A look at how the current top 30 prospects did today. If a player is in the majors and loses his prospect eligibility, he will be removed. 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, 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 30 active prospects on the list. Rankings are from the 2016 mid-season update, and links on each name go to their Pirates Prospects player pages.
We’re working on a solution for the PHP stat codes not working in the app.
1. Tyler Glasnow, RHP, Pirates -[insert_php]
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2. Austin Meadows, CF, Indianapolis – [insert_php]
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3. Josh Bell, 1B, Indianapolis – [insert_php]
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4. Kevin Newman, SS, Altoona – [insert_php]
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5. Mitch Keller, RHP, West Virginia -[insert_php]
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6. Nick Kingham, RHP, GCL Pirates – [insert_php]
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7.Cole Tucker, SS, Bradenton – [insert_php]
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8. Chad Kuhl, RHP, Pirates – [insert_php]
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9. Will Craig, 3B, Morgantown – [insert_php]
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10. Steven Brault, LHP, Indianapolis – [insert_php]
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11. Ke’Bryan Hayes, 3B, West Virginia -[insert_php]
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12. Elias Diaz, C, Indianapolis – [insert_php]
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13. Clay Holmes, RHP, Altoona – [insert_php]
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14. Yeudy Garcia, RHP, Bradenton -[insert_php]
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15. Gage Hinsz, RHP, West Virginia – [insert_php]
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16. Trevor Williams, RHP, Indianapolis – [insert_php]
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17. Alen Hanson, 2B, Indianapolis – [insert_php]
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18. Tito Polo, OF, Bradenton – [insert_php]
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19. Stephen Tarpley, LHP, Bradenton – [insert_php]
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20. Brandon Waddell, LHP, Altoona – [insert_php]
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21. Tyler Eppler, RHP, Altoona -[insert_php]
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22. Max Moroff, 2B, Indianapolis -[insert_php]
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23. Taylor Hearn, LHP, West Virginia – [insert_php]
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24. Adrian Valerio, SS – Bristol – [insert_php]
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25. Braeden Ogle, LHP, GCL Pirates – [insert_php]
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26. Kevin Kramer, 2B, Bradenton -[insert_php]
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27. Travis MacGregor, RHP, GCL Pirates – [insert_php]
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28. Max Kranick, RHP, GCL Pirates – [insert_php]
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29. Frank Duncan, RHP, Indianapolis – [insert_php]
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30. Dovydas Neverauskas, RHP, Indianapolis – [insert_php]
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Indianapolis lost 1-0 to Lehigh Valley on Sunday. Steven Brault was on the mound, trying to get back on track after a couple poor outings in a row. In his previous two games combined, he allowed nine runs on 14 hits and eight walks in 7.2 innings. He had control/command issues both of those games, not only the walks, but getting too much of the plate when he did throw strikes, which usually happened when he got to a three ball count.
On Sunday, Brault was back to the pitcher we saw just a few weeks ago when he threw back-to-back six shutout inning performances. He had a no-hitter in this game until two outs in the fifth and lost it when both Austin Meadows and Pedro Florimon lost a shallow pop up to left field in the sun. During a night game, it would have been a routine catch for either of them.
In the sixth, Lehigh Valley picked up a legit hit on a low liner to right field that Willy Garcia almost made a shoestring catch on. That was followed by a slow grounder by Max Moroff at second base, and then a well-hit grounder through the left side for the first run. That would end up being the only run and the only hits off Brault.
In seven innings, he gave up one walk, struck out three and had a 7:4 GO/AO ratio, with a lot of soft contact. He threw 63 of his 95 pitches for strikes and his biggest issue seemed to be a lot of foul balls with two strikes. On his only walk, Brault threw a beautiful 1-2 fastball over the inner half of the plate to a lefty, but didn’t get the call. You could tell he wasn’t happy with the call (rightfully so) and then missed badly on the next two pitches. So after walking four batters in each of his last two starts (totaling 7.2 innings), his only walk over seven innings in this game only happened because the umpire missed possibly his best pitch of the game. A great outing by Brault and a nice bounce back from two poor outings.
Josh Bell went 0-for-4 with three strikeouts in this game, which also happens to be his 24th birthday. He came into the day with a .226/.327/.290 slash line in 26 games since being sent down by the Pirates. Austin Meadows had the only positive day on offense with a single and a walk in four trips to the plate. Indianapolis had three hits total and from the walk by Meadows in the third until his single in the ninth, 17 straight batters were retired.
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ALTOONA, PA – Tyler Glasnow made a rehab start for the Altoona Curve on Sunday night, his first start since July 23rd against the Phillies for the Pirates. Although he was scheduled for four innings or 65 pitches, he went three innings tonight, giving up two earned runs and three walks while striking out five batters.
Glasnow began the game extremely strong, throwing 12 pitches in the first inning, ten of them for strikes. He threw nine fastballs and three curveballs, and he got two strikeouts (one with the fastball swinging and one with the curve ball swinging).
In the second inning, Reading’s Dylan Cozens (who has the second most home runs in the Eastern League, 33) homered on a line drive to left-center field. It was the first pitch of the inning and Cozens looked to be sitting fastball then teed off on it. Glasnow proceeded to walk two batters in the inning after the lead-off home run, and Reading easily stole a base on Glasnow/Stewart. Stewart really didn’t have much of a chance to get the runner at second base. Glasnow induced a 5-4-3 double play to end the inning without allowing another run.
The third got a little interesting for Glasnow. He threw three pitches – a 90 MPH change-up for a strike, 94 MPH fastball for a ball, and another 90 MPH change-up for another strike. With a 1-2 count, the Curve’s trainer quickly made his way to the mound, followed by Cora and Meccage, to visit Glasnow at the mound. Glasnow pretty much shook them off, telling them he was okay, and he continued on pitching. After the visit, he struck out the batter he was facing. He then walked the next batter on five pitches, missing pretty bad with his fastball location after going ahead 0-1. Glasnow allowed a line drive to left field that got passed a diving Barrett Barnes, scoring the second run against him. Glasnow then struck out the next two batters he faced to end the third inning.
Glasnow’s start started extremely strong but was wavering throughout, showing some inconsistencies with both his fastball and curve ball at times. In that first inning, the stuff was quality, and he was throwing a lot of strikes. After the first inning, he walked three batters and was close to even on strikes-to-balls.
In that third inning, especially after the visit to the mound by the Curve’s trainer, Glasnow looked pretty uncomfortable, often shaking his arm or seemingly trying to loosen up his shoulder. There is no confirmation of any sort of injury, but it did just seem strange. Glasnow was not available for comment after the game, but Curve manager Joey Cora said that he will be going back to Pittsburgh to be checked out on Monday.
Brandon Waddell was scheduled to enter in the fifth for the Curve, and he quickly turned in back-to-back 1-2-3 innings in the fifth and sixth innings. The next two innings were different for Waddell, as he walked four batters and let up some hard hit balls. His command looked to escape him in the eighth inning, and he was removed with two runners on.
Waddell ended up allowed four runs, two of them earned, in 3.2 innings pitched. He got ground balls and struck out four batters, but the four walks in those two innings were not very good. It is hard to take a lot of stock in an outing when a starter has to enter a game in relief, even if he is well aware of when he will be entering. For Waddell, the command issues crept back up, but coming in as a reliever could’ve played a role in that.
Pitching Coach Justin Meccage confirmed after the game that it was the first time that Brandon Waddell ever came into a game out of the bullpen, and it probably affected him routine-wise.
“I think so,” Meccage said when asked if entering mid-game may have affected him. “Routine-wise, I think it does. It’s the first time in his life that he ever came out of the bullpen. It’s a good experience for him, because you never know when you might have to do it. I thought his first two innings were very good. He got some frustration involved after [a big error], and he tried to make a perfect pitch to get out of those situations. His pitch count got elevated.”
The error he was talking about was when Edwin Espinal fell on his way step on first base for what would have been the final out of the seventh inning; however, the runner was safe and two unearned runs ended up scoring.
Curve manager Joey Cora wasn’t down on Waddell’s outing, but he said that the walks are definitely something he needs to work on.
“That’s the thing that, when he’s going good, he doesn’t walk people,” Cora said. “When he’s not going good, he walks people. Tonight he walked four guys. At times he looked really good and at other times he didn’t. That’s the way Waddell’s season has been so far.”
In the bottom of the first inning after Glasnow sent down Reading 1-2-3, Eric Wood blasted a solo home run to left field to give the Curve an early lead. It was Wood’s 16th home run of the season, surpassing his career total of 15 home runs between 2012-2015.
In the sixth inning, Barrett Barnes crushed a pitch from Reading starter John Richy over the left field wall for his third home run in five games played. It was Barnes’ fourth home run of the season, as he went on a homer-less drought between May 3rd and August 7th. With three hits tonight, he raised his batting average back to .302 on the season after batting .221 on May 12th.
Edwin Espinal did add two hits with a double. Shortstop Kevin Newman had his second night off in a row in order to stack days of rest on top of each other leading up to the home stretch of the season.
In other notes, Chris Stewart will fly to Portland, Maine to continue with the team during their road trip. RHP Jason Creasy will be activated from the disabled list before Tuesday’s doubleheader, and the plan is for him to pitch 1 or 2 innings. -Sean McCool
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Bradenton lost 11-9 to Fort Myers and had to go to infielder Chase Simpson in the ninth to finish off the game, despite the score being so close. He walked two batters, but left the bases loaded, giving Bradenton a chance at a comeback. The game started with Stephen Tarpley on the mound and he got roughed up, partially due to poor control. In 4.1 innings, he allowed six runs on eight hits and five walks. Jose Regalado threw 2.2 shutout innings following Tarpley, then Luis Heredia came on for the final two innings. The problem was that he wasn’t any better than Tarpley, giving up five runs on four hits and two walks in 1.1 innings. Simpson got the last two outs without allowing a run.
The Marauders had some nice offense from their infielder. Kevin Kramer drove in four runs, collecting two doubles, along with a run scored. He now has 25 doubles on the season. Connor Joe hit his fifth homer, while also driving in four runs. He added two singles as well. Pablo Reyes started at shortstop and had two hits, two runs, a walk and his 11th stolen base. The only problem with their big games on offense, is that all three of them committed an error in the game. Tito Polo had two hits, a run scored, and his 35th stolen base.
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CHARLESTON, WV– Logan Hill continued his hot streak on an otherwise uneventful afternoon. After Logan Sendelbach pitched a perfect first inning, Hill uncorked his sixth home run of the season to put the Power on top early. Sendelbach couldn’t hold the lead, though, and the Power offense wasted several promising opportunities until a late rally pulled them within striking distance.
Hill struggled after his mid-May demotion, but in the last two months (including today’s contest when he went 3-for-4), his slash line is .319/.389/.553 with 22 runs and 18 RBI. He has reached base in all but two of the Power’s games in August.
At first, Hill’s homer looked like a routine warning track line drive, but the slight breeze and Hill’s strength coaxed the ball just past the outfield wall. “He’s got really good bat speed,” commented hitting coach Ryan Long. “He’s learning to control his strength.”
Jordan George, celebrating exactly one month with the Power, collected two doubles and two walks, although he never scored. George has been on a tear since being called up. He only hit .267 in his 23 games in Morgantown and is now hitting .321 with the Power.
Logan Sendelbach looked sharp early, striking out four in the first three innings, but as his pitch count crept up, he struggled. The third trip through the lineup for the Delmarva Shorebirds proved especially difficult for Sendelbach. In the fifth and sixth innings, the team roughed up the Power starter to the tune of four runs on five hits (including a two-run home run).
Sendelbach relies more on his pitch movement than velocity, and Delmarva has seen his pitches two other times this season. In his last start against Delmarva, Sendelbach couldn’t get out of the first inning, giving up three runs on five hits. His location wasn’t as sharp in the later innings today, and the Shorebirds took advantage. In the last three innings of his start, Delmarva lofted four fly ball outs in addition to the home run and a triple.
The Power made things interesting when they loaded the bases with one out in the sixth, but Casey Hughston and Tyler Filliben struck out to end the danger. Hughston’s trio of strikeouts brought his season total to 124 in only 83 games.
In the seventh, the Power pulled within a run of the Delmarva lead. John Bormann led off with a single, and after strikeouts by Alfredo Reyes and Logan Ratledge, Mitchell Tolman doubled to bring Bormann home. Tolman scored on the next pitch when Logan Hill lined a single to the outfield.
Mitchell Tolman had a chance to tie the game with a deep drive in the ninth, but right fielder Gerrion Grim tracked down the ball easily. The Power have a day off tomorrow and then start a road series in Lexington. – Abigail Miskowiec
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Morgantown went into the NYPL All-Star break with a 2-1 loss in Brooklyn, dropping them to a 25-31 record. Stephan Meyer started and threw shutout ball for his first five innings. In the sixth, he allowed two consecutive singles to start the inning, with one being an infield hit. All it took after that was a ground out, a wild pitch and a fielder’s choice to bring home both runs without the ball leaving the infield. That ended his night with two runs over 5.1 innings, with four hits, three walks and three strikeouts. Despite the walks, he still threw 56 of his 86 pitches for strikes. Meyer also posted a 6:3 GO/AO ratio.
The Black Bears got on the board first with their lone run in the fourth. Arden Pabst hit a two-out triple, then scored on a fielding error that allowed Sandy Santos to reach base. Stephen Alemais and Albert Baur each had two hits. Alemais stole his eighth base of the season.
Morgantown is now off until Wednesday. When they return to play, they will have 20 games over the last 20 days of the season.
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BRISTOL, VA – The Pirates split a double-header tonight, getting a rough start from their starter in the first game, and a solid outing from their starter in the second game. Ike Schlabach was one of the main guys I was looking forward to seeing on this trip. He’s very raw right now, as a tall, skinny lefty with a funky delivery that has a lot of moving parts.
Tonight he was up in the zone and got hit pretty hard, with three home runs allowed. That’s very difficult, as Boyce Cox Field is deep, and has really high fences all around. He struggled with his fastball command, and couldn’t get ahead of hitters most of the night, leaving in the fourth inning.
There were some things to like. He had good deception because of the funky delivery, making his 89-91 MPH fastball play up. He also had a few fastballs that worked well down in the zone, with good angle. When his stuff was on, he looked sharp. But he was inconsistent tonight, and that’s going to be the case for a guy at his age (19), with his current mechanics, until he gets comfortable with his size.
The Bristol offense didn’t do much in the first game, outside of Henrry Rosario. He had two hits, both of them home runs, giving him three total since his promotion to the new level earlier this month. Rosario is a small player who doesn’t project to do much in full season ball, and probably won’t make it to the upper levels, but his season this year has been fun to watch, and he’s looking like a great lower level depth guy. Garrett Brown also picked up two hits, showing off his plus speed. He also started in center field, and displayed an average arm at best. He’s got one tool, which is his speed, and that will make it difficult for him to become a prospect unless he develops his hitting skills or adds some power to justify playing in a corner.
The second game saw Matt Eckelman throw five shutout innings, giving up three hits, one walk, and striking out nine. He ran into problems in the first inning, throwing 30 pitches and almost getting pulled due to his single inning limit. He got his final batter out on pitch 30, and kept his start alive. The long inning was due to pitching deep into counts, rather than giving up a lot of walks and hits (he had one of each, and the inning was extended with an error).
Eckelman settled down after that, showing off a 91-93 MPH fastball that hit 94 once. He also had a good curve and a split changeup, relying on both pitches heavily. He had good command of his pitches, and good control outside of the first inning, with that inning being uncharacteristic of him. His fastball was elevated at times, but for the most part it was down in the zone with good angle, working the outer half of the plate.
The offense scored two runs, and Bristol won thanks to the solid pitching from Eckelman, plus a good relief appearance from Evan Piechota, who gave up just a solo homer in the ninth inning. Adrian Valerio struck out twice in the second game, showing poor recognition on curveballs, and not a lot of speed down the line. I’ll be featuring him this week, but today didn’t look good from the offensive side. I’ve seen better out of him in the past, with a line drive stroke to the gaps. He is also very smooth defensively, and while he didn’t put on the highlight reel performance that Stephen Alemais did a few weeks ago (he didn’t have as many opportunities), he does look very solid at the shortstop position. – Tim Williams
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The GCL Pirates have off on Sunday.
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The DSL Pirates have off on Sunday.
