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 – 1-for-3, 2 BB, 2 SB
4. Shane Baz, RHP, Extended Spring Training – DNP
5. Ke’Bryan Hayes, 3B, Altoona – 3-for-3, 3B, BB, HBP
6. Kevin Newman, SS, Indianapolis – 0-for-3, BB
7. Taylor Hearn, LHP, Altoona – DNP
8. Lolo Sanchez, CF, West Virginia – 1-for-3, BB, SB
9. Bryan Reynolds, OF, Altoona – 1-for-5,2B, RBI
10. Jordan Luplow, LF, Indianapolis – 1-for-4, RBI
11. Luis Escobar, RHP, Bradenton – DNP
12. Clay Holmes, RHP, Indianapolis – DNP
13. Braeden Ogle, LHP, West Virginia – DNP
14. Nick Kingham, RHP, Indianapolis – DNP
15. Kevin Kramer, 2B, Indianapolis – 2-for-3, 2 2B, RBI, HBP
16. Adrian Valerio, SS, Bradenton – 1-for-6, 2B, BB
17. Calvin Mitchell, OF, West Virginia – 0-for-3, BB
18. Oneil Cruz, SS, West Virginia – 1-for-5
19. Nick Burdi, RHP, Pirates (disabled list) – DNP
20. Dario Agrazal, RHP, Altoona – DNP
21. JT Brubaker, RHP, Indianapolis – 5.2 IP, 6 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 5 SO
22. Will Craig, 1B, Altoona – 3-for-5, 2B, HR, 5 RBI
23. Stephen Alemais, 2B/SS, Altoona – DNP
24. Jason Martin, OF, Altoona – 2-for-5, HR, 2 RBI
25. Brandon Waddell, LHP, Indianapolis – DNP
26. Eduardo Vera, RHP, Altoona – 7 IP, 6 H, 3 ER, 0 BB, 5 SO
27. Mason Martin, 1B, Bristol – 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 won 5-2 over Toledo
JT Brubaker got the start and threw five shutout innings on a high pitch count. He surprisingly came out for the sixth and not surprisingly it didn’t go well, as he gave up three hits while recording just one out. Brubaker allowed just three hits in the first five innings, with two walks and five strikeouts. Jesus Liranzo came on to finish the inning and two runs were charged to Brubaker, who now has a 3.13 ERA through seven starts with Indianapolis. Liranzo had 1.2 scoreless, while Josh Smoker and Bo Schultz each tossed a shutout frame.
Kevin Kramer hit two doubles to give him 12 on the season. He had a run scored and an RBI. Jose Osuna had a single, double, walk, RBI and run scored. Adam Frazier picked up his first double and first RBI. Jordan Luplow and Christopher Bostick also drove in runs. Jung Ho Kang played his second Triple-A game and went 0-for-4 for the second straight day. He had three strikeouts yesterday and none today.
Here is the boxscore from the MiLB site.
You can view the season preview here.
Altoona won 12-3 over Binghamton.
Will Craig had the big day and hit a significant home run for him. He drove in five runs, connecting on his 14th double and his seventh home run. That homer number surpasses his total from last year with Bradenton and this was only Altoona’s 58th game. Craig has driven in 43 runs. Jason Martin hit his ninth home run, a two-run shot in the fourth. He also had a single and scored three runs. Ke’Bryan Hayes reached base all five plate appearances with two singles, his third triple, a walk and a hit-by-pitch. He scored a pair of runs. Cole Tucker had a single, two walks, two stolen bases and a run scored. He now has ten steals. Logan Ratledge hit a three-run homer.
Eduardo Vera made his third start for Altoona and for the third time he went seven innings. In fact, he has gone at least six innings in every start since his Opening Day assignment when he was limited to five innings due to the fact he was still building up his pitch count. Vera allowed three runs on six hits and no walks, while striking out five batters. He posted a better than normal 6:4 GO/AO ratio and threw 59 of his 87 pitches for strikes. On the season, he has a 43:11 SO/BB ratio in 79 innings. The strikeout rate is low, but he has upped it a little in each of his last two starts.
Here is the boxscore from the MiLB site.
You can view the season preview here.
Bradenton lost 6-0 to Florida in the first game of a doubleheader, eliminating them from the first half playoff race.
Enny Romero started in rehab and gave up a run on three hits, while recording two outs. He was on a 25-pitch limit, going one over that to get through the final batter, with 20 of his 26 pitches going for strikes. Adam Oller, who was scheduled to start today, was out next and he allowed four earned runs over 4.1 innings. Jake Brentz finished off the loss with a quiet sixth inning.
The Marauders had five singles in the game. Jared Oliva and Mitchell Tolman each had two hits, while Jason Delay had the other. Oliva also reached on a hit-by-pitch. Alfredo Reyes had the only two walks. The team went 0-for-3 with runners in scoring position.
Here is the boxscore from the MiLB site.
In game two, James Marvel dominated Florida for a 3-2 win. He pitched a seven-inning complete game, giving up one earned run on two hits and no walks, with seven strikeouts and a 9:3 GO/AO ratio. He threw 62 of his 83 pitches for strikes.
The Marauders scored in the first on an Adrian Valerio double and an Alfredo Reyes single. They went down 2-1 on the scoreboard until the sixth when Hunter Owen singled and scored on an Arden Pabst double. Bradenton took the lead in the seventh on an Albert Baur double and a Reyes single.
You can view the season preview here.
West Virginia won 7-5 over Augusta.
The middle of the order provided the offense. All-Star Deon Stafford, Ben Bengtson and Brett Pope (4-6 hitters) each drove in two runs. Bengtson now has a 13-game hitting streak. Stafford had two hits and a walk. Pope drove in his runs without the benefit of a base hit. Rodolfo Castro and Calvin Mitchell each scored two runs. Castro had a single, walk and an RBI. Lolo Sanchez had a single, walk, run scored and his 12th stolen base.
Gavin Wallace allowed four runs on seven hits in six innings. He had no walks and eight strikeouts, to give him a 37:8 SO/BB ratio in 56.2 innings. Half of his walks came in his first start back from a late April concussion. He threw 53 of 70 pitches for strikes. Blake Cederlind allowed one run in two innings and Matt Seelinger picked up the save with a perfect ninth.
Here is the boxscore from the MiLB site.
You can view the season preview here.
The DSL Pirates1 lost 11-2 on Tuesday.
Miguel Peralta started and allowed six runs (four earned) on eight hits and no walks in 3.1 innings. Wilger Camacho finished the fourth and gave up a run on three hits and a walk. Jordy Ortega couldn’t get through a full inning in his debut, allowing two runs and picking up two strikeouts. Luis Nova finished things off with two runs over 4.1 innings, while striking out seven batters.
The offense came from six players who picked up one hit each. Norkis Marcos hit his first triple. Yoyner Fajardo drove in a run with his first double. Daniel Angulo had a single, an RBI and a walk in his first pro game. Juan Pie had an 0-for-5 day.
Here is the boxscore from the MiLB site.
The DSL Pirates2 lost 13-4 to drop to 1-8 on the season.
Outfielder Angel Basabe, who signed for $450,000 last July, hit his first home run as a pro. He also added a single and a walk in this game. Edgar Barrios, Pedro Castillo, Bryan Mateo and Ivan Rosario all had a single and a walk. Fleury Nova doubled and scored a run.
Starter Estalin Ortiz couldn’t get out of the first inning, giving up five runs on four hits and a walk. He left with the bases loaded and reliever Yeison Santos allowed all three runs to score. Santos gave up two runs of his own in 3.1 innings. Carlos Campos allowed four runs over 1.1 innings, while Eddison Polonia surrendered two runs over the final three frames.
Here is the boxscore from the MiLB site.
You can view the season preview for both teams here.
