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Prospect Watch: Indianapolis Splits a Doubleheader with Holmes and Eppler on the Mound

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P2 Top 30

A look at how the current top 30 prospects did today. If a player is in the majors for an extended time (Tyler Glasnow, Trevor Williams, Alen Hanson, Jose Osuna), or loses his prospect eligibility, he will be removed from this list. 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 more active prospects on the list. Rankings are from the 2017 Prospect Guide, and links on each name go to their Pirates Prospects player pages. We are working on fixing the stats.

1. Austin Meadows, CF, Indianapolis -[insert_php]
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2. Mitch Keller, RHP, Bradenton – [insert_php]
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3. Kevin Newman, SS, Altoona – [insert_php]
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4. Cole Tucker, SS, Bradenton – [insert_php]
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5. Ke’Bryan Hayes, 3B, Bradenton -[insert_php]
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6. Will Craig, 3B, Bradenton –  [insert_php]
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7. Taylor Hearn, LHP, Bradenton – [insert_php]
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8. Gage Hinsz, RHP, Bradenton  – [insert_php]
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9. Nick Kingham, RHP, Extended Spring Training – [insert_php]
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10. Steven Brault, LHP, Indianapolis – [insert_php]
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11. Clay Holmes, RHP, Indianapolis – [insert_php]
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12. Braeden Ogle, LHP, Extended Spring Training – [insert_php]
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13. Max Kranick, RHP, Extended Spring Training – [insert_php]
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14. Elias Diaz, C, Indianapolis – [insert_php]
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15. Edgar Santana, RHP, Indianapolis – [insert_php]
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16. Luis Escobar, RHP, West Virginia – [insert_php]
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17. Dovydas Neverauskas, RHP, Pirates – [insert_php]
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18. Yeudy Garcia, RHP, Altoona -[insert_php]
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19. Kevin Kramer, 2B, Altoona -[insert_php]
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20. Tyler Eppler, RHP, Indianapolis -[insert_php]
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21. Stephen Alemais, SS, West Virginia –  [insert_php]
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22. Brandon Waddell, LHP, Altoona – [insert_php]
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23. Travis MacGregor, RHP, Extended Spring Training – [insert_php]
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24. Barrett Barnes, LF, Extended Spring Training -[insert_php]
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25. Max Moroff, 2B, Indianapolis -[insert_php]
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26. Eric Wood, 3B, Indianapolis – [insert_php]
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27. J.T. Brubaker, RHP, Altoona – [insert_php]
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28. Chris Bostick, INF/OF, Indianapolis –  [insert_php]
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29. Connor Joe, 3B, Altoona – [insert_php]
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30. Pat Light, RHP, Indianapolis – [insert_php]
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P2 Top Performers

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Prospect-Watch-Indy

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Indianapolis won game one of a doubleheader by a 5-3 score over Pawtucket in eight innings. Clay Holmes made the start and looked great through three innings before his defense let him down in a long fourth inning. Holmes was using all of his pitches in this start, while consistently hitting 96 MPH with his fastball, which got a lot of swing and misses. He picked up seven strikeouts to go along with a 5:0 GO/AO ratio. He allowed four hits, two walks and two runs, but both of them were unearned due to a tough fourth inning.

Holmes was pulled from the game after throwing 37 pitches in that fourth inning and 85 total in the game. Pawtucket scored on two errors, two wild pitches (one should have been a passed ball) and a hit that went about 50 feet. Of the four hits Holmes allowed, three didn’t leave the infield and two didn’t reach the infield dirt. He was coming off six shutout innings in his last start and until he faded with high pitch counts to the last few batters, he looked just as good in this game.

Pat Light followed and allowed a solo homer that tied this game. He was relieved by Edgar Santana after putting two runners on in the sixth. Santana stranded both runners by picking up two strikeouts. He then threw two more shutout innings to get the win. He now has an 0.68 ERA and 13 strikeouts in 13.1 innings.

There was some nice offense on the part of Indianapolis in this game, mostly off lefty Brian Johnson (Red Sox #7 prospect), whose last start was in the majors. The winning runs were off long-time MLB pitcher Blaine Boyer. Austin Meadows had two hits in this game and made solid contact in two other at-bats. He has a 12-game on base streak. Max Moroff was the hero, with two hits that included an RBI single to start the scoring and a two-run single in the eighth to cap the scoring. Elias Diaz went 2-for-3 with two line drive singles. Chris Bostick was 1-for-4 with a walk and a stolen base, which set up the fifth run for Indianapolis.

Eric Wood had the big day and it was one he could use after coming into the game with a .146 average. He walked his first time up, then hit a bomb to center field for his second homer of the season. That was followed by another walk, then he singled up the middle in his fourth plate appearance. He has nine walks against three strikeouts in his last eight games.

Eury Perez was activated for this game and went 1-for-2 with a walk, a sac bunt, a stolen base and a run scored. Before he was added to the roster, Indianapolis was three players short due to the recent call-ups by the Pirates.

Game Two Recap: Indianapolis sent Tyler Eppler to the mound in game two and he came into the game with just two runs allowed in his first three starts. He topped that in one inning by allowing three runs in the third, giving up a single, double and a homer. In the fourth, he allowed another homer, this one a solo shot. Eppler went five innings total, allowing four runs on six hits and one walk. He threw 72 pitches, with 48 going for strikes. Eppler had four strikeouts and a 6:3 GO/AO ratio. It’s possible his rough start was due (partially) to having it pushed back each of the last two days due to rain outs, making it eight days between starts.

Chris Bostick started the scoring in the first with a lead-off homer off of lefty Henry Owens, who was a top 100 prospect in baseball from 2012-14 before losing his rookie status. Bostick added a single and a stolen base later in the game. Through 18 games, he has a .304/.333/.478 slash line.

Austin Meadows extended his on base streak with a line drive single to right field. He’s up to a .221/.280/.294 slash line after a 1-for-21 start to his season. He’s also struck out just two times in his last 34 plate appearances.

Eric Wood went 0-for-3 in this game and Max Moroff was 0-for-4 with three strikeouts. Moroff played both games at shortstop. Indianapolis lost 4-2, with their second run coming on an error and two ground outs. Anderson Feliz picked up the RBI.

Prospect-Watch-Altoona-Curve

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Altoona has off on Thursday.

Prospect-Watch-Bradenton

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Bradenton lost 2-1 to Fort Myers, with a base running mistake costing them a chance at a comeback in the ninth. Gage Hinsz started and had his best results so far. He had a really tough last outing, allowing six runs in 1.1 innings. In this game, he gave up just one run over six innings, though he didn’t exactly have the best control in this game. Hinsz was throwing about 50% strikes in each of the first three innings, then he knocked a player out of the game with a hit-by-pitch to the helmet in the fourth inning. After that, his control actually improved and that allowed him to go six innings for the second time this season. Hinsz threw 53 of his 93 pitches for strikes, had two walks, three strikeouts and a 4:6 GO/AO ratio. The results look good on paper and it’s a big step up from his first three games, but he still has some work to do before you can say he’s on the right track.

Bradenton had seven hits in this game and only three of their at-bats came with runners in scoring position. Ke’Bryan Hayes had the only extra-base hit, a second inning double that scored Logan Hill with the lone run. Hayes finished 1-for-3 with a walk, raising his average to .294 through 17 games. Mitchell Tolman and Will Craig each went 0-for-4, while Cole Tucker had the night off.

The Marauders had a chance to tie in the ninth, as Christian Kelley reached on two-out single and Trace Tam Sing, who was just added back to the roster earlier in the day, came on as a pinch-runner. Casey Hughston followed with a single to right field and Tam Sing was easily thrown out trying to go from first to third on the play, ending the game.

Prospect-Watch-WV-Power

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West Virginia mounted a late scoring surge to down Rome by a 6-1 score on Thursday night. Matt Anderson started and had six efficient innings, allowing one run on four hits, with no walks and eight strikeouts. He threw just 70 pitches, but he was pounding the strike zone with 51 strikes. That led to the high strikeout total and a 7:1 GO/AO ratio. Anderson has a 4.30 ERA through four starts, with 23 strikeouts in 23 innings. Eduardo Vera followed him and also pitched well. He allowed just a bloop double to right field, which kicked off the outfielders glove to allow the runner to get into second. Vera had three shutout innings to give him the save and a 1.72 ERA.

The offense was very quiet for six innings, then broke out with two in the seventh and four runs in the ninth. The Power had plenty of chances to score runs in this game, with 11 hits, four walks and 13 at-bats with runners in scoring position. Ty Moore was the only player who didn’t pick up at least one hit, which is odd because he’s been the best hitter on the team. Trae Arbet, Hunter Owen and Sandy Santos each had two hits. Arbet hit his first triple of the season and Santos stole two bases. Stephen Alemais was 1-for-5 with a run scored. He is hitting .250/.308/.483 through 15 games.

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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