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 (Clay Holmes, Jacob Stallings, Kevin Newman and Bryan Reynolds), 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 (Travis MacGregor, Nick Burdi and Stephen Alemais), 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 2019 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, Indianapolis – 1-for-5
3. Cole Tucker, SS, Indianapolis – 1-for-5
4. Oneil Cruz, SS, Altoona – 0-for-3, BB
5. Travis Swaggerty, CF, Bradenton – DNP
6. Kevin Kramer, 2B, Indianapolis – 1-for-5
7. Will Craig, 1B, Indianapolis – 2-for-4
8. Jason Martin, OF, Indianapolis – 2-for-4, SB
9. JT Brubaker, RHP, Indianapolis – DNP
10. Calvin Mitchell, OF, Bradenton – DNP
11. Cody Bolton, RHP, Altoona – DNP
12. Tahnaj Thomas, RHP, Bristol – DNP
13. Braxton Ashcraft, RHP, Morgantown – DNP
14. Lolo Sanchez, CF, Bradenton – DNP
15. Pablo Reyes, Util, Pirates – In Majors
16. Braeden Ogle, LHP, Bradenton – DNP
17. Michael Burrows, RHP, Morgantown – DNP
18. Jared Oliva, CF, Altoona – 3-for-5
19. Ji-Hwan Bae, SS, Greensboro – 2-for-4, BB
20. Max Kranick, RHP, Bradenton – DNP
21. Luis Escobar, RHP, Indianapolis – 2 IP, H, BB, K
22. Osvaldo Bido, RHP, Bradenton – DNP
23. Eduardo Vera, RHP, – Released, article here
24. Gage Hinsz, RHP, Altoona – DNP
25. Aaron Shortridge, RHP, Bradenton – DNP
26. Blake Weiman, LHP, Indianapolis – DNP
27. Steven Jennings, RHP, Greensboro – DNP
28. Brandon Waddell, LHP, Indianapolis – DNP
29. Jesus Liranzo, RHP, Altoona – DNP
30. Rodolfo Castro, 2B, Bradenton – DNP
Indianapolis allowed 11 hits but beat Durham, 3-1. Alex McRae allowed seven hits and three walks over five innings, but only one run. Luis Escobar got through two scoreless innings despite throwing only 13 of 25 pitches for strikes. Dovydas Neverauskas struck out four over the final two innings, although he had to survive three hits in the eighth.
The Indians had 11 hits themselves, but they were all singles except for two doubles by Jake Elmore, who has 27 on the year. Will Craig and Jason Martin each had two hits, with Martin stealing his seventh base. Martin is batting .313 since the AAA All-Star break.
You can view the season preview here.
Altoona blew an early 5-1 lead and lost to Reading, 8-6. Cody Ponce, recently acquired from the Brewers, got the start and allowed two runs in three innings. Ponce improved after Milwaukee moved him to the bullpen, but he reportedly wants to start and the Pirates may be accommodating him. Nick Economos, who’s having a very rough time so far in AA, followed Ponce and gave up six runs over three and a third innings. Angel German and Joel Cesar threw scoreless ball for the last two and two-thirds innings, although German let two of Economos’ runs score.
Altoona had a dozen hits, but also struck out 15 times. Jared Oliva had three hits, and Mitchell Tolman and Darnell Sweeney each had a single and double. Arden Pabst added his fourth home run and Bligh Madris his 24th double.
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Bradenton was rained out on Saturday. They will play a doubleheader on Sunday.
Here’s the boxscore.
You can view the season preview here.
Greensboro got six no-hit innings from Noe Toribio in an 8-0 win over Asheville. He walked one and fanned six. Toribio came out after just 69 pitches even though he’d thrown over 80 pitches in his previous two starts. Winston Nicacio faced only nine batters over the final three innings, but one singled in the eighth before Jack Herman threw him out trying to stretch it into a double.
Jonah Davis continued to swing a hot bat, getting three hits, including his 14th home run to start the bottom of the first. After posting a .422 OPS in 22 first-half games, Davis has an OPS of .998 in 38 second-half games. Luke Mangieri also had three hits, including his fourth home run and fourth double since moving up from Morgantown. Zac Susi had a single and a three-run homer, his third longball on the season. Ji-Hwan Bae had two hits.
You can view the season preview here.
Morgantown lost to Williamsport, 5-1. Bear Bellomy started and gave up a run on five hits and two walks over four innings. He struck out three. Elvis Escobar continued his rehab, giving up a run on a pair of doubles in one inning. Austin Roberts gave up three runs in three innings, with all of the damage resulting from a control meltdown in the eighth.
The Black Bears had only six hits, half of them by Cory Wood. He had a single, his sixth double and his third triple. Fernando Villegas had his first double at this level. The Bears had plenty of chances, thanks to eight walks, but they went 1-for-9 with runners in scoring position and stranded 14.
You can view the season preview here.
Bristol obliterated Kingsport, 19-5. Every player in the starting lineup scored at least once and all but one had at least one RBI. Three players — Jesus Valdez, Francisco Acuna and Daniel Rivero — each drove in four runs. Rivero had three hits, including his first professional home run. Acuna had a pair of doubles, giving him 16 on the year, tied for the league lead. Valdez had three hits, including his eighth double, and scored three times. Ernny Ordonez and Jake Wright each had two hits.
Starter Jose Maldonado had a good news/bad news outing. He gave up no runs or hits over four innings. He did, however, walk five batters and hit two, while throwing only 34 of 71 pitches for strikes. Luis Arrieta gave up four runs in two innings. Matt Eardensohn gave up an unearned run in picking up the three-inning save.
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The GCL Pirates blew a 5-3 ninth-inning lead and lost to the Orioles, 6-5. The Pirates were getting no-hit until Tilsamy Melfor hit a pinch-single with one out in the sixth. Melfor stayed in the game and helped the team take a lead by going 3-for-3 with two runs and an RBI. Norkis Marcos had two hits, and Jasiah Dixon and Daniel Angulo had the only other ones. All seven hits were singles. The top five batters in the order went a combined 0-for-15.
Estalin Ortiz started, but went only two and a third as the game ran into a rain delay. Ortiz gave up two runs on two hits and two walks, while striking out four. Wilger Camacho, Starlyn Reynoso, Willy Basil, Daniel Ross and Jake Sweeney combined for five and two thirds innings with no earned runs allowed, although Ross gave up four hits and an unearned run in his four-out stint. Orsen Josehpina gave up three runs in the bottom of the ninth while retiring only one batter to take the loss.
Here’s the boxscore.
You can view the season preview here.
The DSL Pirates1 routed the Rays2, 12-6. The Pirates got grand slams from both Juan Jerez and Darwin Baez. The home run was number five for each. Jerez also had a single and drove in five runs total. Fleury Nova, Jose Berroa, Orlando Chivilli, Ronny Sanchez and Luis Tello each had two hits, with Berroa getting his sixth double and Tello his second. The team had 14 hits in all.
Starter Raydel Velette gave up one run over four innings. He allowed just two hits and two walks, and struck out one. Carlos Campos and Argenys Dominguez had more trouble, allowing five runs over a combined four innings. Wilkin Valdez finished with a scoreless inning.
Here’s the boxscore.
The DSL Pirates2 erased a 5-1 deficit with six runs in the bottom of the eighth, then held on to beat the Mariners, 7-6. Alexander Mojica had the big hit, a two-run, pinch-hit triple that put the Pirates up. It was his first triple of the year. Carlos Arroyo had two hits, including his tenth double, and six other players had one hit each. Starter Felipe Mezquita fanned six over four and two-thirds innings, while allowing two runs. Jose Amaya and Darvin Garcia each allowed two runs in relief.
Here’s the boxscore.
You can view the season preview here.
