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Prospect Watch: Heredia Can’t Repeat Success, Allie Hits 15th Homer

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TOP OF THE SYSTEM

A look at how the current top 30 prospects did today.  Note that this list doesn’t include players currently in the majors. 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, 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 30 active prospects on the list. Rankings are from early season update, and links on each name go to their Pirates Prospects player pages.

1. Tyler Glasnow, RHP, Altoona – DNP

2. Jameson Taillon, RHP, Indianapolis – Disabled List

3. Austin Meadows, CF, Bradenton – 1-for-4, R, RBI

4. Josh Bell, 1B, Altoona – 1-for-3, R, BB

5. Alen Hanson, 2B, Indianapolis – 1-for-5, R, SB

6. Reese McGuire, C, Bradenton – 1-for-3, R, HBP

7. Nick Kingham, RHP, Indianapolis – Disabled List

8. Elias Diaz, C, Indianapolis – 1-for-4, R

9. Harold Ramirez, OF, Bradenton – 3-for-5, 2B, 2 R, 2 RBI, SB

10. Cole Tucker, SS, West Virginia – 0-for-3, BB

11. Kevin Newman, SS, Morgantown – 0-for-4, R, 3 SB

12. Ke’Bryan Hayes, 3B, GCL –  1-for-1

13. Mitch Keller, RHP, Bristol – DNP

14. Clay Holmes, RHP, Bradenton – DNP

15. Stephen Tarpley, LHP, West Virginia – DNP

16. Adrian Sampson, RHP, Indianapolis – 5.2 IP, 9 H, 6 R, 5 ER, 2 BB, 5 K, 1 HR

17. Max Moroff, 2B, Altoona – DNP

18. Barrett Barnes, OF, Altoona – DNP

19. JaCoby Jones, SS, Bradenton -0-for-5

20. Yeudy Garcia, RHP, West Virginia – DNP

21. Trey Supak, RHP, Bristol – DNP

22. Gage Hinsz, RHP, Bristol – DNP

23. Adam Frazier, SS, Altoona – 2-for-5, 2 R

24. Willy Garcia, OF, Indianapolis – 2-for-5, 3 K

25. Steven Brault, LHP, Altoona  – DNP

26. Kevin Kramer, 2B, Morgantown – 1-for-4, RBI, 2 R, 2 SB, BB

27. Tyler Eppler, RHP, Bradenton – DNP

28. Adrian Valerio, SS, GCL – 0-for-1

29. Connor Joe, 1B, West Virginia –  1-for-4

30. Jacob Taylor, RHP, GCL – DNP

DAILY SUMMARY

Top Pitcher: Dario Agrazal Jr., RHP – 5.0 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 6 K, 1 HR

Top Hitter: Stetson Allie, RF – 3-for-4, HR, 3 RBI

Home Runs: Stetson Allie (15), Edward Salcedo (2)

AAA: INDIANAPOLIS INDIANS    

Box Score

Result: Scranton/WB 10, Indianapolis 5

Starting Pitcher: Adrian Sampson, RHP – 5.2 IP, 9 H, 6 R, 5 ER, 2 BB, 5 K, 1 HR

Top Hitter: Steve Lombardozzi, DH – 2-for-5, 2 RBI, SB

Other Notable Performers:

Keon Broxton, LF – 1-for-5, 3B, RBI

Willy Garcia, RF – 2-for-5, 3 K

Game Notes: Adrian Sampson looked real good in his last two outings, allowing one earned run over 13 innings. Prior to that, he had three tough outings in a row, which included him giving up 15 earned runs over 17.1 innings. Unfortunately for Sampson, he couldn’t continue the recent trend and reverted back to the old numbers, allowing six runs on nine hits and two walks in 5.2 innings. Sampson gave up two doubles and a solo homer, surrendering runs in three different innings. He needed 98 pitches to get through his outing, but threw 65 for strikes, so the control was fine, but it sounds like he was throwing too many hittable pitches.

Yhonathan Barrios followed Sampson and he has run into some trouble lately. In this game, he gave up two runs in 1.1 IP. In his last five appearances combined, he has thrown 5.2 innings, allowing 11 hits, four walks and seven earned runs.

Gorkys Hernandez began a rehab stint by going 1-for-4 and playing the entire game in center field. Willy Garcia had two singles, but also struck out three times, giving him a 3:30 BB/SO ratio in 28 games with Indianapolis. Alen Hanson stole his 26th base of the season. Gustavo Nunez went 3-for-5, giving him 55 hits on the season, 54 have been singles.

AA: ALTOONA CURVE

Box Score

Result: Altoona 8, Erie 6

Starting Pitcher: Chad Kuhl, RHP – 5.2 IP, 5 H, 4 R, 2 ER, 4 BB, 7 K, 0 HR

Top Hitter: Stetson Allie, RF – 3-for-4, HR, 3 RBI

Other Notable Performers:

Adam Frazier, SS – 2-for-5, 2 R

Edward Salcedo, 3B – 1-for-3, HR, 2 RBI

Josh Bell, 1B – 1-for-3, R, BB

Dan Gamache, 2B – 2-for-4, RBI

Game Notes: Chad Kuhl allowed two earned runs in the fifth inning after going 24 consecutive innings without giving up an earned run, spanning back to his start on June 30th at Trenton. He didn’t allow a hit until the fourth inning tonight, and he had to throw a lot of extra pitches because of multiple fielding mistakes for the Curve. Kuhl labored through 5.2 innings, throwing 100 pitches with 66 strikes, but he could have easily gone further if not for three fielding errors by Edward Salcedo while Kuhl was on the mound.

Kuhl had eight groundouts compared to only one flyout. He was up to 97 MPH on his fastball, and his slider was also sharp tonight, moving late and resulting in more strikeouts. The high velocity on the fastball obviously didn’t result in less groundballs, which is encouraging to see since a fastball has the tendency to flatten out when thrown with more pace.

Edward Salcedo made four fielding errors on the night behind Chad Kuhl and reliever John Kuchno, three throwing and one fielding. That equals out to 11 errors on the year for Salcedo, who has seen limited playing time. He was able to get back at least two of the runs he gave up in the field with a two run blast in the seventh inning.

Stetson Allie broke through the Mendoza Line with a three hit night, including a three-run home run in the third. Allies homer tied him for the league lead in home runs, after Binghantom’s Josh Rodriguez got his 15th home run earlier in the day. Allie’s 52 RBIs are good for fifth in the Eastern League. Allie is a very interesting player in the Pirates organization, showing great power with a .189 ISO; however, the .205 batting average is difficult to bear. He does have a .265 average with three home runs and nine RBIs in his last ten games.

Adam Frazier and Dan Gamache both raised their batting averages on the year to .357 and .335, respectively. Adam Frazier would have a difficult time getting enough at-bats to get qualified for the Eastern League batting title, but Gamache should be able to get enough at-bats as the season continues to qualify. Max Moroff, who currently leads the league in hits and is T-2nd in batting, did not play again after being pulled from the second game of the doubleheader yesterday. Manager Tom Prince once again said that it was a “manager’s decision” to sit Moroff. – Sean McCool

 

A+: BRADENTON MARAUDERS   

Box Score

Result: Bradenton 8, Dunedin 5

Starting Pitcher: Luis Heredia, RHP – 2.0 IP, 7 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 1 BB, 2 K, 0 HR

Top Hitter: Harold Ramirez, RF – 3-for-5, 2B, 2 RBI, 2 R, SB

Other Notable Performers:

Austin Meadows, CF – 1-for-4, R, RBI

Jin-De Jhang, DH – 2-for-3, 2 RBI, BB

Erich Weiss, 2B – 2-for-5, 3 RBI

Game Notes: Last week, Luis Heredia had the best start of his career. That followed a start in which he allowed a career-high nine earned runs. On Wednesday, it looked like the Heredia from last week was just a tease for fans that have been waiting for him to break out. He had almost nothing in this game, allowing four runs on seven hits and a walk. He threw a total of 58 pitches, with 39 in the second inning, which is as high as I’ve ever seen for one inning under the strict pitch limits for pitchers since the new front office took over. Heredia now has a 5.98 ERA through 13 starts this season.

After Heredia left the game, Henry Hirsch and Miguel Rosario combined to allow one run over seven innings to help the Marauders erase an early deficit. In his second game back from the Pan Am Tournament, Harold Ramirez had three hits and drove in two runs. He also stole his 13th base of the year. Wyatt Mathisen had two hits and scored two runs. Erich Weiss had two hits and drove in three runs. Austin Meadows is hitting .349 in his last nine games. Prior to the game, Barrett Barnes was promoted to Altoona.

A: WEST VIRGINIA POWER

Box Score

Result: Lakewood 4, West Virginia 0

Starting Pitcher: Colten Brewer, RHP – 4.0 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 5 K, 0 HR

Top Hitter: Jerrick Suiter, DH – 1-for-3, BB

Other Notable Performers:

Connor Joe, 1B – 1-for-4

Pablo Reyes, 2B – 1-for-4

Game Notes: Colten Brewer allowed one run over five innings and struck out five batters. On the season, he has 68 strikeouts in 72 innings. Brewer has a 5.13 ERA this season, but his stats paint a different picture. He is picking up strikeouts at a strong rate, getting ground balls and keeping runners off the bases, but seems to have some big innings that skew his ERA, so it doesn’t match up to the rest of his stats.

The offense was almost non-existent in this game, especially when they got runners in scoring position. The Power had four singles and four walks, which isn’t much over nine innings, but they had seven at-bats with runners in scoring position and came up empty each time. Jerrick Suiter, with a walk and a single, was the only player to reach base twice.

A: WEST VIRGINIA BLACK BEARS

Box Score

Result: West Virginia 8, Brooklyn 1

Starting Pitcher: Dario Agrazal Jr., RHP – 5.0 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 6 K, 1 HR

Top Hitter: Christian Kelley, C – 2-for-4, 2 R, RBI

Other Notable Performers:

Ty Moore, DH – 3-for-5, RBI

Casey Hughston, CF – 1-for-4, R

Game Notes: Dario Agrazal Jr. is quietly having a strong season, throwing five innings tonight with one run allowed, and lowering his ERA to 2.43 through seven starts. The success of the 20-year-old shouldn’t surprise though, because he is a strike-thrower that knows how to pitch. His dad is one of the most famous pitchers/pitching coaches in Panama and the younger Agrazal learned well. He hits low-90’s with a very easy, repeatable delivery, to the point it looks like he is still throwing bullpen warmups during the game. He isn’t a flashy pitcher, but should progress well through the system, with potential to be a back-end starter.

Kevin Newman and Kevin Kramer had a combined five steals in this game, with Newman collecting the first three of his career. Ty Moore had three hits and drove in a run. He has reached base in 28 of his 29 pro games, driving in 22 runs. Logan Hill had a single and a walk, reaching base for the 27th time in 28 games. He has 29 RBIs this season.

RK: BRISTOL PIRATES

Box Score

Result: Burlington 5, Bristol 2

Starting Pitcher: Neil Kozikowski, RHP – 0.2 IP, 3 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 1 BB, 1 K, 1 HR

Top Hitter: Enyel Vallejo, LF – 3-for-4, R

Other Notable Performers:

Nick Buckner, RF – 0-for-2, 2 BB

Julio de la Cruz, DH – 1-for-4, 2B

Game Notes: After Neil Kozikowski’s last start, I noted that something had to give with his season. He had a .300 BAA, but was getting strong results. Either the stat line would begin to match the results, or he would have a rough outing. On Wednesday morning, he couldn’t make it out of the first inning. Kozikowski gave up four runs on a walk and three hits, including the first homer he has allowed this year. His 5.30 season ERA is now more in line with someone who has allowed 27 hits and five walks in 18.2 innings.

The Pirates thought highly of the 20-year-old righty when they signed him to an over-slot deal in the 2013 draft, but so far, he has not progressed like you would hope. Kozikowski doesn’t walk many batters, which has been a constant during his pro career, and this season he has been getting a lot of ground balls, so those two things are a combination you like to see. He needs to cut down on the base runners before he is considered a legit prospect.

Julio de la Cruz extended his hit streak to eight games with his sixth double of the season. He is 11-for-33 during the streak. He signed back in 2012 for $700,000 as an international free agent and hasn’t show much in his two full seasons. De la Cruz is 19 and in the Appalachian League, so he is a good age for the level, but he is going to need to hit, because his defense is poor at third base, which will probably mean a move across the diamond in the future.

RK: GCL PIRATES

Box Score

Starting Pitcher: Gerardo Navarro, LHP – 2.0 IP, 5 H, 7 R, 6 ER, 1 BB, 1 K, 0 HR

 

Game Notes: This game was suspended with the Yankees1 up 7-0 after three innings due to rain. They will finish it tomorrow prior to the regularly scheduled game. Ke’Bryan Hayes returned to the lineup after leaving Saturday’s game early due to a thumb injury that turned out to be minor. He singled in his only at-bat, which is the only hit so far for the Pirates in this game. Starter Gerardo Navarro got hit hard in his two innings and didn’t help himself with two throwing errors. Mister Luciano threw a scoreless third inning before the rain came.

 

RK: DSL PIRATES

Box Score

Result: Braves 14, Pirates 7

Starting Pitcher: Argenis Romano, RHP – 2.2 IP, 4 H, 5 R, 4 ER, 1 BB, 2 K, 0 HR

Top Hitter: Huascar Fuentes, 1B – 3-for-3, 2B, RBI, B, 2 BB

Other Notable Performers:

Mikell Granberry, C – 1-for-4, BB

Christopher Perez, SS – 2-for-5, 2 R, 2 RBI, 3B

Jeremias Portorreal, RF – 2-for-4, 2B, BB, 2 R

Game Notes: The DSL Pirates had a good game on offense on Wednesday and that’s about it. This contest was an ugly one, between the pitching allowing 15 hits and seven walks, and the defense committing six errors that led to seven unearned runs, that added up to a 14-7 loss. Huascar Fuentes reached base in all five plate appearances, collecting his 12th double and driving in his 36th run. Jeremias Portorreal had two hits and a walk, breaking a four-game slump that saw him go 1-for-16 with one walk. Shortstop Christopher Perez hasn’t hit much in his rookie season and this game could be considered his best game, with two hits, two runs, two RBIs and his first career triple. Yondry Contreras struck out three times, giving him 51 in 37 games, tops on the team.

John Dreker
John Dreker
John started working at Pirates Prospects in 2009, but his connection to the Pittsburgh Pirates started exactly 100 years earlier when Dots Miller debuted for the 1909 World Series champions. John was born in Kearny, NJ, two blocks from the house where Dots Miller grew up. From that hometown hero connection came a love of Pirates history, as well as the sport of baseball. When he didn't make it as a lefty pitcher with an 80+ MPH fastball and a slider that needed work, John turned to covering the game, eventually focusing in on the prospects side, where his interest was pushed by the big league team being below .500 for so long. John has covered the minors in some form since the 2002 season, and leads the draft and international coverage on Pirates Prospects. He writes daily on Pittsburgh Baseball History, when he's not covering the entire system daily throughout the entire year on Pirates Prospects.

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