P2Daily: Previewing This Week’s Pirates Minor League Opponents

We’re back to your regular scheduled MiLB Week Ahead with the games beginning on Tuesday.

This week is highlighted by facing a collection of 2020 & 2021 draft picks, and an opposing Top 100 prospect at every level but Triple-A.

Starting with the Indianapolis Indians, they’ll be facing a Toledo Mud Hens club that is simmering around league average in statistical rankings which translates into a game above 500 club at 46-45. Joey Wentz — LHP acquired when the Detroit Tigers traded Shane Greene to the Atlanta Braves in 2019 — is the highest ranked prospect on their club, but he’s been shelved with a shoulder injury since June 21st.

Double-A is where things begin to get interesting as the Altoona Curve battle the Bowie Baysox. The Baysox roster consists of seven of the Baltimore Orioles Top 15 prospects, highlighted by Top 100 prospect and 2021 1st round pick Colton Cowser. The Eastern League season operates in two halves, where the first half division winner faces the second half winner in the first round of playoffs. Currently the Baysox lead the Eastern League Southwest division — after finishing dead last in the first half — with the Curve only trailing by half a game.

A few days after Endy Rodriguez and the Greensboro Grasshoppers terrorized the Hickory Crawdads pitching staff (Grasshoppers pitchers were terrorized as well), they welcome in the Winston-Salem Dash who also find themselves in the bottom half of team ERA. The Dash roster has the Chicago White Sox 2021 first round pick and Top 100 prospect Colson Montgomery. The South Atlantic League also operates their season in two halves where the Grasshoppers find themselves only three games back of the division league, even as they’re currently one game under 500 at 11-12.

Not to be left out, the Bradenton Marauders will face the second of two Detroit Tigers’ affiliates this week in the Lakeland Flying Tigers. They’ll also be taking on their very own 2021 first found pick and Top 100 prospect, Jackson Jobe. In total the Flying Tigers roster has five of Detroit’s Top 15 prospects. Bradenton additionally find themselves in the second half hunt, trailing the Florida State League West division leader Tampa Tarpons by half a game.

Triple-A: Indianapolis Indians

Opponent: @TOLEDO (TIGERS)

Opponent Stats

Team OPS: .737 OPS
Rank: 12/20
Team ERA: 4.52
ERA Rank: 9/20

Top Prospects

Player | Position | Pipeline Ranking

JOEY WENTZ | LHP | 11
GARRETT HILL | RHP | 22
KERRY CARPENTER | OF | 23

DOUBLE-A: ALTOONA CURVE

Opponent: @BOWIE (ORIOLES)

Opponent Stats

Team OPS: .740 OPS
Rank: 5/12
Team ERA: 4.54
ERA Rank: 8/12

Top Prospects

Player | Position | Pipeline Ranking

COLTON COWSER | OF | 3
- Pipeline Top 100 – #41
COBY MAYO | | 3B | 6
CONNOR NORBY | 2B | 9
CESAR PRIETO | INF | 10
JOSEPH ORTIZ | SS | 13
HUDSON HASKIN | OF | 14
DREW ROM | LHP | 15
ZACH PEEK | RHP | 30

HIGH-A: GREENSBORO GRASSHOPPERS

Opponent: WINSTON-SALEM (WHITE SOX)

Opponent Stats

Team OPS: .739 OPS
Rank: 7/12
Team ERA: 4.66
ERA Rank: 8/12

Top Prospects

Player | Position | Pipeline Ranking

COLSON MONTGOMERY | SS | 1
- Pipeline Top 100 – #91
- Baseball America Top 100 – #53
BRYAN RAMOS | 3B/2B | 8
MATTHEW THOMPSON | RHP | 10
ANDREW DALQUIST | RHP | 11
LUIS MIESES | OF | 24
CRISTIAN MENA | RHP | 29
ADAM HACKENBERG | C | 30

SINGLE-A: BRADENTON MARAUDERS

Opponent: LAKELAND (TIGERS)

Opponent Stats

Team OPS: .695 OPS
Rank: 3/10
Team ERA: 4.18
ERA Rank: 10/10

Top Prospects

Player | Position | Pipeline Ranking

JACKSON JOBE | RHP | 2
- Pipeline Top 100 – #24
- Baseball America Top 100 – #77
CRISTIAN SANTANA | SS | 4
IZAAC PACHECO | 3B | 7
ROBERTO CAMPOS | OF | 9
MANUEL SEQUERA | SS | 13
JOSE DE LA CRUZ | OF | 17
TYLER MATTISON | RHP | 27