Yesterday, we took a look at the progress of the 2014 draft picks. The only natural article to follow that up with, is a look at the 2013 class. We take a look at who is still left in the system and how they are performing this year. The Pittsburgh Pirates signed 28 players from this draft and already, ten of them aren’t in the system anymore.
1. Austin Meadows- Lead-off hitter and center fielder for Bradenton. Doesn’t profile as a lead-off hitter, but he is batting there to make up for lost at-bats last year. Getting on base at a good clip with a .298/.362/.383 slash line.
1. Reese McGuire- Starting catcher for Bradenton. Started off hot at the plate, then really slumped. Has a couple good games recently. Hitting .269/.294/.321 and his defense is getting rave reviews.
2. Blake Taylor- Traded, Extended Spring Training(EST) for NY Mets.
3. JaCoby Jones- Starting shortstop for Bradenton. Has drawn 13 walks already after 33 all last year. Hitting .269/.364/.452 and defense has looked good.
4. Cody Dickson- Starting pitcher for Bradenton. Two poor starts, three real good ones. Which pitchers shows up tonight?
5. Trae Arbet – EST, will play for either Bristol or Morgantown after struggling at Bristol last year.
6. Adam Frazier- EST due to hand injury. Should join Altoona soon as the starting shortstop.
7. Buddy Borden-Traded, pitching in High-A as a long reliever
8. Neil Kozikowski – EST, will pitch at either Bristol or Morgantown after struggling at Bristol last year.
9. Chad Kuhl- Altoona starting rotation and doing well, although he’s been overshadowed by three teammates pitching better. Pitches tonight.
10. Shane Carle -Traded, starting pitcher in AA for Rockies.
11. Erich Weiss- Starting second baseman for Bradenton. Hitting .273/.356/.364, with huge home/road splits favoring McKechnie Field.
12. Beau Wallace- Released
13. Danny Collins- Released
14. Nick Buckner – EST, should be at Morgantown this year. Injured early in spring.
15. Max Rossiter- Retired
16. Billy Roth- EST, will pitch at either Bristol or Morgantown after struggling at Bristol last year.
17. Justin Topa- Underwent Tommy John surgery last week, out until June/July 2016.
18. Jeff Roy – Only 2013 pick at West Virginia, hitting .316 and he’s 7-for-7 in steals. No extra-base hits and just three walks.
19. Brett McKinney- Bradenton bullpen. Has four straight scoreless outings after four straight poor outings.
21. Adam Landecker – Released
22. Henry Hirsch – Pitching well out of the Bradenton bullpen. In 14.1 innings, 2.51 ERA and 15 strikeouts.
23. Cam Griffin- Released
25. Justin Maffei – Starting LF for Bradenton, will see less time with the return of Barrett Barnes on Monday.
27. Michael Fransoso – Seldom used bench player for Bradenton.
28. Jerry Mulderig- EST, likely a bullpen arm for Morgantown, could possibly see time at West Virginia at some point.
30. Will Kendall – Released
37. Andrew Dennis -Released
Today’s Schedule
Today’s Starter and Notes: The Pirates were off on Monday. They will now host the Cincinnati Reds for three games. Jeff Locke will be on the mound tonight, making his fifth start. He did great in his first two starts, both against Milwaukee. When he faced the Cubs in his last two games, he had trouble each day. Locke gave up a combined 15 hits, six walks and ten runs in 8.2 innings against Chicago. Michael Lorenzen goes for the Reds, making his second pro start. He gave up three runs over five innings to the Brewers in his debut.
In the minors, Cody Dickson gets the start for Bradenton. In his last outing, he gave up four runs on seven hits and three walks in 5.1 innings. Dickson allowed just two runs total in his previous three outings. Chad Kuhl is tenth in the Eastern League in ERA, yet he trails three of his teammates. Wilfredo Boscan has gone six innings in each of his four starts. West Virginia has off today. You can view last night’s prospect watch here.
MLB: Pittsburgh (12-13) vs Reds (12-13) 7:05 PM
Probable starter: Jeff Locke (4.76 ERA, 7:20 BB/SO, 22.2 IP)
AAA: Indianapolis (15-10) vs Rochester (14-9) 7:05 PM (season preview)
Probable starter: Wilfredo Boscan (1.50 ERA, 9:16 BB/SO, 24.0 IP)
AA: Altoona (15-7) vs Richmond (4-17) 6:00 PM (season preview)
Probable starter: Chad Kuhl (1.64 ERA, 8:15 BB/SO, 22.0 IP)
High-A: Bradenton (12-12) vs Ft Myers (9-16) 6:30 PM(season preview)
Probable starter: Cody Dickson (3.20 ERA, 8:16 BB/SO, 25.1 IP)
Low-A: West Virginia (14-10) vs Kannapolis (10-13) 7:05 PM 5/6 (season preview)
Probable starter: Austin Coley (2.70 ERA, 2:19 BB/SO, 20.0 IP)
Highlights
From Sunday, an RBI triple from Alen Hanson. He is hitting .389 in his last nine games, raising his season numbers to .270/.316/.315 after a slow start.
Recent Transactions
5/5: Barrett Barnes assigned to Bradenton. Junior Sosa assigned to Extended Spring Training.
5/1: Jerrick Suiter placed on disabled list. Austin Coley added to WV Power roster.
5/1: Pirates sign pitcher Robert Stock.
4/29: Jaff Decker placed on disabled list. Wilkin Castillo added to Indianapolis roster.
4/27: Jeremy Bleich promoted to Altoona
4/26: John Sever added to WV Power roster. Austin Coley transferred to WV Black Bears roster.
4/25: Jonathan Schwind placed on disabled list.
4/25: Justin Sellers transferred from Bradenton to Indianapolis on rehab.
4/25: Jeremy Bleich added to Bradenton roster.
4/22: Francisco Diaz assigned to WV Black Bears roster. Kawika Emsley-Pai added to WV Power roster.
4/21: John Sever assigned to WV Black Bears roster. Jose Regalado added to West Virginia Power roster.
This Date in Pirates History
Three former Pittsburgh Pirates players born on this date, including two that played for Pirates teams that went to the World Series. The most recent player born on this date was Tommy Helm, a seldom used infielder for the 1976-77 teams. He joined the Pirates at the end of a career that included winning the 1966 Rookie of the Year award, two Gold Gloves and he was a two-time All-Star.
Gene Curtis played left field for a short time for the 1903 Pirates. It’s the second day in a row that a 1903 outfielder was mentioned, as yesterday was the birth date of Lou Gertenrich, who lasted just one game with the team. Curtis played the last five games of the regular season, while the Pirates rested their regulars in advance of the first World Series. It was his only time in the Majors.
Jose Pagan was born on this date in 1935. He played eight years in Pittsburgh from 1965 until 1972. Pagan was mostly a third baseman with the Pirates, although he played every spot but center field and pitcher during his time. In 625 games, he had a .690 OPS and he had a .267 average during the 1971 World Series.
On this date in 1987, Rafael Belliard hits the first of two home runs he hit during his 17-year career. He went to the plate 1171 times with the Pirates and 1353 times with the Braves, the only two teams he played for during his career. His second homer came ten years later. You can read more about the game in which he homered for the Pirates in the link above.
