Carlson Reed had the best start of his young professional career on Thursday night, pitching five shutout innings for Bradenton in an 8-0 win. Reed struck out a career high nine batters, eclipsing his previous high of eight strikeouts on April 19th.
The Pirates drafted Reed in the fourth round last year out of West Virginia. He was a reliever in college, but has been stretched out as a starter this year in pro ball. That has led to a 2.22 ERA in 44.2 innings, with 56 strikeouts. Control has been an issue, and is the biggest knock against Reed’s scouting report. He only walked one batter on Thursday.
Reed has three pitches which grade as average or better, led by a fastball that sat 93.6 MPH, touching 95.2 on Thursday. The fastball led to seven whiffs on 16 swings. His 83-84 MPH slider had three whiffs on five swings. He also picked up one whiff on two swings against his 83-84 MPH changeup. Reed also throws a sinker and a sweeper.
The start from Reed led a day with several other elite pitching performances, including a career high in strikeouts from Braxton Ashcraft in Altoona, and a well controlled start from Patrick Reilly in Greensboro.
TRIPLE-A: INDIANAPOLIS INDIANS
INDIANAPOLIS lost 23-5
- SS Andres Alvarez: 1-for-5, HR, 3 RBI
- 3B Malcom Nunez: 2-for-5, 2 RBI
- RF Matt Gorski: 1-for-3, 2B, 2 BB
- 2B Mike Jarvis: 3-for-4, 2B
- 1B Jake Lamb: 1-for-5
Indianapolis was blown out on Thursday, with Domingo German allowing eight runs, seven earned, in five innings. Geronimo Franzua allowed six runs. Dylan Shockley, a catcher, allowed five runs, getting one out. Brenden Dixon, another position player, allowed three runs, getting the final out of the game. Dixon began the game as the designated hitter.
STATCAST HEROES
Mike Jarvis has been hitting the ball hard in Triple-A. His double had a 103.6 MPH exit velocity. The home run from Andres Alvarez traveled 393 feet at 98.9 MPH. Connor Sadzeck allowed one run in two innings of relief. He topped out at 98.1 MPH with his four-seam fastball.
DOUBLE-A: ALTOONA CURVE
ALTOONA won 10-4
- RHP Braxton Ashcraft: 7.0 IP, 6 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 0 BB, 12 K, 1 HR
- SS Tsung-Che Cheng: 3-for-4, HR, 2B, BB, SB
- LF Sammy Siani: 3-for-5, HR, SB, 4 RBI
- DH Seth Beer: 3-for-5, 3B, 2 RBI
- CF Jase Bowen: 2-for-4, RBI
Braxton Ashcraft set a career high in strikeouts with 12 on Thursday night. The right-hander previously struck out ten batters on May 14th this year. Ashcraft pitched seven innings with one walk in that outing. He allowed four runs this time around, but got plenty of support from the Altoona offense. Tsung-Che Cheng led the way, homering for his second game in a row. Sammy Siani hit his second home run at the Double-A level.
HIGH-A: GREENSBORO GRASSHOPPERS
GREENSBORO lost 5-1
- RHP Patrick Reilly: 5.0 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 4 K
- LHP Cy Nielson: 2.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K
- 3B Charles McAdoo: 1-for-3, HR, BB
- DH Nick Cimillo: 1-for-4
- 1B Maikol Escotto: 2-for-4
Patrick Reilly has great stuff, but poor control. This was the second start of the year where he didn’t allow a walk. He walked 18 in 24.2 innings during the month of May, though his mid-90s fastball allowed for some good outings through the control. Charles McAdoo hit his seventh home run of the year, remaining the most consistent hitter in Greensboro.
SINGLE-A: BRADENTON MARAUDERS
BRADENTON won 8-0, led by Carlson Reed’s five shutout innings.
- 1B Esmerlyn Valdez: 3-for-3, 2 HR, 2 RBI
- 3B Javier Rivas: 3-for-3, HR, 3B, 3 RBI
- CF Sergio Campana: 2-for-4, 2B, SB
- C Omar Alfonzo: 1-for-3, 2B
- RHP Peyton Stumbo: 3.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 6 K
The start from Reed was supported by power from the offense, led by two home runs from Esmerlyn Valdez. I wrote yesterday about how Valdez is one of the best Pirates hitting prospects at this level. His two homers give him seven on the year. Javier Rivas added his third homer and first triple. Omar Alfonzo hit his 11th double.
STATCAST HEROES
Valdez homered with 100.9 MPH and 97.9 MPH exit velocities. The home run from Rivas traveled 401 feet at 100 MPH. Peyton Stumbo picked up six strikeouts, led by seven whiffs on 14 swings against his low-90s fastball. He also had two whiffs on three swings against the curveball.
ROOKIE: FCL PIRATES
FCL PIRATES lost 8-6
- RHP Zander Mueth: 3.1 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 3 BB, 3 K
- 3B-SS: Jhonny Severino: 1-for-5, HR, 2 RBI
- 2B-3B Carlos Caro: 1-for-4, HR, RBI
- CF Jhonson Pena: 1-for-2, HR, BB
- C Richard Ramirez: 1-for-3, 2B, BB
Zander Mueth, last year’s 67th overall pick who was taken out of the prep ranks, has a 3.06 ERA in 17.2 innings to start his career. The FCL Pirates saw some power on Thursday, with Jhonny Severino hitting his fifth homer of the year. Jhonson Pena hit his first of the year, and Carlos Caro hit his second.
ROOKIE: DSL PIRATES BLACK
DSL PIRATES BLACK lost 15-10
- DH Bralyn Brazoban: 2-for-3, 3 RBI
- 2B Kendrick Herrera: 1-for-4, BB
- CF Phillando Williams: 1-for-3, 2 BB
Bralyn Brazoban was the top international signing for the Pirates this year. He has a hit in all three games played so far, and this was his first multi-hit game. All of his hits so far have been singles.
ROOKIE: DSL PIRATES GOLD
DSL PIRATES GOLD lost 4-1
- RHP Jonawel Valdez: 4.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 9 K
- LF Isaias Dipre: 1-for-4, 2B
- CF Cristian Jauregui: 1-for-3, BB
Jonawel Valdez was signed in December 2022, and made his debut in the DSL last year in his age 19 season. He started well last year, before struggling over his final five appearances. This outing set a career high in strikeouts, with his previous high being six in four innings on July 6th last year.
FRIDAY’S SCHEDULE
- Triple-A: Indianapolis, 7:05 PM – TBD
- Double-A: Altoona, 6:35 PM – RHP Po-Yu Chen (0-4, 5.16)
- High-A: Greensboro, 6:30 PM – RHP Wilber Dotel (2-2, 5.40)
- Single-A: Bradenton, 6:30 PM – LHP Michael Kennedy (1-3, 4.50)
- Rookie: FCL Pirates, 12:00 PM – TBD
- Rookie: DSL Pirates Gold, 10:00 AM – TBD
- Rookie: DSL Pirates Gold, Game Two – TBD
