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Prospect Watch: Max Moroff Continues Breakout Season

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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 – 0-for-4

4. Josh Bell, 1B, Altoona – 2-for-4, 2B, BB, SB

5. Alen Hanson, 2B, Indianapolis – DNP

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

7. Nick Kingham, RHP, Indianapolis – Disabled List

8. Elias Diaz, C, Indianapolis – DNP

9. Harold Ramirez, OF, Bradenton – Pan-Am Tournament

10. Cole Tucker, SS, West Virginia – DNP

11. Kevin Newman, SS, Morgantown – 1-for-5

12. Ke’Bryan Hayes, 3B, GCL – DNP

13. Mitch Keller, RHP, Bristol – DNP

14. Clay Holmes, RHP, Bradenton – DNP

15. Stephen Tarpley, LHP, West Virginia – DNP

16. Adrian Sampson, RHP, Indianapolis – DNP

17. Max Moroff, 2B, Altoona – 3-for-5, HR

18. Barrett Barnes, OF, Bradenton – 0-for-3, BB

19. JaCoby Jones, SS, Bradenton – 0-for-3

20. Yeudy Garcia, RHP, West Virginia – DNP

21. Trey Supak, RHP, Bristol – DNP

22. Gage Hinsz, RHP, Bristol – DNP

23. Adam Frazier, SS, Altoona – 1-for-4

24. Willy Garcia, OF, Indianapolis – 0-for-4

25. Steven Brault, LHP, Altoona  – DNP

26. Kevin Kramer, 2B, Morgantown – 1-for-5, 2B

27. Tyler Eppler, RHP, Bradenton – DNP

28. Adrian Valerio, SS, GCL – DNP

29. Connor Joe, 1B, West Virginia – 0-for-3, BB

30. Jacob Taylor, RHP, GCL – DNP

DAILY SUMMARY

Top Pitcher: Radhames Liz, RHP – 6.0 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 6 K, 0 HR

Top Hitter: Max Moroff, 2B-SS – 3-for-5, HR

Home Runs: Max Moroff (4), Carlos Munoz (3), Carlos Ozuna (1)

AAA: INDIANAPOLIS INDIANS    

Box Score

Result: Toledo 3, Indianapolis 2

Starting Pitcher: Radhames Liz, RHP – 6.0 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 6 K, 0 HR

Top Hitter: Alen Hanson, 2B – 2-for-3, 2B

Other Notable Performers:

Pedro Florimon, SS – 2-for-4, 3B, BB

Gift Ngoepe, 3B – 1-for-4, 2B

Game Notes: Radhames Liz continues to excel as a starter since being sent down to Indianapolis. He now has a 1.44 ERA in 31.1 innings, including a 1.73 ERA in 26 innings over five starts. Alen Hanson has been struggling lately, with a .184 average in his last ten games. He did pick up his 12th double of the year today. Despite Jordy Mercer going down for the Pirates, don’t expect Hanson to come up to the majors. The Pirates will need either a shortstop to replace Mercer, or a third baseman to replace Jung-ho Kang. Brent Morel didn’t play today, so it’s possible that he could be the guy to come up if Mercer joins Josh Harrison on the DL. Morel has been hitting well, with a .903 OPS in June, and an .895 OPS so far in July. But that all comes with the disclaimer that he has struggled in every shot at the MLB level.

 

AA: ALTOONA CURVE

Box Score

Result: Richmond 6, Altoona 3

Starting Pitcher: Zack Dodson, LHP – 5.0 IP, 9 H, 5 R, 5 ER, 3 BB, 3 K, 0 HR

Top Hitter: Max Moroff, 2B-SS – 3-for-5, HR

Other Notable Performers:

Adam Frazier, SS – 1-for-4

Josh Bell, 1B – 2-for-4, 2B, BB, SB

Dan Gamache, 3B-2B – 1-for-3, BB

Game Notes: Max Moroff continued his breakout season, hitting his fourth homer of the year. Moroff has been on fire this month, hitting for a .338/.384/.456 line in 68 at-bats. He has six multi-hit games in his last ten games, and today was his second three hit game in a row. Josh Bell extended his hitting streak to nine games, and hit his 14th double of the year. Bell was going up against a right-hander tonight, which means he could bat left-handed. His power has been much better from the left side, with a .146 ISO, compared to an .043 ISO from the right side.

 

A+: BRADENTON MARAUDERS   

Box Score

Result: Palm Beach 3, Bradenton 2

Starting Pitcher: Jayson Aquino, LHP – 7.0 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 6 K, 0 HR

Top Hitter: Justin Maffei, RF – 2-for-4, 2B

Other Notable Performers:

Edwin Espinal, 1B – 1-for-2, 2B, BB

Montana DuRapau, RHP – 1.2 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 2 K, 0 HR

Game Notes: Montana DuRapau got the loss tonight after giving up a walk off run in the bottom of the ninth. The run was a rare occurrence for the right-hander, who snapped a 26.1 scoreless inning streak. This was also just his third earned run allowed in 34 innings since joining the Marauders. Jayson Aquino had one of his better starts since joining the Marauders. Aquino has looked very inconsistent since being claimed off waivers. Some nights he will look dominant, with a lot of strikeouts. Other nights he will fall apart. The Pirates have been working with him on keeping a consistent focus, and not letting outside factors affect him and throw him off his game.

 

A: WEST VIRGINIA POWER

Box Score

Result: West Virginia 4, Lexington 0

Starting Pitcher: John Sever, LHP – 4.0 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 5 K, 0 HR

Top Hitter: Elvis Escobar, CF – 2-for-4, SB

Other Notable Performers:

Michael Suchy, RF – 1-for-4, 2B

Pablo Reyes, 2B – 1-for-4, SB

Jeff Roy, LF – 1-for-3, 3B

Game Notes: John Sever made his return to the rotation, starting his first game since May 23rd. It wasn’t a long start, going just four innings, and the organization sees him as a power lefty out of the bullpen in the future. The start continued a good trend recently, where Sever has given up just one earned run in 14.2 innings over his last six appearances. The one run came on July 10th, when he was bounced in less than an inning of work after throwing 32 pitches, with four walks. Outside of that outing he has no earned runs in 14 innings, and a 16:3 K/BB ratio. Of course, that all follows a seven run outing on June 21st, so consistency will still be a focus for him moving forward. Michael Suchy continued his impressive season, hitting his 20th double of the year and pushing his OPS up to .801. Suchy was a fifth round pick last year.

 

A: WEST VIRGINIA BLACK BEARS

Box Score

Result: West Virginia 8, Auburn 5

Starting Pitcher: Seth McGarry, RHP – 5.0 IP, 6 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 2 BB, 4 K, 1 HR

Top Hitter: Logan Hill, RF – 3-for-5, 2B

Other Notable Performers:

Albert Baur, 1B – 2-for-2, BB

Ryan Nagle, DH – 1-for-4, 3B

Kevin Kramer, 2B – 1-for-5, 2B

Game Notes: Ryan Nagle, who signed an over-slot deal in the 27th round, made his debut tonight, and picked up his first pro hit with a triple. It’s hard to get a read on Seth McGarry, based on the numbers. He pitched a lot of innings in his junior year at Florida Atlantic, and is now transitioning to a starter after mostly working as a reliever. The result is that he doesn’t have his best stuff, since he needs to focus on spreading his work out over longer innings. McGarry’s upside is a reliever, but the Pirates will keep him as a starter for as long as possible for developmental purposes.

 

RK: BRISTOL PIRATES

Box Score

Result: Bristol 13, Danville 3

Starting Pitcher: Marek Minarik, RHP – 5.0 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 3 K, 0 HR

Top Hitter: Carlos Munoz, 1B – 4-for-6, HR

Other Notable Performers:

Carlos Ozuna, 3B – 2-for-6, 3B, HR

John Bormann, C – 2-for-5, BB

Henrry Rosario, LF – 4-for-5

Sandy Santos, CF – 3-for-6, 3B

Game Notes: I got to see Carlos Munoz a lot in the GCL last year, and was impressed with his hitting for most of the season. He’s got amazing plate patience, he hits for some power, and hits for a high average. Tonight he hit his third homer of the young season, giving him a .351/.444/.571 line in 77 at-bats. It’s a small sample size, but the numbers are strong. The only problem here is that Munoz is a big guy, with questions about his long-term position and role. Last year he looked great until the end of the year, at which point his numbers really fell off the table. That could be due to the conditioning issues. Until he proves that he can carry this success for a full season, his results will be in question.

 

RK: GCL PIRATES

 

The GCL Pirates were off today.

 

RK: DSL PIRATES

The DSL Pirates are on their All-Star break until Monday.

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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