Some notes and thoughts on a Wednesday morning while I wait for Altoona to begin their morning baseball game.
** I plan on doing a full recap and analysis for Tyler Eppler’s start this morning because we have been doing that for every top 30 prospect when their start is shown on MiLB.tv and no one is there covering the game from this site. I might include a bonus game though because I get to see Dario Agrazal pitch for the first time this year (besides the WBC qualifiers in March). Not many West Virginia games are shown online because they don’t cover home games and only a handful of teams broadcast games in the South Atlantic League.
Agrazal is an intriguing prospect due to his low-90’s velocity coming from an easy, repeatable delivery, while mixing that with a late-breaking hard curve and excellent command of his pitches. He wasn’t on our top 50 prospect list, but he was considered and he did add velocity this season, so he’s someone you could see on our list in the 2017 Prospect Guide. At minimum, I with have full analysis without the batter-by-batter recap…and I’m typing all of this despite the fact I know that whenever I announce plans like this, Mother Nature interferes.
** As mentioned below, Jeff Locke is making his 100th start as a Pirate tonight, which I’m sure most people felt/hoped would never happen. He will be the 60th pitcher in franchise history to reach the century mark in starts. Locke is already the franchise leader in most starts without a complete game. I bet most people wouldn’t know that second place on that dubious list belongs to Gerrit Cole with 81 starts. Locke’s start tonight is sort of an ironic one, because it ties him with Harvey Haddix in starts for the Pirates. Haddix is known for his perfect game he took into the 13th inning, which was one of 27 complete games he threw for the Pirates.
** One real quick playoff note. If you thought the FSL standings were crazy yesterday with Bradenton in fourth place and just one game out, check out the Playoff Push today.
** A little history because why not. Yesterday the Pirates sent a tweet out featuring Wilfredo Boscan, who picked up a hit and a win on Monday, and it said “Welcome to the club”. I decided with some spare time in the morning on Tuesday to figure out how big that club is, looking for players with at least one win and one hit. I say players instead of pitchers because position players have won games over the years for the Pirates. The final tally was a fitting number, 475 players, matching the team’s all-time home run leader’s career total. Hopefully you knew I meant Willie Stargell.
**Another bit of history regarding Boscan and his hit. Before he got that hit, there were exactly 400 players in team history, who failed to collect at least one hit. The number is down to 399 and will need a new player to join the team before it reaches a nice even number again. Of course, half of the current bullpen doesn’t have a hit yet, so we may need more than one player to come up before it gets back to 400.
PLAYOFF PUSH
Bradenton is 7-3 in their last ten games. They are in a four-way tie for first place in their division. The first half of the FSL season ends on June 22nd.
West Virginia is 4-6 in their last ten games. They are in fourth place in their division, trailing first place by six games. The first half of the SAL season ends on June 19th.
PIRATES GAME GRAPH
Source: FanGraphs
TODAY’S SCHEDULE
Today’s Starter and Notes: The Pirates won 12-1 on Tuesday night over Arizona. Jeff Locke will get the start today, his ninth of the season and 100th as a Pirate. He went seven innings in his last game, allowing two runs on six hits and two walks against the Braves. In his previous start, Locke allowed six earned runs over 5.1 innings against the Cubs. The Diamondbacks will counter with Rubby De La Rosa, who has a 3.53 ERA in 43.1 innings, with 45 strikeouts and a 1.06 WHIP. He has allowed one earned run in each of his last two starts, facing the Giants in Arizona and the Rockies in Colorado.
In the minors, Kyle Lobstein will make his second start for Indianapolis. He threw four shutout innings in his debut. Tyler Eppler gets the morning start for Altoona. He has allowed three earned runs or less in all eight of his starts, while going at least six innings in seven of those games. Alex McRae goes for Bradenton, while Dario Agrazal starts for West Virginia. McRae threw six shutout innings in his last start, while Agrazal has gone seven innings in each of his last two game, allowing three runs total.
MLB: Pittsburgh (25-19) vs Diamondbacks (21-26) 7:05 PM
Probable starter: Jeff Locke (5.00 ERA, 23:31 BB/SO, 45.0 IP)
AAA: Indianapolis (22-21) @ Rochester (25-20) 7:05 PM (season preview)
Probable starter: Kyle Lobstein (0.00 ERA, 0:1 BB/SO, 4.0 IP)
AA: Altoona (24-19) vs Akron (32-12) 10:30 AM (season preview)
Probable starter: Tyler Eppler (2.74 ERA, 2:12 BB/SO, 49.1 IP)
High-A: Bradenton (23-21) @ Jupiter (24-22) 6:30 PM (season preview)
Probable starter: Alex McRae (2.44 ERA, 14:21 BB/SO, 48.0 IP)
Low-A: West Virginia (22-22) @ Charleston (29-15) 7:05 PM (season preview)
Probable starter: Dario Agrazal (3.00 ERA, 4:23 BB/SO, 39.0 IP)
HIGHLIGHTS
Here is a first inning home run from Tito Polo on Monday night. It was his fifth home run of the season.
RECENT TRANSACTIONS
5/24: Pirates place Ryan Vogelsong on disabled list. A.J. Schugel recalled from Indianapolis.
5/23: Logan Sendelbach assigned to Extended Spring Training. Jess Amedee added to West Virginia.
5/22: Trevor Williams assigned to Bradenton. Colten Brewer sent to Extended Spring Training.
5/22: Trace Tam Sing added to Bradenton roster.
5/21: West Virginia assigns Ty Moore and Casey Hughston to Extended Spring Training. Logan Ratledge and Sean Keselica added to West Virginia roster.
5/21: Logan Hill demoted from Bradenton to West Virginia.
5/21: Pirates release Eric Karch.
5/21: Juan Diaz assigned to Extended Spring Training
5/20: John Kuchno assigned to Indianapolis. Guido Knudson assigned to Extended Spring Training.
5/19: Starling Marte activated from paternity list. Alen Hanson optioned to Indianapolis.
5/19: Elias Diaz placed on 60-day disabled list.
5/19: Wilfredo Boscan added to 40-man roster and promoted to Pittsburgh. Cory Luebke optioned to Indianapolis.
5/17: John Kuchno assigned to Extended Spring Training.
5/16: Starling Marte placed on paternity list. Alen Hanson recalled.
5/16: Juan Diaz added to Indianapolis roster.
5/15: Pirates activate Cory Luebke from disabled list. A.J. Schugel optioned to Indianapolis.
5/13: Pirates release Daniel Bard.
5/13: Kyle Lobstein optioned to Indianapolis. Pittsburgh Pirates recall Cole Figueroa.
5/12: Cesilio Pimentel activated from West Virginia disabled list. Julio Vivas assigned to Extended Spring Training.
THIS DATE IN PIRATES HISTORY
Five former Pittsburgh Pirates players born on this date, including 2006 first round pick Brad Lincoln, who turns 31 today. Among the former players, we have first baseman Randall Simon (2003-04), outfielder William Pennyfeather (1992-94), first baseman Jim Marshall (1962) and pitcher John Hofford, who played for the franchise in 1885-86, before the Pirates were called the Pirates (Alleghenys) and before they moved to the National League, which happened in 1887.
On this date in 1954, the Pirates traded outfielder Cal Abrams to the Baltimore Orioles for pitcher Dick Littlefield. The Orioles got one good season out of Abrams, while Littlefield pitched well for the Pirates in 1954, a season in which they lost 101 games. He struggled the next season, then was part of a deal that brought Bill Virdon to Pittsburgh.
On this date in 1935, the Pittsburgh Pirates won 11-7 over the Boston Braves, but an aging slugger for Boston was the big story. That day, Babe Ruth hit the last three homers of his Major League career. The last homer he hit, left Forbes Field over the right field roof, making him the first player to ever accomplish that feat. Here is the boxscore from that game.
