the lefty into an MLB option.
**Connor Oliver Remains on the Move With Trade to Pirates
SONG OF THE DAY
