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Prospect Watch: Strong Start from Pedro Vasquez; Chris Bostick Continues to Hit

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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.

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 8-5 on Saturday despite losing their starting pitcher in the first inning with an injury. The Indians got the scoring started in the top of the first inning with a three-run homer from Elias Diaz, his first of the season. Jason Rogers followed him with a solo shot, his fourth of the year, to make it 4-0. In the bottom of the first, Josh Lindblom retired the side in order. Unfortunately for him, the third batter lined one off of his foot and Lindblom couldn’t return to the game.

Cody Dickson went 3.2 innings after Lindblom and allowed two runs on four hits and two walks. It was his longest outing of the season. Pat Light, A.J. Schugel and Brett McKinney each allowed a run. Dovydas Neverauskas came into the game in the ninth with one out and two men on. He struck out both batters he faced to pick up the save. Neverauskas has now thrown 10 shutout innings this season.

Indianapolis got some big days on offense. Chris Bostick, Max Moroff and Elias Diaz each had three hits. Bostick slugged his second homer and raised his average to .333 through 20 games. He scored twice and drove in two runs. Moroff had three singles and scored two runs. Diaz is now hitting .305 through 15 games. Eric Wood had two hits and scored a run. Austin Meadows had a tough day, going 0-for-5, though he hit the ball well twice with a hard line drive to center field and a warning track shot to right-center.

Prospect-Watch-Altoona-Curve

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ALTOONA, Pa. – Tied through 2/3rd of the game, the Curve pulled away by scoring seven runs in a terribly pitched seventh inning by Harrisburg, and they won on Saturday night, 12-4.

Yeudy Garcia had his best start of the young season on Saturday night in Altoona, going 5.2 innings without allowing an earned run. He allowed five hits and struck out five batters while walking two, with both walks in the sixth inning when it looked as though he was tiring.

Garcia came into the game with an OPS-Against of 1.140 in three starts. In his first start, he was pulled in the first inning because of pitch count. In his other two starts, he allowed eight earned runs in 7.2 innings pitched. Tonight, Garcia showed glimpses of his prospect status – locating well around the zone with his fastball and a dominating breaking ball and changeup.

He only a few fastballs around the 94 MPH mark with most of them sitting in the low 90s. His changeup and slider were his best pitches tonight, recording all of his strikeouts on those breaking balls. In earlier starts this season, Garcia has been critiqued for not sticking with a game plan and kind of going rogue during the game. In his outing tonight, he stuck with his game plan, attacked with his slider and changeup, and saw results.

Tate Scioneaux relieved Garcia in the sixth and went 1.1 IP without allowing a hit. Scioneaux, along with Sean Keselica and Buddy Borden, have not allowed an earned run in 39.1 innings pitched this season so far.

The Curve blew this game open in the bottom of the seventh inning, with Harrisburg pitchers walking seven batters and throwing two wild pitches. Thirteen Curve batters came up to bat, and they scored seven runs on only three singles.

Jared Lakind entered the game in relief in the eighth inning after the extremely long bottom of the seventh, and he allowed three runs in 2/3 of an inning. He actually struck out three batters in the inning, but one was on a wild pitch where the batter reached first base.

Montana DuRapau relieved Lakind in the 8th and pitched a clean ninth to finish up the night. He’s only allowed one run in his 10 innings this season.

Jordan Luplow hit a monster two-run home run in the bottom of the eighth, scoring Connor Joe. Two pitches before the homer, Luplow pulled one just barely foul over the party deck in left field. It was Luplow’s third home run of the season, and I’ve seen him hit a lot of deep fly balls this season. His OPS is over .760 on the season with a .260 batting average.

Kevin Kramer was hit by a pitch in the sixth innings extending his season long on-base streak to 19 games. He had a very hard hit line drive out to deep right field in the first inning, but he also grounded into an inning ending double play in the third with two on and one out.

Connor Joe went 3-for-5 with three RBIs tonight, raising his season average . 271, up from .194 on April 17th. He’s now on a modest eight game hitting streak. -Sean McCool

Prospect-Watch-Bradenton

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Bradenton lost 2-1 on Saturday, but it was another solid start for Pedro Vasquez. The Marauders have three of the top Pirates pitching prospects in Mitch Keller, Gage Hinsz and Taylor Hearn. They also have Dario Agrazal, who has been throwing mid-90s with a high ground ball rate, racking up a Pirates-leading 30.2 innings pitched this year due to his efficiency. The “soft” thrower of the group is Vasquez, who sits 90-93 MPH, and hits 94 occasionally. He’s also the one with the best results so far. Vasquez allowed two runs over six innings in this game, and he now has a 2.10 ERA through 25.2 innings, with three walks and 15 strikeouts. He hasn’t been much of a ground ball pitcher this year, but that changed tonight with a 9:4 GO/AO ratio.

Vasquez was followed by a scoreless inning from Daniel Zamora. Then Yunior Montero came on and continued his terrific results. With a scoreless frame on Saturday, he has a 0.00 ERA in 11.2 innings, with 22 strikeouts.

Bradenton had nine base runners in the game, with five singles, two walks and two hit batters (both times it was Logan Hill). They also had a runner due to an error, which resulted in their only run. Will Craig reached on a two-base throwing miscue in the first inning, then Jerrick Suiter followed with a single. The Marauders actually had four runners in that inning, but a Ke’Bryan Hayes double play wiped away one of them. They had runners in each of the first four innings, but over the last five frames, the only runner was Mitchell Tolman. He drew both of the Bradenton walks in his last two plate appearances.

Cole Tucker was 1-for-4 with a single. Ke’Bryan Hayes went 0-for-4 and was also picked-off in addition to the double play. Will Craig went 1-for-4 with a single and run scored. This game had a surprisingly low total of five strikeouts between the two clubs.

Prospect-Watch-WV-Power

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West Virginia doesn’t have the best infield defense, especially when Stephen Alemais (day off) isn’t at shortstop like on Saturday night. They committed four errors in this game and could have been at least six, but the Rome hitters got some favorable scoring from the hometown scorer in the 6-1 Power loss.

Oddy Nunez started this game and looked like the same pitcher I saw last time the Power were on MiLB.tv. He got a lot of weak contact, which is usually a good thing, but not if people behind you can’t field. He gave up four hits, with one going about 30 feet, another bouncing over the head of Hunter Owen, who was playing in at third base, and another was an easy grounder booted by Trae Arbet that was scored a single for some odd reason. Arbet would make a second error later in the game that was actually ruled an error.

Owen also made an error on a routine throw across the diamond with a slow runner going down to first base. Shortstop Kevin Mahala and catcher Chris Harvey would join in the fun with errors later in the game, which led to four unearned runs. Harvey had trouble with throws that led to the first Rome run, making a one hop throw to the shortstop side of second base on a pitch out, then losing the handle on the ball on the very next pitch, as the runner stole third.

Nunez allowed two “earned” runs on “four” hits in three innings, with one walk and no strikeouts. Perhaps it was the Baseball Gods at work, because the only two balls hit well off him (including foul balls) were right at fielders for outs. He was throwing strikes until the Little League play started behind him, then he had some trouble finding the strike zone in the long third inning. Nunez put up an impressive 8:0 GO/AO ratio. He should try next time to strike everyone out like Luis Escobar does, so nothing gets put into play.

If you’re looking for some help on defense for WV, Adrian Valerio isn’t that close to returning. The Power would be able to use Valerio and Alemais at the same time, as both have taken turns at second base during Spring Training and the Fall Instructional League. Valerio is hitting in the cages now and taking grounders, but has not played in a game since his hand was broken by a hit-by-pitch just over five weeks ago.

Blake Cederlind threw 2.2 scoreless innings after Nunez, but it wasn’t a good looking outing. Rome had some hard hit balls off of him, as he allowed three hits and two walks. Jordan Jess was the victim of four unearned runs in his only inning, and Dylan Prohoroff threw a scoreless eighth.

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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