All four full season teams are in action tonight, starting with two games at 6PM. Pitching tonight for Bradenton is Jameson Taillon, making his High-A debut. He is the second best prospect in the Pirates system, behind only Gerrit Cole, who will make his pro debut for Bradenton on Monday. Also starting tonight are Jeff Locke, Brandon Cumpton, who are ranked 11 and 40 respectively, in the Pirates Prospects 2012 Prospect Guide. A full recap of last night’s action can be viewed here.
AAA: Indianapolis (0-1) @ Toledo (1-0) 6:00pm
Probable starter: Jeff Locke (0-3 6.48 for the Pirates last year)
Indianapolis finished the 2011 season in 2nd place with a 76-68 record. They began their 2012 season yesterday with a 5-1 loss (Game story here). Today’s starter, Jeff Locke, went 0-3 6.48 for the Pirates and 8-10 3.70 in 153.1 innings between Altoona and Indy prior to his major league debut. Prospects on the Indianapolis roster to watch this year include Jeff Locke, Starling Marte, Justin Wilson, Jordy Mercer, Rudy Owens and Kyle McPherson(DL), as well as Brad Lincoln and Chase d’Arnaud. A team preview can be viewed here.
AA: Altoona (2-0) VS Richmond (0-2) 6:00pm
Probable starter: Brandon Cumpton (3-3 3.66 for Bradenton last year)
Altoona won their second game of the season last night by a 4-2 score (Game story here). Today’s starting pitcher, Brandon Cumpton went 10-7 3.98 in 133.1 innings last year, splitting the season between WV and Bradenton. The Curve finished the 2011 season in 6th place with a 64-77 record. Prospects on their roster to watch this year include Tony Sanchez, Robbie Grossman, Jarek Cunningham, Ramon Cabrera, Brock Holt, Elevys Gonzalez, Nate Baker and Matt Curry. A team preview can be viewed here.
High-A: Bradenton (1-1) @ St Lucie (1-1) 6:30pm
Probable starter: Jameson Taillon (2-3 3.98 for WV last year)
Bradenton lost last night by a 5-1 score. A.J. Burnett made the start and gave up one run in 4.2 innings (Game story here). Top rated prospect, Jameson Taillon gets his first start of the year today. He made 23 starts for West Virginia last year, finishing with 97 strikeouts in 92.2 innings. The Marauders finished last year 74-63, winning the second half title and they went to the playoffs, where they lost to today’s opponent, St. Lucie, in a best of three game series. Prospects on their roster to watch this year include Jameson Taillon, Gerrit Cole, Alex Dickerson, Colton Cain and Mel Rojas Jr. A team preview can be viewed here.
Low-A: West Virginia (1-1) @ Hagerstown (1-1) 7:05pm
Probable starter: Matt Benedict (5-2 3.79 for SC last year)
The Power won for the first time last night, by a 5-3 score (Game story here). Today’s starter, Matt Benedict, made 15 starts , pitching a total of 71.1 innings last year for State College. The Power finished their 2011 season with a 69-69 record by winning their last five games of the season. They finished the first half of the season in 5th place and the second half in 6th place. Prospects to watch on their roster this year include Stetson Allie, Nick Kingham, Josh Bell, Jose Osuna, Willy Garcia, Alen Hanson, Gregory Polanco, Zack Dodson, Zack Von Rosenberg. A team preview can be viewed here.
