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Prospect Watch: A Good Report on the Defense From JaCoby Jones

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TOP OF THE SYSTEM

A look at how the current top 20 prospects did today.  Note that this list doesn’t include players currently in the majors (Stolmy Pimentel #13). If a player is in the majors, he will be removed, 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 (Jameson Taillon #2, Clay Holmes #12), 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 20 active prospects on the list. Rankings are from the 2014 Prospect Guide, and links on each name go to their Pirates Prospects player pages.

1. Gregory Polanco, CF, Indianapolis – DNP

2. Tyler Glasnow, RHP, Bradenton – DNP

3. Austin Meadows, CF, West Virginia – Disabled List (4/22 Update)

4. Alen Hanson, SS, Altoona – 1-for-5, 2B

5. Nick Kingham, RHP, Altoona – DNP

6. Reese McGuire, C, West Virginia – 1-for-3, BB

7. Josh Bell, RF, Bradenton – 0-for-4

8. Luis Heredia, RHP, West Virginia Power – Disabled List (4/22 Update)

9. Harold Ramirez, OF, West Virginia – 1-for-4

10. Andrew Lambo, OF, Indianapolis – Disabled List (5/7 Update)

11. Joely Rodriguez, LHP, Altoona – DNP

12. Blake Taylor, LHP, Extended Spring Training – DNP

13. Cody Dickson, LHP, West Virginia – DNP

14. Barrett Barnes, CF, West Virginia – Disabled List (4/14 Update)

15. JaCoby Jones, SS, West Virginia – 1-for-3, SB

16. Michael De La Cruz, OF, Extended Spring Training – DNP

17. Wyatt Mathisen, 3B, West Virginia – DNP

18. Jin-De Jhang, C, Bradenton – DNP

19. Brandon Cumpton, RHP, Indianapolis – DNP

20. Casey Sadler, RHP, Indianapolis – DNP

 

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The 2014 Prospect Guide is now available, and is the perfect resource to follow the minor league system during the 2014 season. You can order your copy on the products page of the site.

 

DAILY SUMMARY

Top Pitcher: Dovydas Neverauskas, RHP – 5.0 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 K, 0 HR

Top Hitter: Jonathan Schwind, LF – 3-for-4, 2B

Home Runs: Francisco Diaz (1)

 

AAA: INDIANAPOLIS INDIANS    

Indianapolis was postponed.

 

AA: ALTOONA CURVE

Box Score

Result: Richmond 8, Altoona 2

Starting Pitcher: Zack Dodson, LHP – 5.0 IP, 6 H, 3 R, 2 ER, 0 BB, 3 K, 0 HR

Top Hitter: Drew Maggi, LF – 2-for-3, BB

Other Notable Performers:

Elias Diaz, C – 2-for-4

Gift Ngoepe, 2B – 1-for-5, 2 SB

Keon Broxton, CF – 1-for-3, 2 BB, SB

Live Report: Altoona lost to Richmond tonight 8-2, despite a reasonably strong outing from their starter.

Zack Dodson looked solid over his five innings. He only surrendered six hits, without walking any, and striking out three in the process. 52 of Dodson’s 73 pitches went for strikes, contributing to nine ground outs vs three fly outs tonight. Trouble came in the form of Dodson’s relief, Tyler Sample. Sample gave up eight hits and five earned runs in three innings of work tonight. Richmond consistently made hard contact off of Sample after his first inning, as all but one hit against him came in the 7th and 8th innings. Quinton Miller worked the 9th giving up two hits, no runs, and struck out two. Miller generally worked in the low 90’s with his fastball.

The Curve offense had a fairly uninspiring night. Drew Maggi, Keon Broxton, and Elias Diaz paced the offense tonight. Despite a 1-5 night, Gift Ngoepe did his best Alen Hanson impression from last night, stealing two bases on the same pitch due to an inattentive Snodgrass in the 5th. – John Kokales

 

A+: BRADENTON MARAUDERS   

Box Score

Result: Dunedin 5, Bradenton 4

Starting Pitcher: John Kuchno, RHP – 5.1 IP, 8 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 3 BB, 3 K, 0 HR

Top Hitter: Jonathan Schwind, LF – 3-for-4, 2B

Other Notable Performers:

Eric Wood, 3B – 1-for-3, 3B, BB

Ashley Ponce, SS – 1-for-2, 3B

Game Notes: The Marauders lost their eighth game over their last nine outings. This time the loss was due to a blown save. Bradenton carried a 4-2 lead into the bottom of the ninth inning, but Robby Rowland gave up three runs on four hits. Rowland had a 3.30 ERA in 106.1 innings in West Virginia in 2012. He struggled in the Bradenton rotation in 2013, with a 4.82 ERA in 127 innings. He has moved to the late innings this year, which isn’t where teams put their best pitching prospects in A-ball. So far he has done worse, with a 6.45 ERA in 22.1 innings, along with a 12:6 K/BB ratio.

John Kuchno had another decent start. In his last four outings he has given up two or fewer earned runs, reaching the fifth inning in each start. During that time, he has a 3.20 ERA in 19.2 innings, along with a 12:14 K/BB ratio. The walks continue to be an issue, as he has a 22:24 K/BB ratio in 41 innings this year. Last year in West Virginia he had an 89:45 K/BB ratio in 123.1 innings.

 

 

A: WEST VIRGINIA POWER   

Box Score

Result: West Virginia 7, Delmarva 0

Starting Pitcher: Dovydas Neverauskas, RHP – 5.0 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 K, 0 HR

Top Hitter: Erich Weiss, 2B – 2-for-3, 2B, 2 BB, SB

Other Notable Performers:

Harold Ramirez, CF – 1-for-4

JaCoby Jones, SS – 1-for-3, SB

Francisco Diaz, C – 1-for-5, HR

Reese McGuire, DH – 1-for-3, BB

Justin Maffei, LF – 3-for-3, BB

Live Report: A trio of Power right-handers combined to scatter seven hits, and showed pinpoint control walking only one Delmarva batter in a shutout performance as the Power prevailed 7-0.

A surprise stellar outing from Lithuania native Dovydas Neverauskas paced the Power with an efficient five innings, which allowed Clario Perez and Miguel Rosario to finish the final four frames closing out the victory. Both relied heavily on mid 90s fastballs, keeping the Birds off-balance. The trio benefited from solid work defensively, including two double plays. The first of which was a sparkling play turned in by shortstop JaCoby Jones in the second inning. Jones showed great footwork around the bag, fielding the ball to the right of the bag as a result of the shift, but was able to beat the runner to the bag with ease and deliver a strike to first, doubling up a speedy runner. This play was one of many difficult plays that were made to look routine today by Jones.

Offensively, the Power had great approaches at the plate off prized Oriole prospect Hunter Harvey, knocking him out in the fifth. In particular, Reese McGuire looked comfortable with the bat in his hand, showing his developing plate discipline all afternoon. In the first, McGuire took a Harvey heater the opposite way to left for a sharp single. He followed in the third by driving the initial Harvey offering to the warning track for a sacrifice fly, which was the lone run the Power would muster from a bases loaded opportunity. The final at-bat for McGuire against Harvey was a pulled hotshot that the second baseman had to make a well-above average play to retire him on after working a full count to lead-off the fifth.

Joining McGuire with a successful day at the dish for the Power was the continued hot start for second baseman Erich Weiss. After going down looking in the first, Weiss reached base in each of his next four plate appearances, singling twice and walking twice, including an RBI rip in the sixth which helped extend the lead to five runs. Weiss’ prior single in the fifth helped to extend the inning for the Power with two outs after a potential base running error could have decimated the morale. The Weiss single preceded Francisco Diaz’s first home run of the season, lengthening the lead to 3-0. The Power added on, thanks to the efforts of Justin Maffei, who reached base in all four of his opportunities in the game going 3 for 3 with 3 runs, while also drawing a walk, to help strengthen the final margin in a 7-0 Power victory. – Blain Smith

Tim Williams
Tim Williams
Tim is the owner, producer, editor, and lead writer of PiratesProspects.com. He has been running Pirates Prospects since 2009, becoming the first new media reporter and outlet covering the Pirates at the MLB level in 2011 and 2012. His work can also be found in Baseball America, where he has been a contributor since 2014 and the Pirates' correspondent since 2019.

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