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, Nick Kingham, 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 updated 2018 Mid-Season Prospect Guide, and links on each name go to their Pirates Prospects player pages.
1. Mitch Keller, RHP, Indianapolis – DNP
2. Ke’Bryan Hayes, 3B, Altoona – DNP
3. Cole Tucker, SS, Altoona – 0-for-4
4. Oneil Cruz, SS, West Virginia – DNP
5. Travis Swaggerty, CF, West Virginia – DNP
6. Kevin Kramer, 2B, Indianapolis – 1-for-4, RBI
7. Kevin Newman, SS, Pirates – In Majors
8. Calvin Mitchell, OF, West Virginia – DNP
9. Luis Escobar, RHP, Altoona – 6.1 IP, 6 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 4 SO
10. Clay Holmes, RHP, Pirates – In Majors
11. Bryan Reynolds, OF, Altoona – 1-for-4
12. Jordan Luplow, LF, Indianapolis – DNP
13. Jason Martin, OF, Indianapolis – 0-for-3
14. Will Craig, 1B, Altoona – 0-for-4
15. Nick Burdi, RHP, Indianapolis – 2 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 1 SO
16. Braxton Ashcraft, RHP, GCL Pirates – DNP
17. Travis MacGregor, RHP, West Virginia – DNP
18. Braeden Ogle, LHP, West Virginia – DNP
19. Lolo Sanchez, CF, West Virginia – DNP
20. JT Brubaker, RHP, Indianapolis – DNP
21. Jared Oliva, CF, Bradenton – 3-for-4, 2B
22. Ji-Hwan Bae, SS, GCL Pirates – DNP
23. Cody Bolton, RHP, West Virginia – DNP
24. Brandon Waddell, LHP, Indianapolis – 6 IP, 7 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 8 SO
25. Dario Agrazal, RHP, Altoona – DNP
26. Stephen Alemais, 2B/SS, Altoona – 2-for-4
27. Max Kranick, RHP, West Virginia – DNP
28. Mason Martin, 1B, Bristol – 0-for-8, RBI
29. Steven Jennings, RHP, Bristol – 2.1 IP, 7 H, 6 ER, 2 BB, 4 SO
30. Aaron Shortridge, RHP, Morgantown – DNP
Indianapolis lost 2-1 to Columbus.
Brandon Waddell got the start, trying to turn around an August that has been rough so far. He did just that on Wednesday, though the offense failed to show up in support of his outing. Waddell tossed six shutout innings on seven hits and a walk, while striking out eight batters. He had a 5:0 GO/AO ratio and threw 65 of 102 pitches for strikes. He was followed by two pitchers on rehab, who could join the Pirates on September 1st. AJ Schugel allowed a run on a hit and a walk in his only inning. Nick Burdi gave up one run on two hits and a walk in two innings.
Indianapolis had plenty of scoring chances with seven hits, including three doubles, plus five walks. They went 1-for-9 with runners in scoring position and stranded ten runners. Max Moroff had a double, walk and scored the lone run. Pablo Reyes hit his 18th double and Jacob Stallings hit his 20th. Kevin Kramer brought home the only run with a first inning single.
Here is the boxscore from the MiLB site.
You can view the season preview here.
Altoona won 3-2 over Harrisburg.
Coming into tonight, Luis Escobar has failed to reach the sixth inning in four straight starts, throwing a total of 17.1 innings. He finally cleared that hurdle on Wednesday and put together a strong outing, going 6.1 innings, with two runs on six hits and a walk, striking out four batters. He was able to keep his pitch count down by throwing more strikes (58 of 90 pitches). He now has a 4.54 ERA in seven Double-A starts. Sean Keselica followed, getting the final two outs of the seventh while stranding two runners. Tate Scioneaux and Matt Eckelman took care of the final two innings. Eckelman picked up his ninth save for Altoona. He also had six with Bradenton earlier this year.
The Curve scored three runs on eight hits, though two of those runs came on one swing of the bat from Logan Hill, who hit his 17th homer. He also added his 11th double. Christian Kelley had an RBI single to bring in the other run. Stephen Alemais had two hits.
Sean McCool got an update after the game tonight on Ke’Bryan Hayes
Ke’Bryan Hayes will work out Thursday and, based on how he feels, be available to play on Friday, according to Curve manager Michael Ryan.
Hayes hurt his shoulder earlier this week after slipping on a bat.
— Sean McCool (@NotSoMcCool) August 23, 2018
Here is the boxscore from the MiLB site.
You can view the season preview here.
Bradenton lost 8-3 to Charlotte.
Pedro Vasquez got the start and went six innings, giving up five runs (four earned) on five hits and two walks, with four strikeouts. He has given up 11 earned runs over 14.1 innings since being demoted to Bradenton. Ronny Agustin and Deivy Mendez each threw scoreless innings, while Blake Cederlind allowed three runs in his only frame.
Jared Oliva returned from his injury, though he hasn’t be on the disabled and did play defense a few times (even started once) after he was hit by a pitch two weeks ago and couldn’t swing the bat. He went 3-for-4 with a double and a run scored. Hunter Owen hit his 15th homer, a solo shot in the fourth inning. Brett Pope had two walks and a run scored. Those were the only two Bradenton walks, one day after they failed to draw any walks.
Here is the boxscore from the MiLB site.
You can view the season preview here.
West Virginia had off on Wednesday.
Here is the boxscore from the MiLB site.
You can view the season preview here.
Morgantown lost 9-3 to Batavia.
Osvaldo Bido got the start, coming off of his last two outings in which he gave up one run over 12 total innings, while striking out 16 batters. He could not repeat those strong performances, allowing six earned runs on nine hits and a walk in 4.2 innings. He had four strikeouts and threw 63 of 94 pitches for strikes. Argenis Romano took over in the fifth and went the rest of the way, allowing one run over 4.1 innings, with six strikeouts.
Edison Lantigua took part in all of the scoring, going 1-for-3 with a double, walk, RBI and two runs scored. His hit was the only extra-base hit for the Black Bears. Jhoan Herrera had two singles and an RBI. Melvin Jimenez had a single, walk and RBI.
Here is the boxscore from the MiLB site.
You can view the season preview here.
Bristol lost 7-6 to Kingsport.
Colin Selby got the start in game one of a doubleheader. He was strong through the first five innings, but ran into trouble in the sixth. Selby finished with three runs on five hits and two walks in five innings (he didn’t retire either batter he faced in the sixth). He threw 47 of 84 pitches for strikes and had a 9:3 GO/AO ratio. Luis Nova followed and walked all three batters he faced, throwing 15 pitches total. Allen Montgomery was out next and he let all three inherited runners score, plus a run of his own. That all amounted to Bristol going from a 4-1 lead in the sixth to a 7-4 deficit. They scored two runs in the seventh due to a wild relief pitcher, but came up short.
Pat Dorrian hit his first home run since being promoted to Bristol. It was a three-run shot in the fourth inning. He also reached on a single and hit-by-pitch. Zac Susi went 3-for-3 with three singles and an RBI. Mikell Granberry was 2-for-4 with two singles and two runs scored.
Here is the boxscore from the MiLB site.
In game two, Steven Jennings got the start and it was a tough outing. He lasted just 2.1 innings, giving up nine runs (six earned) on seven hits and two walks, with four strikeouts. He was up to 63 pitches when he was removed. Kingsport scored three in the first after a two out error, then added two in the second and seven in the third inning. The final three runs came against Lizardy Dicent, who didn’t allow any hits, but walked two and hit a batter. An error allowed two of the runs to score against him. Dicent threw a scoreless fourth, then Yerry De Los Santos allowed one unearned run over the final two innings.
The Pirates went silent on offense despite scoring six runs in the 13-6 loss. They had two hits in the six-run fourth, but they were mostly helped by five walks, two wild pitches and an error. Bristol had just two walks and no hits in the first three and last three innings combined. Brendt Citta had an RBI double and Victor Ngoepe had an RBI single for the only hits.
These losses make the playoffs extremely tough now, though a win tomorrow night against Kingsport would help them out a lot. Bristol now trails Kingsport by two games for the second playoff spot. The problem is that there are only seven games left and Kingsport holds the tie-breaker, so they basically have a three-game lead at this point. A tie in the final standings won’t help Bristol.
You can view the season preview here.
The GCL Pirates had their game canceled on Wednesday after taking a 3-2 lead in the top of the fifth. After a lengthy rain delay, the game needed to be canceled because the two teams don’t meet again this season. One of the interesting parts of this game was the GCL debut of Jose Maldonado, who started and allowed two runs over four innings. The stats will be wiped out and the season ends Saturday, so he won’t have any GCL stats this season. Maldonado was pitching in the DSL until coming to the U.S. on Sunday.
Here is the boxscore from the MiLB site.
You can view the season preview here.
The DSL Pirates1 lost 10-8 to the Dodgers Guerrero.
Miguel Peralta had a tough finish to his season on Wednesday, allowing six earned runs while recording just one out. He wasn’t doing well before the game, but it added an extra 1.33 to his ERA (6.98 to 8.31). Yandy Vega followed with two unearned runs over three innings. Julio Rosario tossed 3.2 scoreless innings while striking out seven batters. Assuming his season is done, he finishes with a 3.09 ERA and 41 strikeouts in 35 innings, after a 9.25 ERA last year, when he issued more walks than innings pitched. Domingo Gonzalez struck out the side in the eighth, then gave up two runs in the ninth. Out of available pitchers, the Pirates brought in catcher Ruben Gonzalez with the bases loaded and he stranded all three runners.
The offense had a big day, with 15 hits, including seven with runners in scoring position. Yoyner Fajardo had two singles, his 13th double and his 16th stolen base. He also scored twice and drove in two runs. Darwin Baez had two singles, a double, a run scored and an RBI. Norkis Marcos had a single, double, walk, RBI and two runs scored. Daniel Rivero and Emilson Rosado each had two hits. Rivero has a .312 average in 58 games, with more walks (20) than strikeouts (16).
Here is the boxscore from the MiLB site.
The DSL Pirates2 lost 10-5 to the Giants.
Just like the other Dominican game, this one had a rough finish to the season for the starter. Angel Suero allowed five runs in the first inning. His ERA went from 4.63 to 5.75 in this game. Wander Romero finished with two runs over 2.2 innings. Raydel Velette allowed two runs in 2.1 innings, with four walks and four strikeouts. Eddy Vargas threw a scoreless seventh, then walked four batters to allow a run in the eighth.
Eduar Ramirez went 3-for-4 and drove in three runs. He also walked and scored a run. Yeison Ceballo had two hits and an RBI. Tilsaimy Melfor had a double, two walks and two runs scored. Edgar Barrios had two walks and two runs scored.
Here is the boxscore from the MiLB site.
You can view the season preview for both teams here.
