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Prospect Watch: Starts from Glasnow, Holmes and Keller Highlight Saturday Night

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P2 Top 30

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 the 2016 prospect guide, and links on each name go to their Pirates Prospects player pages.

We’re working on a solution for the PHP stat codes not working in the app.

1. Tyler Glasnow, RHP, Indianapolis -[insert_php]
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2. Austin Meadows, CF, Indianapolis – [insert_php]
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3. Josh Bell, 1B, Indianapolis – [insert_php]
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4. Jameson Taillon, RHP, Pirates – In the Majors

5. Alen Hanson, 2B, Indianapolis – [insert_php]
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6. Harold Ramirez, OF, Altoona -[insert_php]
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7. Reese McGuire, C, Altoona -[insert_php]
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8. Elias Diaz, C, Pirates – Disabled List.

9. Nick Kingham, RHP, Indianapolis – Disabled List

10. Ke’Bryan Hayes, 3B, West Virginia -[insert_php]
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11. Kevin Newman, SS, Altoona – [insert_php]
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12. Yeudy Garcia, RHP, Bradenton -[insert_php]
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13. Steven Brault, LHP, Indianapolis – [insert_php]
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 14. Stephen Tarpley, LHP, Bradenton – [insert_php]
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15.Cole Tucker, SS, Bradenton – [insert_php]
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16. Chad Kuhl, RHP, Pirates – In the Majors

17. Max Moroff, 2B, Indianapolis -[insert_php]
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18. Mitch Keller, RHP, West Virginia -[insert_php]
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19. Clay Holmes, RHP, Altoona – [insert_php]
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20. Willy Garcia, OF, Indianapolis -[insert_php]
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21. Brandon Waddell, LHP, Altoona – [insert_php]
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22. Tyler Eppler, RHP, Altoona -[insert_php]
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23. Barrett Barnes, OF, Altoona -[insert_php]
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24. Trevor Williams, RHP, Indianapolis – [insert_php]
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25. Gage Hinsz, RHP, West Virginia  – [insert_php]
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26. Adrian Valerio, SS – Bristol – [insert_php]
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27. Adam Frazier, INF/OF, Pirates – In the Majors

28. Kevin Kramer, 2B, Bradenton -[insert_php]
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29. Jordan Luplow, OF/3B, Bradenton – [insert_php]
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30. JT Brubaker, RHP, Bradenton -[insert_php]
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P2 Top Performers

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Prospect-Watch-Indy

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In the first inning tonight, Tyler Glasnow gave up two runs on three hits, including a mammoth home run to left field. Over the next five innings, he allowed just a double and a walk, retiring the last 11 batters in a row. Glasnow had a little bit of bad luck in the first with a high chopper off the bat of JaCoby Jones, which bounced over the head of third baseman Pedro Florimon. That was followed by the home run, which I would say was the longest homer I’ve ever seen Glasnow give up. In left field in Toledo, they have a high wall, then set back after the wall is a high scoreboard and Chad Huffman hit one off his own picture near the top of that scoreboard. Glasnow would give up a single after that, then get out of the inning needing 27 pitches total.

His only other trouble of the game was a double off the right-center wall to start the third inning, which was followed by a walk to Casey McGehee. After his lone walk, that’s when he retired the next 11 batters. He finished with eight strikeouts and while the pitch count was high for six innings, 62 of his 101 pitches went for strikes. That is the second most strikes he has thrown all season and one of his best percentage of strikes thrown in a game.

Glasnow had good control of his fastball. Most of his misses were either down or just off the outside of the plate, with a few close calls that didn’t go his way. He was also throwing the curve for strikes early in the count and using it to get strikeouts. He did miss bad on some, but I’ve seen plenty of games where it was much worse. He didn’t throw the changeup often, though a few stood out. He used it twice effectively against Anthony Gose, throwing it once for a second strike after a first pitch fastball, then following the changeup with a curve for a strikeout, essentially going fast-medium-slow. Another time he got Gose to swing at one that broke down in the zone and he grounded out weakly. Late in the game, Glasnow tried two in a row to the other lefty in the lineup and both were high and outside. So it worked well twice, then he couldn’t get the same effect later.

After the first inning, it was a solid outing. The pitch count was high because of that first inning and because he went deep in the count a few times after that, but the fastball control was strong enough that he only walked one batter. He also kept the ball down in the zone most of the night. The fastball readings were between 93 and 97 according to the handful of speeds the announcers gave throughout the game. Glasnow also finished the game strong, with the last two innings looking like his best, so that’s a good sign as well.

Rob Scahill followed Glasnow and gave up two runs over his two innings to take the 4-3 loss. Jose Osuna had his first two hits since joining Indianapolis, both doubles. Alen Hanson had two hits and scored a run. He is hitting .333 with five walks in his last eight games. Max Moroff has reached base in 19 straight games after collecting his third triple of the season in this game. He also drove in a run with a sacrifice fly. Willy Garcia drove in a run with his 19th double of the season. He has still hit just one home run this year.

Prospect-Watch-Altoona-Curve

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Clay Holmes pitched a terrific game in his 2-1 win over Bowie on Saturday night, allowing one run on five hits and one walk, while striking out nine batters. The only run that scored off him came in the first inning and it started with a slow hit ball to his left. He tried to field it on the run to first base, but it just got under the glove and no one could get to it. That was followed by another grounder, this one up the middle, which got through for a base hit. The next sequence was one of two times Holmes wasn’t on top of his game. He walked the next batter, though only the last pitch wasn’t close. That was followed by two balls in the dirt, with one getting away from Reese McGuire for a wild pitch and the only run. It was really just a total of three pitches he was wild on and they just happened to be at the wrong time.

Holmes gave up three more hits, with one an infield hit and another a grounder that just got by Chris Diaz at third base as he was playing in to prevent a bunt. The fifth hit Holmes allowed was a liner over third base and it was the only ball all game that was hit hard off him. All of the outs were on grounders (9:0 GO/AO ratio) or strikeouts, with one caught stealing thrown in there from McGuire.

This was basically as much weak contact as you will see in a game. The sixth inning looked good on paper with three straight easy grounders, but he left the ball up in the zone at least five times and I’d say he was lucky the inning went so well. The rest of the game was a dominating performance, as he pounded the lower half of the strike zone and worked both sides of the plate, while getting some great results with his curveball. Holmes got through seven innings on 85 pitches.

I mentioned after his last start that he had the look of a top prospect and this outing was equally as good, if not even better. In his last four starts, he has allowed three earned runs over 24 innings. His command of the strike zone has been better recently, and he does a lot of things you like to see. It starts with working both sides of the plate, and then he throws inside to keep the batters uncomfortable, while pounding the bottom half of the strike zone with a fastball that has great downward plane coming from his 6’5″ frame.

Early in the year, Holmes was working on things, going heavy with changeups early, then starting to throw his two-seam fastball again. He started throwing that pitch more often once he got comfortable with it, and now it looks like he is putting everything together. There were starts early in the season where you would see a plus curveball, or control of his fastball, but never everything working in the same game until recently, which is why you’re seeing the results to match the stuff.

As mentioned, Altoona won this game 2-1. Jared Lakind continued his strong season by throwing two shutout innings with five strikeouts to close out the game. He has a 1.74 ERA and has thrown shutout ball in 20 of his 21 appearances since the end of April. Erich Weiss had two hits and drove in both Curve runs, with his 15th double and sixth triple. Kevin Newman had a single, walk and scored a run, while on defense, Holmes kept him busy in the field. Chris Diaz had two hits and scored the other run.

Prospect-Watch-Bradenton

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Bradenton lost their fifth straight game, dropping a 3-2 decision to Charlotte. Austin Coley started and pitched well despite the loss. He gave up three runs (two earned) over 6.2 innings, with seven hits, one walk, two strikeouts and a 10:4 GO/AO ratio. He now has a 3.46 ERA in 83.1 innings this season. After Henry Hirsch threw 1.1 scoreless innings, Luis Heredia bounced back from his worst outing with a shutout ninth, getting a strikeout and two ground outs.

The Marauders had eight hits, with four players collecting two apiece. Kevin Kramer, Jerrick Suiter, Michael Suchy and Pablo Reyes accounted for all of the hits, with Reyes and Kramer each picking up their 14th double. This was the first game back in over a week for Reyes, who was placed on the temporary inactive list due to a team imposed suspension. He drove in both Bradenton runs, scoring Suchy and Suiter with his fourth inning double.

Tito Polo went 0-for-5, giving him a .148 average in seven games with Bradenton. Cole Tucker went 0-for-4, leaving him 1-for-17 since his four-hit game early in the week.

Prospect-Watch-WV-Power

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CHARLESTON, WV– Mitch Keller may have finally come back down to earth. In his past two starts, Keller has allowed six runs on eight hits, three walks, and nine strikeouts over 7.2 innings. It’s the worst two-game stretch of the season. In the past, when Keller has struggled, his next start has been spotless. Not so tonight.

Although Keller didn’t demonstrate the same control issues that plagued his last start, the Firefly batters hit him hard, leading to a 5:4 GO:AO ratio. Keller gave up two singles, two doubles, and a three-run home run and quickly racked up 82 pitches.

Keller did touch 95 on the gun several times in the game, but his curveball crept up in the zone, accounting for the homer. He left with the Power trailing 3-1, but the offense put him in line for the win with a four-run fourth inning.

The Power took advantage of Firefly starter Gaby Almonte’s wildness. Six of the Power’s 11 base runners through Almonte’s 4.1 innings reached on a walk or a hit by pitch. Logan Ratledge, Mitchell Tolman, and Daniel Arribas will all be sore after being pegged by Almonte.

In the fourth inning, Ratledge’s HBP led things off, and Tolman followed with a walk. Carlos Munoz drove both in with a booming triple to right field. After Daniel Arribas chased three strikes out of the zone, Logan Hill crushed his second homer of the year to put the Power on top 5-3.

Hill has struggled throughout the season and was demoted from Bradenton in May. His recent stats have improved significantly. In his last 10 starts (including tonight), Hill is hitting .306/.375/.500 with five runs and three RBI. He still hasn’t solve his strikeout problems, though; he has 11 over that span.

The Power bullpen gave up in the sixth. Daniel Zamora came in to relieve Keller but left with an injury after throwing two pitches. Julio Vivas, who came up to the Power for the third time on July 1, took the mound without warming up in the bullpen and promptly gave up two runs. He settled down after that, striking out six in four innings and closing out the eighth with a double play.

Vivas’s luck ran out in the top of the ninth when Kevin Kaczmarski hit a two-out triple to right-center field. The ball took a bad bounce off the wall, allowing Kaczmarski to slide safely into third. Pinch-hitter Luis Ortega followed with an RBI single. Vivas worked a strikeout to get out of the inning.

Mitchell Tolman kept his hot streak going, crushing his fourth home run in five games to tie it up in the bottom of the ninth. Tolman reached base five times, scored two runs, and reach third on his other three trips. Carlos Munoz followed with a home run of his own to walk off with the 7-6 win.

Prior to the game, Munoz reflected on his recent struggles. “I think you learn a lot from mistakes, from struggling,” he said. “How am I going to overcome the adversity?”

A 4-4 night with two singles, a triple, a walk, three RBI, and the game winning homer is a pretty good way to rally back from that adversity. –Abigail Miskowiec

Prospect-Watch-Morgantown

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Morgantown won over Auburn on Saturday night, coming back from an early 4-1 deficit, to hold on for a 7-6 victory. Starter Stephan Meyer allowed four runs over his four innings, then was replaced by Adrian Grullon, who picked up the win with a scoreless inning. Billy Roth had trouble in his three innings despite three strikeouts and a 7:0 GO/AO ratio. He gave up two runs to get Auburn within one. Matt Frawley pitched the ninth for the save.

Will Craig had a nice game, going 1-for-2 with two walks and two runs scored. Through 12 games, he has a .175/.370/.225 slash line. Despite the low average, he has reached base in every game he has played. Kevin Mahala and Albert Baur each drove in three runs. Baur hit his first homer of the season and he now has 12 RBIs in 13 games. Matt Diorio had a double, walk and run scored. Sandy Santos is hitting .365 after an 0-for-5 night, and he’s maintaining that high average despite 18 strikeouts in 52 at-bats.

Prospect-Watch-Bristol

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Bristol got some very poor pitching  all night from starter Adam Oller and four relievers. Luckily for the Pirates, the Pulaski pitchers were even worse. Bristol used ten hits, 11 walks and six stolen bases to help them to a 15-14 win. The fourth inning was the only frame in which neither team scored a run. All nine pitchers in the game gave up at least one run and yet they combined for 22 strikeouts.

I won’t even both going over the pitching because it was a mess. The offense started at the top with Victor Fernandez, who had a double, stolen base, run scored, two walks and he drove in three runs. The double is his sixth already in just ten games. The stolen base was his third.

Michael de la Cruz batted second and he had two walks, his third stolen base, a run and an RBI, as well as an outfield assist.

Adrian Valerio had a walk, run, RBI and a stolen base.

Raul Siri had three walks and three runs, plus his fourth stolen base.

Julio de la Cruz had two hits and two runs.

The big nights came from Jhoan Herrera and Garrett Brown. Herrera had three hits, including his first homer. He drove in four runs and scored three times. Brown reached base all five times he came to the plate, with three singles, a triple and a walk. He scored twice, stole his first base and drove in four runs.

Prospect-Watch-GCL

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The GCL Pirates are in a tough spot with their pitching right now. They have a couple injuries and their starters have been knocked out of games early. They have also had some outings from the bullpen shortened due to poor pitching. That led to outfielder Henrry Rosario pitching yesterday for an inning, although at last check, his pitching line from yesterday was still being credited to Mister Luciano. A position player pitching happens about once every two weeks or so throughout the system, so it wasn’t a big deal seeing Rosario out there. However, in Saturday’s game, the Pirates took it to another level.

Starter Domingo Robles was scheduled for five innings today and Julian Villamar could have finished the game off if everything went well. It didn’t even come close to going well. Robles was knocked out after three innings, allowing six runs. Villamar threw a lot of pitches in his one inning, knocking him out with three runs to his credit. In the fifth inning, the Pirates used outfielder Luis Benitez, who gave up five runs. After six innings, they were already through Plan A, B and C. Plan D was Drew Rossi.

He isn’t new, he was signed prior to last year…as a coach. He’s listed as a player-coach, but that’s just a way to get around the rules of how many coaches the team can have on the bench. Since he’s listed as a player though, that means they can use him. I can’t recall it happening anytime recently, usually because the player-coaches are only listed as active on the short-season teams and those teams have expanded rosters (30-35 players). The last one I remember was Miguel Perez, who was forced into action as a backup catcher a couple times in 2012-13, though he was still catching on the side and during Spring Training, while Rossi has been a coach the whole time.

So Rossi came into a 14-0 game in the sixth inning and ended up allowing one run over three innings. He even struck out three batters. Not too bad for a former infielder, though I will point out that he pitched four times (4.2 innings) in independent league ball in 2011, so he has been on the mound before.

The pitching shortage will clear up a little next week as Nick Kingham will put in some innings and the three over-slot high school players the Pirates signed (Travis MacGregor, Max Kranick and Braeden Ogle) will all begin to see action in the near future. The off-day tomorrow will be welcomed by the beleaguered staff.

The Pirates ended up scoring five runs late, so between the shutdown relief work of Rossi and the late offensive outburst, the 15-5 score doesn’t look as bad as it could have been. Victor Ngoepe had two hits and scored two runs. Henrry Rosario drove in three runs with a homer and a double. Edison Lantigua had two walks and a stolen base. Yondry Contreras hit his third double. Carl Anderson went 0-for-3 in his third rehab game, leaving him 0-for-7 so far. The 19th round pick from 2014 was out all of 2015 and the first half of this year due to hernia surgery.

Prospect-Watch-DSL

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The DSL Pirates won 2-1 over the Cubs1 on Saturday behind some strong pitching from starter Sergio Cubilete and three relievers. The only run came off a Cubilete during his five innings and it was unearned. He gave up four singles, no walks and struck out three batters. The Pirates had some chances to break this game open, but they went 1-for-10 with runners in scoring position and didn’t cross the plate until the bottom of the eighth inning.

Kevin Sanchez led off that eighth inning with a single. He then stole second base, his second steal of the year. Rodolfo Castro walked, then after a strikeout from Sherten Apostel, Kyle Simmon reached on an error, which scored Sanchez and put Castro on third base. A wild pitch would bring Castro home with the go-ahead run. The Pirates brought in Julio Gonzalez for the save. He was signed last year as a catcher, then moved to third base, where the arm was a plus tool, but his batting was well below average. Gonzalez gave up a two-out single, followed by a walk, but struck out the next batter to end the game.

 

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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