Last year I noticed that a lot of really good hitters in the Dominican Summer League, were coming over the the United States and having trouble in the GCL the following season. Just to name a few, Michael de la Cruz, Raul Siri, Luis Perez and Edinson Lantigua were all strong hitters, with the “hit tool” that should have played up in the GCL. Perez and Siri in particular were older DSL players, so I fully expected them to skip over the GCL and go to Bristol.
The article was mostly just wondering if the differences in the two leagues was getting bigger than it used to be. On Monday, I had a chance to talk to a player who is new this year from the DSL to the States and got to ask him about the differences in the two leagues as far as the pitchers. That player is Mikell Granberry, who offered a better perspective than most, because he is a catcher. So not only is he trying to hit GCL quality pitching, he has also caught recently in both places.
Extended Spring Training is broken up into two teams, splitting the players up based on current level of play. Players can still move between teams based on performance, so rosters aren’t set at this point. Granberry is playing with the group of players who will likely end up in the GCL (Bristol for some) so he is facing and catching GCL quality pitching. Here is the answer on the differences he has seen between DSL pitching last year and Extended Spring Training pitching this year:
“The difference is here (Extended Spring Training) you see pitchers with better command. Of course they miss the strike zone too, but you will see more command with the pitchers. Velocity here is better because every pitcher hits 91 mph or even more, you don’t see pitchers below 90. Here you can see more cutters, two-seam fastballs and sliders, and not only fastballs and change-ups like DSL.”
Granberry is in a hitting funk for about the last week, so he is basically telling you what is currently giving him problems as he moves up a level in the system. The better command, the velocity, the different mix of pitches all adds up to a big jump in the quality of stuff players are seeing.
At first (while writing last year’s article) I thought that players might be moving up too soon, and that was causing the struggles, but now I think if a player has the talent and tools, it’s better to get them to the States quicker so they can see better pitching sooner. If they have to repeat the GCL at a young age, that’s not really a big deal. The Pirates have a right fielder named Gregory Polanco who spent one year in the DSL and two in the GCL putting up lackluster stats, and it seemed to work out just fine for him.
** I was going to add quick analysis in last night’s Prospect Watch for Chad Kuhl’s start, but I didn’t. That’s because it would have basically been short and to the point, saying he did everything right. I think the only outing I’ve seen that was all around as good (maybe better) as Kuhl’s last night, was when Steven Brault struck out 11 and painted a masterpiece on the mound. The outing by Kuhl last night was possibly as good as Brault’s start and nothing else this season has really come close to matching that game because Brault was brilliant from the first pitch to the last. I’ve mentioned a few times that Kuhl is ahead of Tyler Glasnow as far as being Major League ready and he widened the gap last night.
** We almost had four top 30 pitchers starting on the same night a week or so ago, but Altoona got rained out that day. Today there is a chance it could finally happen, or just miss again. Four top 30 prospects are scheduled with Tyler Glasnow #1, Yeudy Garcia #12, Clay Holmes #19, and JT Brubaker #30 all listed as probables. Of course, Indianapolis is calling for rain today, so we will see if it actually happens.
PLAYOFF PUSH
Bradenton is 6-4 in their last ten games. They are in third place in their division, trailing first place by 2.5 games. The first half of the FSL season ends on June 22nd.
West Virginia is 3-7 in their last ten games. They are in fourth place in their division, trailing first place by 5.5 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 8-5 over the Braves on Monday night. Juan Nicasio gets the start today, his eighth of the season. After throwing seven shutout innings against the Reds on April 29th, he has given up four runs in each of his last two starts. Aaron Blair gets the ball for Atlanta, his fifth career start. He has a 4.05 ERA in 20 innings, with 11 walks and seven strikeouts. Blair gave up three runs over 3.2 innings against the Phillies in his last start.
In the minors, Tyler Glasnow will get the morning start…as long as the weather holds off. Rain is in the forecast for Indianapolis through the late afternoon, so they might not get the game in. If he does pitch, he will try to bounce back from one of his worst career outings. In five innings, he allowed three runs on five walks and six hits, while striking out just one batter.
Clay Holmes will make his eighth start for Altoona. He has had some strong outings and some tough outings, but what stands out for him is his very impressive 3.59 GO/AO ratio.
Yeudy Garcia will try to continue a recent stretch that has him pitching better, even if he isn’t where he was last year when he dominated at West Virginia. In his last three starts combined, he has allowed two earned runs over 14 innings, with two walks and 18 strikeouts. The problem in each of the last two outings has been high pitch counts that have limited him to four innings each game.
JT Brubaker hasn’t pitched well in either of his last two starts, both times lacking fastball command, which led to him relying heavily on his off-speed pitches, which he wasn’t throwing for strikes consistently. In 73 innings last year, he issued 13 walks and allowed three homers. In 37 innings this year, he has given up seven homers already and walked 16 batters.
MLB: Pittsburgh (20-17) vs Braves (9-28) 7:05 PM
Probable starter: Juan Nicasio (4.34 ERA, 15:37 BB/SO, 37.1 IP)
AAA: Indianapolis (18-18) vs Columbus (23-14) 11:05 AM (season preview)
Probable starter: Tyler Glasnow (2.13 ERA, 18:49 BB/SO, 38.0 IP)
AA: Altoona (20-17) @ Binghamton (16-19) 6:35 PM (season preview)
Probable starter: Clay Holmes (5.88 ERA, 18:19 BB/SO, 33.2 IP)
High-A: Bradenton (19-18) @ Brevard County (13-25) 6:35 PM (season preview)
Probable starter: Yeudy Garcia (3.29 ERA, 12:34 BB/SO, 27.1 IP)
Low-A: West Virginia (19-17) @ Delmarva (20-16) 7:05 PM (season preview)
Probable starter: JT Brubaker (3.89 ERA, 16:43 BB/SO, 37.0 IP)
HIGHLIGHTS
Here is the fourth double of the season from Austin Meadows.
RECENT TRANSACTIONS
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.
5/9: Mel Rojas Jr. traded to the Atlanta Braves for cash considerations.
5/8: Cole Tucker added to West Virginia Power roster. Logan Ratledge assigned to Extended Spring Training.
5/7: Billy Roth added to West Virginia Power roster.
5/6: Jung-ho Kang activated from disabled list.
5/6: Mel Rojas Jr. assigned to Extended Spring Training.
5/5: Jason Rogers optioned to Indianapolis.
5/2: Jason Creasy placed on disabled list. Brandon Waddell promoted to Altoona
5/2: Tate Scioneaux promoted to Bradenton.
THIS DATE IN PIRATES HISTORY
Ten former Pittsburgh Pirates players born on this date, and two trades of note. Here is the long list of players born on this date, starting from the earliest days of the franchise (bios can be found in the two links above):
Henry Oberbeck- 1883 first baseman. He went 2-for-9 in two games for Alleghenys, handling all 25 chances in the field cleanly, which was an impressive feat in the pre-glove era.
Billy Reid- 1884 left fielder. Hit .243 during his 19 games in Pittsburgh.
Frank Mountain- 1885-86 pitcher/first baseman. Went 1-6 for Alleghenys after winning 23 games during the 1884 season. Hit .145 in limited time, though he did draw 13 walks.
Fred Woodcock- 1892 pitcher. Was the first starting pitcher to make his MLB debut on his birthday, something that didn’t happen again until 1955. Star college player at Brown and Dartmouth.
Elmer Steele- 1910-11 pitcher. Had a 2.60 ERA in 166 innings in 1911 before being sold to Brooklyn in September.
Hal Carlson- 1917-23 pitcher. Won 14 games for the 1920 Pirates. Missed time due to serving in WWI.
Harry Riconda- 1929 shortstop. Was part of the underwhelming return the Pirates got for star shortstop Glenn Wright. Batted just 15 times over two months before being sent to the minors.
Ozzie Virgil- 1965 catcher. Played 39 games for Pirates before being dealt to Giants for Matty Alou.
Pascual Perez-1980-81 pitcher. Played sparingly for Pirates before being traded to the Braves for pitcher Larry McWilliams in 1982
Jose Guillen- 1997-99 outfielder. Went from High-A ball to majors in one season. Hit 14 homers in each of his first two seasons with Pirates.
On this date in 1956 the Pittsburgh Pirates traded outfielder Bobby Del Greco and pitcher Dick Littlefield to the Cardinals for center fielder Bill Virdon. The trade worked out well for the Pirates, as the two players they gave up did very little in St Louis. Virdon played ten seasons in Pittsburgh, plus later managed the team and still helps the team to this day during Spring Training.
Five years prior to that deal, the Pirates and Cardinals made another trade. The Pirates dealt shortstop Stan Rojek to the Cardinals in exchange for outfielder Erv Dusak and first baseman Rocky Nelson. This trade didn’t work out well for the Pirates, though Nelson had a second stint with the Pirates and hit a big homer during the 1960 World Series.
