I went to bed last night around 3 AM, after returning to my hotel from Wrigley Field, posting the rest of the articles last night, editing and scheduling articles for this morning, and watching Game of Thrones (no way I was going to wait on that one and have The Battle of the Bastards spoiled). I woke up around 5:45 AM, and started getting ready to fly out. I was on the road all day, finally arriving this evening in Raleigh, where I’m taking a few days off to visit my best friends, play Uncle Tim to their twins, and go see Panic! at the Disco and Weezer in concert, all before returning home in time for the start of the GCL season this weekend.
As it turned out, I picked a very busy day to be on the road. We had three features planned this morning, with a Kevin Newman update from Sean McCool, an update on Tyler Glasnow and Chad Kuhl after a conversation I had with Jacob Stallings on Sunday, and our usual Top Performers recap. We also had live coverage planned, with Alan Saunders covering the Pirates, and Abigail Miskowiec covering Steven Brault’s rehab start in Morgantown.
But there were other news items that came out, and the team handled it perfectly. Overall, we had 11 articles today, not counting this one. I can’t think of any site that had this much Pirates content in one day. And I can’t be prouder over the fact that I was barely a part of it. A big thanks to John Dreker (who broke some news today, while keeping stuff going up on the site), Abigail Miskowiec, Alan Saunders, Sean McCool, and Brian Peloza. This site wouldn’t be what it is without them (and I’ll add Wilbur Miller and David Hague in that sentiment as well).
We’re gearing up for our season previews for Bristol and the GCL this week. We will also be working on our mid-season top prospect list, which comes out next week. And we’ve got our usual features lined up for the rest of the week. But for now, get caught up on all of today’s great coverage. And if you haven’t subscribed to the site already, well, how much more coverage of the system do you need to fork over that $2.99 per month that helps me pay the writers on this site to produce such great content?
The Pirates
**Good Locke, Bad Locke, or Just Bad Luck? Alan Saunders had the recap tonight from PNC Park, with Jeff Locke noting that the opponents were hitting it where the fielders were standing.
**Pirates Turning to Sean Rodriguez for Athleticism at First Base. Alan’s pre-game notes, looking at Sean Rodriguez and his athleticism at first base.
**Injury Updates: Chris Stewart ‘Hopeful’ for Quick Return; Ryan Vogelsong News. Today’s injury updates on the Pirates.
The Prospects
**Steven Brault Returns to Form in Rehab Start With Morgantown. Abigail Miskowiec had live coverage of Steven Brault’s rehab outing today, and talked with Brault after the game about his injury and the upcoming rehab schedule.
**Tito Polo to be Promoted to Bradenton, Newman Wins FSL Player of the Week. John Dreker reports that Tito Polo will be promoted to Bradenton after the SAL All-Star game.
**Kevin Newman Ready to Take on Double-A After a Quick Return From His Orbital Injury. Sean McCool talks to Kevin Newman about his orbital injury, and his promotion to Altoona.
**Jacob Stallings Discusses Recent Struggles From Tyler Glasnow and Chad Kuhl. I talked with Jacob Stallings about the recent struggles from Chad Kuhl and Tyler Glasnow.
**How Jameson Taillon’s Two-Seamer Became His Primary Fastball in Just Two Weeks. This one is from Sunday, but I wanted to point it out again, because it was a very detailed article, and one of my favorites to write in the last week.
The Regular Features
**Top Performers: Strong Weeks from Meadows, Glasnow, Bell, Newman, Holmes and Keller. A lot of live reports here from our coverage last week, with input from John Dreker, Brian Peloza, and Sean McCool.
**Prospect Watch: Tarpley Sends Bradenton to Playoffs with Six Shutout Innings. Bradenton clinched the post-season tonight. Also, a live recap from Abigail from Morgantown, looking beyond Brault’s start.
**Morning Report: Best and Worst of the First Half for West Virginia. John Dreker breaks down the first half for the West Virginia Power.
The Draft
**Pirates Sign Fourth Round Pick Braeden Ogle. One more prep pitcher signs. Two remaining. Check out the updated Draft Pick Signing Tracker for the detailed bonus information and what the Pirates can spend on the remaining picks.
