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Prospect Watch: Nick Kingham Makes His 2016 Debut

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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, Pirates -[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, Bradenton – [insert_php]
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9. Nick Kingham, RHP, GCL Pirates – [insert_php]
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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 his last start, Trevor Williams threw seven shutout innings, facing the minimum amount of batter in the game. The only runner he allowed was a single and that player was thrown out trying to stretch it into a double. Williams may never top that game in his career, but he still followed it up with a great performance on Friday night. He allowed one run over seven innings, giving up five hits and one walk, with four strikeouts. The run came on a solo homer with two outs in the seventh inning. He threw 61 of his 87 pitches for strikes and had a 9:6 GO/AO ratio. Before the home run, he was up to 17.2 consecutive scoreless innings.

Alen Hanson played third base and went 2-for-3, hitting the ball well three times, starting with a line drive the opposite way to lead-off the game. That ball was caught down the right field line, but his next two singles were hit almost as well. He also drove in a run with a sacrifice fly and stole his 26th base of the year. Hanson came into the game with a .798 OPS over his last 18 games, with nine steals and a 10:7 BB/SO ratio.

Jason Rogers collected three hits and drove in a run. Willy Garcia hit his first home run since the end of April and just his second homer of the year in 293 at-bats. Pedro Florimon had two hits and stole his sixth base of the season. Max Moroff drove in a run and played solid defense at second base. Jacob Stallings picked up his tenth double on a long drive to straight away center field.

Prospect-Watch-Altoona-Curve

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Cody Dickson might be getting back on track, allowing one run over six innings for the second straight start. Prior to these two games, he had three consecutive poor outings. Those outings broke a stretch in which he gave up just five earned runs over seven starts. He now has a 3.69 ERA, which is down from a season-worst 6.45 mark back on May 2nd. There are still control issues, but Dickson has been able to work around those walks for the most part recently.

Altoona trailed 3-2 going into the ninth inning before coming back to win this game. The rally started with two outs, after Kevin Newman grounded out to force Stetson Allie at second base. Anderson Feliz singled, then both Newman and Feliz scored on a Harold Ramirez triple to give the Curve a 4-3 lead, which is where it would end.

Both Newman and Edwin Espinal had three hits in this game. Newman now has a .347 average in 18 games with Altoona, as well as a 16-game hit streak, which is now eight games behind the team record Austin Meadows set before he was promoted. Espinal is still a handful of plate appearances short of qualifying for the league leaders, but he would rank third with his .319 average if he had enough to qualify.

Prospect-Watch-Bradenton

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Bradenton won 6-4 on Friday night over lowly Brevard County (25-57 record), with Connor Joe driving in four runs. Joe hit a two-run homer in the fourth inning, his fourth of the season. He also picked up an RBI ground out in the second inning and drew a bases loaded walk in the eighth inning. Michael Suchy followed that walk in the eighth with a two-run single to break the 4-4 tie. Chase Simpson had two hits, a walk, and scored three runs.

Elias Diaz made his third rehab start. He went 0-for-3 at the plate and caught seven innings. In each of his first two rehab starts, he played five innings on defense.

Buddy Borden made his third start back with the Pirates and this one didn’t go so well. He allowed four runs on four hits, two walks and two hit batters in 3.1 innings. He had two strikeouts and a 5:1 GO/AO ratio. Besides the ground balls, the only other good thing about this outing is that he increased his pitch count to 82 pitches, as he continues to get stretched out after working as a reliever early in the year. Tate Scioneaux, Junior Lopez and Nick Neumann combined for 5.2 scoreless innings, though Scioneaux did allow an inherited runner to score.

Prospect-Watch-WV-Power

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West Virginia was rained out on Friday. They will play a doubleheader on Saturday.

Prospect-Watch-Morgantown

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Morgantown lost 7-3 to Tri-City to drop below .500 (10-11) on the season after a 6-0 start to the year. Starter Stephan Meyer went five innings, allowing four runs on five hits and three walks. He now has a 6.35 ERA after five starts. Meyer was followed by Billy Roth, who struggled with control, issuing three walks and giving up three runs without getting through a full inning.

There were a couple of tough games on offense by two of the better prospects on this team. The top prospect is first round pick Will Craig and he still hasn’t found his swing three weeks into the season. He went 0-for-4 with two strikeouts to give him a .148 average in 54 at-bats. Sandy Santos batted lead-off and went 0-for-5 with four strikeouts. He is hitting .329 this season, but he also has three walks and 24 strikeouts in 70 at-bats.

Arden Pabst, Stephen Alemais and Albert Baur each had two hits in this game. Baur hit is second triple, while Alemais collected his first double (first extra-base hit as well).

Prospect-Watch-Bristol
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Bristol had their game postponed due to rain.

Prospect-Watch-GCL

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The GCL Pirates lost 3-1 on Friday, but the big news was the return of Nick Kingham. He pitched in a game for the first time since May 6, 2015 and went three innings, allowing three unearned runs on three hits, with one walk and two strikeouts. He threw 42 pitches and had a 6:1 GO/AO ratio. Tim Williams talked to Kingham afterwards, as well as Scott Elarton, who has been helping him in his rehab process. You can see their quotes here, as well as videos from the start.

Domingo Robles and Alex Martinez each followed Kingham with three shutout innings. Martinez now has an 0.90 ERA, while Robles dropped to 8.18 through 11 innings.

The Pirates put just one run on the board and it came in the first inning with help from an error. Felix Vinicio singled, then Edison Lantigua reached on a two-out error. Johan De Jesus drove home Vinicio for the lone run. After the first, the Pirates sent just 25 men to the plate over the last eight innings. They had two singles and a walk, but a double play and caught stealing erased two of those runners. The Pirates dropped to 3-9 on the season.

Prospect-Watch-DSL

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The DSL Pirates won 3-2 on Friday over the Indians. Starter Sergio Cubilete threw one-hit ball over four innings, allowing one run. He outing was cut short due to wildness which led to four walks, a hit batter and a wild pitch. Randy Jimenez got the win with two shutout innings. Wilmer Contreras followed with two more shutout innings and Jose Delgado got the save. He came in with a 3-1 score and allowed a run, but held on for the Pirates victory.

The Pirates scored two runs in the first on some poor defense. Francisco Mepris walked to lead-off the game, then moved to third on a throwing error. He would score on a Samuel Inoa ground out. Cristopher Perez then reached on a throwing error with two outs. After a wild pitch got him to second base, he reached on a single by Williams Calderon.

The Pirates added another run in the eighth on a Samuel Inoa double, which was followed by a sacrifice bunt and then a sacrifice fly from Eddy Vizcaino. Carlos Garcia added two hits, while Jeremias Portorreal reached twice on walks.

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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