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Prospect Watch: Tyler Eppler and Yeudy Garcia Shine in Long Relief Outings

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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 – 2-for-5, 2 RBI

4. Josh Bell, 1B, Altoona – 0-for-2, 2 BB, R

5. Alen Hanson, 2B, Indianapolis – 0-for-3, RBI

6. Reese McGuire, C, Bradenton – 1-for-4

7. Nick Kingham, RHP, Indianapolis – Disabled List

8. Elias Diaz, C, Indianapolis – 2-for-4, 2 R

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

10. Cole Tucker, SS, West Virginia – 1-for-5

11. Kevin Newman, SS, Morgantown – 1-for-4, RBI

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 – 0-for-4

18. Barrett Barnes, OF, Bradenton – 1-for-5, SB, 4 K

19. JaCoby Jones, SS, Bradenton – 1-for-4, RBI, R

20. Yeudy Garcia, RHP, West Virginia –  5.0 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 4 K, 0 HR

21. Trey Supak, RHP, Bristol – DNP

22. Gage Hinsz, RHP, Bristol – DNP

23. Adam Frazier, SS, Altoona – DNP

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

25. Steven Brault, LHP, Altoona  – DNP

26. Kevin Kramer, 2B, Morgantown – 0-for-4, 3 K

27. Tyler Eppler, RHP, Bradenton – 4.0 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 6 K, 0 HR

28. Adrian Valerio, SS, GCL – 0-for-1

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

30. Jacob Taylor, RHP, GCL – DNP

DAILY SUMMARY

Top Pitcher: A.J. Morris, RHP – 6.0 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 3 K, 0 HR

Top Hitter: Carlos Munoz, DH – 3-for-5, 2 2B, 3 RBI, BB

Home Runs: Pablo Reyes (9), Edwin Espinal (4), Taylor Gushue (3)

AAA: INDIANAPOLIS INDIANS    

Box Score

Result: Indianapolis 5 Scranton/WB 0

Starting Pitcher: A.J. Morris, RHP – 6.0 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 3 K, 0 HR

Top Hitter: Pedro Florimon, SS – 2-for-3, 2B, RBI, R

Other Notable Performers:

Keon Broxton, LF – 1-for-4, 2B, 2 RBI

Jose Tabata, DH – 2-for-3, RBI

Game Notes: Coming off his baseball rounds over the past couple of weeks with the Futures Game and the Triple-A All-Star Game, Elias Diaz had his second straight multi-hit game on Monday night. Coming into the break, Diaz had hits in four of five games. In addition, Diaz saw spikes in his OPS to .782 and .779 in May and June. While the power is still developing, Diaz has certainly shown the ability to hit for average and get on base.

In his first start of the season, A.J. Morris was strong for Indianapolis. The six innings and 71 pitches for Morris were both season highs. As a reliever, Morris has seen his share of ups and downs, but he was locating well on Monday night and the results followed.

Jeff Inman worked a pair of scoreless innings, while allowing three hits. Outside of one crooked outing, where he allowed five runs, Inman has seen good success since his promotion to Indianapolis. Bobby LaFromboise walked a batter, but worked a scoreless ninth to finish off the victory.

Monday night marked the first game since the second half of the season started that Alen Hanson failed to score a run, but he picked up an RBI with a sac fly. Earlier in the day, we announced that Hanson would start taking grounders at third base and eventually get into games there.  – Ryan Palencer

AA: ALTOONA CURVE

Box Score

Result:  Erie 8, Altoona 1

Starting Pitcher: Jason Creasy, RHP – 6.1 IP, 7 H, 5 R, 3 ER, 3 BB, 2 K, 1 HR

Top Hitter: Josh Bell, 1B – 0-for-2, 2 BB, R

Other Notable Performers:

Dan Gamache, 2B – 0-for-2, 2 BB

Stetson Allie, RF – 1-for-4

Game Notes: Jason Creasy lasted 6.1 innings, allowing three earned runs. He was hit hard in the first two innings and allowed a two-run home run in the second before settling in and giving the Curve a decent outing. He could have gotten out of the 7th with a double play if not for an error on the second baseman Dan Gamache. Instead, he loaded the bases after a walk, and Josh Smith could not hold any of the runners.

Creasy has cooled down considerably in June and July with a 5.56 ERA in 43.2 innings since June 5th. Before tonight’s game, opponents were hitting .317 with a .866 OPS in those seven June/July starts. Compared to last season in Bradenton, Creasy is walking more than twice as many batters and striking out about half as many. Since the beginning of May, he has walked 29 batters and struck out 31.

The Curve bats cooled off immensely on Monday night in Altoona, only mustering two hits against Erie. Stetson Allie skied popup down the right field line, which dropped in between the right fielder and second baseman, and Andy Vasquez hit a slow roller up the middle for the Curve’s only hits on the night.

Adam Frazier had a day off after going 2-for-17 in his last five games. He had a 15-game hitting streak snapped last Thursday in Richmond, where he hit .419/.500/.963 during the streak. Josh Bell entered the game on a nine-game hitting streak, and he failed to get a hit on the night, too.

Notably, Max Moroff played shortstop and performed extremely well in the field. He made every play hit at him and showed decent range from the position. Manager Tom Prince said that the plan is to get Moroff eight or nine starts at shortstop for the rest of the season (as of now), so don’t expect to see him there in a more permanent role. Moroff hit a shot to deep center field and a line drive to the third baseman, but he came up empty-handed on a 0-for-4 night. He was 6-for-10 in his last two games before tonight. – Sean McCool

 

A+: BRADENTON MARAUDERS   

Box Score

Result: Bradenton 5, Palm Beach 3

Starting Pitcher: Cody Dickson, LHP – 5.0 IP, 4 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 2 BB, 4 K, 0 HR

Top Hitter: Edwin Espinal, 1B – 3-for-3, 2 R, BB, HR, 2 RBI

Other Notable Performers:

Erich Weiss, 2B – 1-for-3, 2 BB

Tyler Eppler, RHP – 4.0 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 6 K, 0 HR

Game Notes: Cody Dickson started the game for Bradenton, but it was another starter that saved the game for the Marauders. Tyler Eppler followed Dickson and threw four shutout innings, striking out six batters, while allowing just two base runners. Eppler allowed just one run in each of his last three outings, throwing a total of 16 innings. It looks like Bradenton is going to limit his innings after he missed the beginning of the season due to elbow soreness. They now have Luis Heredia, Frank Duncan, Jayson Aquino, Clay Holmes and Dickson in the rotation, so if that remains intact, expect Eppler to throw 3-4 innings each outing and possibly pitch more than once every five days with the lighter workload.

Edwin Espinal had himself a good game, connecting on his fourth homer and reaching base in each of his four plate appearances. He is 9-for-13 in his last four games. Austin Meadows had two hits and drove in two runs, giving him a .339/.376/.432 slash line in 27 games since the All-Star break. Barrett Barnes had a tough game, striking out four times for the first time in his four-year career.

A: WEST VIRGINIA POWER

Box Score

Result: West Virginia 8, Lexington 7

Starting Pitcher: Alex McRae, RHP – 4.0 IP, 9 H, 6 R, 6 ER, 1 BB, 6 K, 0 HR

Top Hitter: Pablo Reyes, 2B – 4-for-4, 2B, RBI, HR, 2 R

Other Notable Performers:

Michael Suchy, RF – 1-for-4, 2B, RBI

Elvis Escobar, CF – 1-for-4, 2B, RBI

Jordan Luplow, 3B – 2-for-4, 2B, RBI

Taylor Gushue, C – 2-for-3, 2 R, HR, RBI, BB

Yeudy Garcia, RHP – 5.0 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 4 K, 0 HR

Game Notes: Just like in the Bradenton game, it was a starter pitching in relief that stole the show. This game was a slugfest on both sides until Yeudy Garcia came out of the bullpen and dominated for five innings, allowing an unearned run on one hit and one walk. Garcia lowered his season ERA to 2.03 through 80 innings. He only pitched 59.2 innings last year in the DSL, but they have Extended Spring Training  similar to the U.S., so he pitched there and in the Fall Instructional League. They will probably want to limit his innings the rest of the way, but he has been going five innings in previous outings, so this outing didn’t take anything away from his usual workload.

Pablo Reyes had a big day at the plate, connecting on four hits, including his ninth homer of the season. While he has disappointed as someone that could be a potential breakout player coming into this season, he is now up to a .250 batting average and a .730 OPS, thanks to 27 extra-base hits. He has also stole 17 bases, so he could be breaking out in the second half. Jordan Luplow could also be breaking out with the bat, and that may have something to do with getting comfortable at a new position. He had two hits in this game, including his 23rd double. Luplow has a .766 OPS, including a .924 mark over his last 23 games.

A: WEST VIRGINIA BLACK BEARS

Box Score

Result: West Virginia 4, Auburn 3

Starting Pitcher: JT Brubaker, RHP – 5.0 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 5 K, 0 HR

Top Hitter: Albert Baur, 1B – 1-for-4, 2B, 2 RBI

Other Notable Performers:

Maximo Rivera, DH – 2-for-3, BB, SB

Mitchell Tolman, 3B – 0-for-2, 2 BB, R , SB

Game Notes: JT Brubaker threw five shutout innings on Monday, allowing two hits and two walks, with five strikeouts. It’s the second time in six pro starts that the sixth-round pick has thrown five shutout innings. He still has a 5.33 ERA though, because his other four outings were subpar. Brubaker has shown excellent control so far, coming into this contest with just two walks allowed.

Morgantown was facing starter Taylor Hearn, who was drafted by the Nationals this year in the fifth round. Some of you might remember him as the 22nd round pick of the Pirates in 2012. The 6’5″ lefty took the loss, giving up two runs over 4.1 innings.

Kevin Newman had a single and an RBI, extending his hit streak to eight games. He is 10-for-32 during that stretch. Albert Baur provided most of the offense with an RBI ground out in the fourth inning and an RBI double in the sixth. Ty Moore is batting .337 and has reached base in all but one of his 27 games. Logan Hill is almost matching Moore’s impressive on base ability, reaching in 25 of his 26 games.

RK: BRISTOL PIRATES

Box Score

Result: Bristol 7, Danville 6

Starting Pitcher: Gage Hinsz, RHP – 3.0 IP, 4 H, 3 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 1 K, 0 HR

Top Hitter: Carlos Munoz, DH – 3-for-5, 2 2B, 3 RBI, BB

Other Notable Performers:

Trae Arbet, 2B – 2-for-4, R

Jordan George, 1B – 2-for-6, RBI

Game Notes: Gage Hinsz made his third start of the season and struggled through three innings of work. He allowed three runs(two earned) on four hits, a walk and hit a batter, but didn’t get any help from his defense. Bristol made three errors in the first three innings. Hinsz has thrown 6.2 innings in his first three outings this and allowed six earned runs, so the results aren’t matching the stuff. He has been getting ground balls, which is what you like to see. In his three starts, he has an 11:2 GO/AO ratio. The 19-year-old was raw when signed by the Pirates, due partially to the fact that he went to a school that didn’t have a high school baseball team. He was still hitting 93 MPH and has a projectable frame, so the Pirates signed him to a $580,000 bonus in the 11th round last year.

 

RK: GCL PIRATES

Box Score

Result: Braves 10, Pirates 3

Starting Pitcher: Chris Plitt, RHP – 3.1 IP, 7 H, 7 R, 7 ER, 0 BB, 6 K, 1 HR

Top Hitter: Luis Benitez, RF – 1-for-2, 2B, RBI, 2 BB, 2 R

Other Notable Performers:

Jhoan Herrera, DH – 2-for-3, 2B

Sam Kennelly, 1B – 1-for-4

Justin Seller, SS – 1-for-4, RBI

Game Notes: In his first three outings combined, Chris Plitt allowed one earned run in 10.1 innings. The only trend that carried over from those three games for the Pirates’ 14th round draft pick this year, was the fact he still hasn’t walked a batter. He did however, give up seven earned runs on seven hits over 3.1 innings on Monday afternoon. Plitt recorded nine of his ten outs either on the ground or by strikeout, so along with the control, it wasn’t as bad as the line looks, but it was obviously still a poor outing.

The Pirates were facing Mike Soroka, the first round pick of the Atlanta Braves and he has pitched like a first round pick. Including this game, he has thrown seven shutout innings, with two hits, no walks and six strikeouts. The Pirates ended up putting three runs on the board after he left, but by then the game was out of hand.

Raul Siri was the best hitter on the DSL Pirates last year and he got off to a torrid start this year, hitting .452 in eight June games. July hasn’t been so kind to Siri, who is batting .143 in 15 games this month. He also has some big splits against RHP/LHP, hitting .444 vs lefties, while batting just .203 against right-handed pitchers. Last year, Siri hit at least .310 in every month and he hit better against righties than lefties, so his struggles this season are not something you’d expect.

RK: DSL PIRATES

Box Score(not available)

Result:  Pirates 3, Rangers2 2

Starting Pitcher: Miguel Hernandez, RHP – 5.0 IP, 7 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 0 BB, 5 K, 0 HR

Top Hitter: Rudy Guzman, CF – 1-for-2, 2B, RBI, R, SB

Other Notable Performers:

Mikell Granberry, C – 1-for-3, R, SB

Kyle Simmons, DH – 1-for-3, RBI, SB

Game Notes: The Pirates won their first game back from the All-Star break, thanks to Rudy Guzman, who was making just his second start of the season. Guzman, who is only there due to visa issues, drove in the go-ahead run in the seventh inning with a double that scored Mikell Granberry. Earlier in the game, Guzman stole home plate. Kyle Simmons added an RBI single in his second pro game. He is one of those rare July 2nd signings that actually plays the same year he signs. Most players sign for the following season, but Simmons, who is from the Bahamas, is already 18 years old, so they got his career started right away.

Miguel Hernandez made his ninth starts and allowed two runs over five innings, but failed to pick up his first career win. The 19-year-old, 6’5″ righty has put up a strong ground ball ratio, to go along with 36 strikeouts in 40 innings. He had a run of four solid outings in which he went the maximum five innings each game and allowed a total of four runs. In his other four starts prior to Monday, he got knocked out before reaching five innings. Edgardo Leon and Raymond Rodriguez combined for four shutout innings in relief.

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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