A look at how the current top 30 prospects did today. If a player is in the majors for an extended time or loses his prospect eligibility (Colin Moran, Edgar Santana, Kyle Crick, Max Moroff and Dovydas Neverauskas), he will be removed from this list. 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 more active prospects on the list. Rankings are from our 2018 Prospect Guide, and links on each name go to their Pirates Prospects player pages.
1. Mitch Keller, RHP, Altoona – DNP
2. Austin Meadows, CF, Pirates – In Majors
3. Cole Tucker, SS, Altoona – DNP
4. Shane Baz, RHP, Extended Spring Training – DNP
5. Ke’Bryan Hayes, 3B, Altoona – DNP
6. Kevin Newman, SS, Indianapolis – DNP
7. Taylor Hearn, LHP, Altoona – DNP
8. Lolo Sanchez, CF, West Virginia – DNP
9. Bryan Reynolds, OF, Altoona – DNP
10. Jordan Luplow, LF, Indianapolis – DNP
11. Luis Escobar, RHP, Bradenton – 6.2 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 3 BB, 5 SO
12. Clay Holmes, RHP, Indianapolis – DNP
13. Braeden Ogle, LHP, West Virginia – DNP
14. Nick Kingham, RHP, Pirates – In Majors
15. Kevin Kramer, 2B, Indianapolis – DNP
16. Adrian Valerio, SS, Bradenton – 2-for-5, 2 2B, RBI
17. Calvin Mitchell, OF, West Virginia – DNP
18. Oneil Cruz, SS, West Virginia – DNP
19. Nick Burdi, RHP, Pirates (disabled list) – DNP
20. Dario Agrazal, RHP, Altoona – DNP
21. JT Brubaker, RHP, Indianapolis – DNP
22. Will Craig, 1B, Altoona – DNP
23. Stephen Alemais, 2B/SS, Altoona – DNP
24. Jason Martin, OF, Altoona – DNP
25. Brandon Waddell, LHP, Indianapolis – DNP
26. Eduardo Vera, RHP, Altoona – DNP
27. Mason Martin, 1B, West Virginia – DNP
28. Conner Uselton, OF, Extended Spring Training – DNP
29. Cody Bolton, RHP, West Virginia – DNP
30. Steven Jennings, RHP, Extended Spring Training – DNP
Indianapolis was off on Monday.
Here is the boxscore from the MiLB site.
You can view the season preview here.
Altoona was off on Monday.
Here is the boxscore from the MiLB site.
You can view the season preview here.
Bradenton won 5-2 over Florida.
Jung Ho Kang played his third game since returning and his second at third base. He homered on Saturday, took off on Sunday and then homered again tonight. He also had three singles, drove in three runs and stole a base. He’s 6-for-12 with three walks. He’s been perfect in the field so far.
Luis Escobar got overshadowed tonight, but he put together a strong outing. He went 6.2 innings, allowing one run on four hits, three walks, one hit batter and he struck out five, while throwing just 56 of his 101 pitches for strikes. He now has a 3.62 ERA this season in 54.2 innings, with 45 strikeouts. Blake Weiman stranded two inherited runners in the seventh for Escobar, then threw a scoreless eighth. FSL All-Star Matt Eckelman finished the game off with one run in the ninth.
Mitchell Tolman had four hits on Sunday in his season debut after serving a 50-game suspension to start the season. In this game he went 0-for-4 and struck out three times.
Jared Oliva hit his sixth homer of the season. Adrian Valerio hit two doubles, scored twice and drove in a run. Alfredo Reyes walked in all four plate appearances and stole his 16th base.
Here is the boxscore from the MiLB site.
You can view the season preview here.
West Virginia was off on Monday.
You can view the season preview here.
The DSL Pirates1 won 7-3 over the Cubs1.
Juan Pie, the top internationals signing for the Pirates in the DSL, hit his first pro home run. The big hit in the game was a three-run homer from Ronaldo Paulino, who is one of the few returning players from last year. Catcher Yeison Ceballo had a triple, single and walk off of the bench. Shendrik Apostel made his debut and doubled. Norkis Marcos, who was the top shortstop signed on July 2nd, went 1-for-3 with a walk.
The starter was Jesus Valles, who is one of the oldest players who signed with the Pirates during the 2017-18 international signing class. The 20-year-old righty from Venezuela went 4.1 innings, allowing two earned runs on five hits and a walk, with six strikeouts. He was followed by Jose Marcano, who pitched great in the DSL last year and got an invite to the Fall Instructional League last September, yet returned to the DSL for a second season. Marcano was used for just two outs before giving way to Andres Arrieta, who threw three no-hit, shutout innings.
Here is the boxscore from the MiLB site.
The DSL Pirates2 lost 7-6 to Colorado.
Matthew Mercedes is one of the few returning players from last year’s club and he tried to prove that was a mistake in his first game. He picked up three hits, including two homers and drove in four runs. He played 39 games without a homer last year. Pedro Castillo also returned from last year and he homered and had a game-tying single in the ninth. Castillo had two hits in Saturday’s opener. Tilsaimy Melfor is off to a hot start in just two games, picking up three hits each day. Edgar Barrios had three singles and Mariano Dotel had a single, double and a walk. Barrios and Melfor each stole their first base.
Luis Peralta got the start. He’s a lefty, who signed for $110,000 as a 16-year-old last year on July 2nd. He had a rough debut, allowing three runs on two hits and three walks in 2.2 innings, with three strikeouts. Willy Basil debuted next and gave up two runs in four innings, but he also picked up six strikeouts. Oscar Echarry took the loss by loading the bases in the ninth with the score tied, then giving up the walk-off hit.
Here is the boxscore from the MiLB site.
You can view the season preview for both teams here.
