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Morning Report: Stat Updates for the Top 30 Prospects

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Just over a month ago, I looked at the stats for the top 30 prospects in the system. Since it’s near the end of May, now is a good time to look at the stats for the entire group of top 30 prospects again. I took out the two who are in the majors right now, Trevor Williams and Alen Hanson. Williams is closing in on losing that prospect status as you should know from our weekly updates. This list below also doesn’t include Braeden Ogle, Max Kranick and Travis MacGregor, who are all in Pirate City getting ready for the upcoming season. The remaining 25 from our 2017 Prospect Guide are listed below, along with stats and some quick notes.

1. Austin Meadows, Indianapolis – He’s hitting .251/.311/.352 and has a 16-game on base streak. His numbers at the beginning of that streak were .207/.264/.279. Has eight steals in nine attempts and he’s playing strong defense.

2. Mitch Keller, Bradenton – Has all the numbers for success, just needs to avoid back tightness and bees. In 40 innings, 2.93 ERA, 39 strikeouts, 0.93 WHIP, 1.78 GO/AO ratio, .203 BAA. His anticipated Altoona arrival will be delayed.

3. Kevin Newman, Altoona – Hasn’t looked right all season, though the defense has been fine. Was getting a lot of lucky bounces on offense early, but that has leveled off. Hitting .233/.299/.327 and has only attempted one steal, which was unsuccessful.

4. Cole Tucker, Bradenton – Someone has been eating their Wheaties. Hitting .280/.363/.444, stealing tons of bases and playing solid defense. Only issue seems to be too many strikeouts recently, which is a brand new issue for him.

5. Ke’Bryan Hayes, Bradenton – Hitting .283/.362/.342, stealing a lot of bases and playing solid defense. He’s basically matching Tucker in everything but slugging, where there is a big difference, but Hayes lost some muscle/weight because he couldn’t work out as much as normal in the off-season due to the rib/back injuries from last year.

6. Will Craig, Bradenton – Batting .257/.364/.371 and playing better defense at first base than I expected. The OPS is above average for the league and he’s the right age for the league, but you expect more from the first round pick.

7. Taylor Hearn, Bradenton – Hearn is striking out a lot of batters and having some control issues, basically where he was last year, except in a starting role. Looked outstanding last night, but did not pitch well at all in his previous two starts.

8. Gage Hinsz, Bradenton – Had two terrific starts, then missed a start due to shoulder soreness. Hasn’t been right since he came back, which is a little worrying at this point. There has to be an injury concern with that drastic of a drop-off, although his velocity has been consistent the whole time.

9. Nick Kingham, Indianapolis – Wasn’t on the list a month ago due to injury. Pitched six innings his last start and struck out eight batters. This time next month we could be discussing his possible call-up.

10. Steven Brault, Indianapolis – Would be able to fill in as a spot starter for Pirates, and is likely the best option at Indianapolis at this moment. Still could use more consistency throwing strikes and attacking hitters to keep his pitch count down and limit walks. Stats are all there though, 2.48 ERA, 50 strikeouts in 54.1 innings, .218 BAA, 1.25 WHIP, 1.65 GO/AO ratio.

11. Clay Holmes, Indianapolis – Has a 3.27 ERA, 50 strikeouts in 44 innings and a 2.52 GO/AO ratio. Needs to limits walks still, but he’s got the best stuff of all the Indianapolis starters. Has hit 99 MPH this year and hits 96-97 consistently with movement. Was mixing all five of his pitches well in his last start.

15. Elias Diaz, Indianapolis – Defensively, he is beyond ready for the majors. Offensively, he should be able to hold his own as a starter, especially with the glove/arm adding value. Just waiting his turn basically.

16. Edgar Santana, Indianapolis – Was absolutely dominating the competition until his last outing, which seemed like they were stretching him out and he seemed to be pacing himself, which did not work. Wouldn’t worry about one hiccup under abnormal (for him) circumstances.

17. Luis Escobar, West Virginia – I tried to warn people after his ridiculous start that he was getting by mostly due to impatient hitters and once a scouting report came out he would need to throw more strikes. He wasn’t doing that and it led to a ton of walks, fewer strikeouts and shorter outings. His stuff when he is on is still among the best in the system, with three pitches that have plus potential.

19. Dovydas Neverauskas, Indianapolis – Was terrific in April with a 0.00 ERA.  He has allowed eight runs in 14 innings since his one appearance with the Pirates. Will need to get back on track to get back to Pittsburgh.

20. Yeudy Garcia, Altoona – Pitching a lot like last year, except the better hitters are making him pay more often. Has not regained 2015 velocity and isn’t throwing as many strikes.

21. Kevin Kramer, Altoona – Has cooled off a little in May, though he’s still been an above average hitter. Was our Player of the Month for April. Hit his 16th double last night. Playing a solid second base.

22. Tyler Eppler, Indianapolis – Started off great, then came back to earth. Has a 2.79 ERA, 1.09 WHIP and a .224 BAA. Could be a second half option for Pirates, but starting to look more like a September call-up.

23. Stephen Alemais, West Virginia – Defense has been as advertised, but the offense is lacking despite a rigorous off-season of training with some of the best. Currently injured with an unknown return time.

25. Brandon Waddell, Altoona – Incomplete grade due to a forearm strain that cost him four weeks and limited his pitch count when he came back. Getting his share of strikeouts and grounders. Need to see a bigger sample size.

26. Barrett Barnes, Indianapolis – Has struggled with his timing since returning recently from a Spring Training hamstring injury. He played quite a few Extended Spring Training games, but that’s a bit different from Triple-A pitching. Give him time before judging.

27. Max Moroff, Indianapolis – Has 13 homers and is second in the International League with 29 walks. Probably should be in Pittsburgh, though it can’t hurt him to continue to get time at shortstop in Indianapolis.

28. Eric Wood, Indianapolis – Only batting .233, but he has a .788 OPS thanks to 19 extra-base hits and 23 walks. Could see him in Pittsburgh in September.

29. JT Brubaker, Altoona – Had a blister issue that limited his mound time so far. He has had some solid outings and some bumpy games. Will be easier to judge once he gets some consistent starts at his normal maximum pitch count.

30. Chris Bostick, Indianapolis – Just like Moroff, has earned a spot in Pittsburgh, but will have to wait for an opening on the bench. For now, he’s moving all around and hitting well out of the lead-off spot.

** Andrew McCutchen reached a couple milestones in team history last night. With his double in the sixth inning, he moved into eighth place in franchise history in extra-base hits with 495, breaking a tie with Bill Mazeroski. He tied him earlier in the game with his home run. McCutchen also passed Lloyd Waner in doubles for 12th in franchise history. He now has 270, which trails a tie in tenth place between Al Oliver and Gus Suhr at 276 apiece. McCutchen needs one hit to tie Manny Sanguillen for 18th on the team hit list with 1,343. Just to top it all off, not only did the double move him up the doubles and extra-base hits lists, it also broke a tie for 15th place in plate appearances with Dick Groat, who had 5,375. That was quite the at-bat for moving up the all-time lists for the team.

PLAYOFF PUSH

Bradenton leads their division by a half game with 20 games remaining in the first half.

West Virginia trails their division leader by 5.5 games, with 21 games left in the first half. They are in fifth place. The Power play first place Hagerstown today.

PIRATES GAME GRAPH


Source: FanGraphs

TODAY’S SCHEDULE

Today’s Starter and Notes: The Pittsburgh Pirates defeated the New York Mets by a 5-4 score in ten innings on Saturday night. The Pirates will send Tyler Glasnow to the mound to make his tenth start tonight. He went six innings in his last start, allowing two runs on nine hits and two walks. At home this season, he has a 6.00 ERA in five starts. The Mets will counter with right-hander Matt Harvey, who has a 5.36 ERA and a 1.47 WHIP in nine starts this season.

In the minors, Jameson Taillon will make a rehab start for Altoona this afternoon. He threw 35 pitches in his last bullpen session and he last pitched in a game back on May 3rd, so he will be on a limited pitch count. Taillon last pitched for Altoona on July 31, 2013. Indianapolis again doesn’t have a starter listed, but it was supposed to be Nick Kingham going today, so we will see. Dario Agrazal goes for Bradenton today. He has gone at least six innings in each of his last eight starts.

MLB: Pittsburgh (23-27) vs Mets (20-27) 8:00 PM
Probable starter: Tyler Glasnow (3.36 ERA, 13:52 BB/SO, 61.2 IP)

AAA: Indianapolis (26-21) @ Rochester (21-21) 1:35 PM (season preview)
Probable starter: TBD

AA: Altoona (25-21) @ Erie (21-24) 1:35 PM (season preview)
Probable starter: Jameson Taillon (NR)

High-A: Bradenton (29-21) @ Jupiter (18-31) 1:00 PM (season preview)
Probable starter:  Dario Agrazal (2.50 ERA, 6:41 BB/SO, 57.2 IP)

Low-A: West Virginia (22-23) vs Hagerstown (29-19) 2:05 PM (season preview)
Probable starter: Matt Anderson (3.23 ERA, 12:41 BB/SO, 39.0 IP)

HIGHLIGHTS

Here is the better Austin Meadows highlight I promised yesterday. Watch for the Matt Hague sighting.

RECENT TRANSACTIONS

5/27: Antonio Bastardo and Josh Lindblom assigned to Indianapolis on rehab.

5/27: Andrew Walker assigned to West Virginia. Trae Arbet assigned to Morgantown.

5/26: Kevin Krause activated from disabled list. Mitch Keller placed on disabled list.

5/26: Eury Perez assigned to Morgantown.

5/25: Chris Harvey retired.

5/25: Gregory Polanco activated from the disabled list. Danny Ortiz optioned to Indianapolis.

5/23: Yunior Montero assigned to Extended Spring Training. Sam Street added to Bradenton roster.

5/22: James Marvel activated from West Virginia disabled list. Chris Harvey assigned to Morgantown.

5/20: Jhan Marinez added to Pirates roster. Josh Lindblom placed on disabled list.

5/19: Pirates claim Jhan Marinez off waivers.

5/19: Stephen Alemais placed on disabled list.  Cam Vieaux activated from West Virginia disabled list.

5/19: Jin-De Jhang added to Altoona roster. Zane Chavez placed on disabled list.

5/16: Pirates sign Haicheng Gong.

THIS DATE IN PIRATES HISTORY

Five former Pittsburgh Pirates players born on this date, plus a trade of note, which is where we will start. On this date in 1960, the Pirates made a deal that would help them on their way to their third World Series title and first in 35 years. They dealt two minor league players to the St Louis Cardinals for veteran pitcher Wilmer “Vinegar Bend” Mizell and infielder Dick Gray. Mizell would win 13 games that year for the Pirates.

Former players born on this date include 2000-01 first baseman Alex Hernandez, 1992 outfielder Kirk Gibson and 1906-07 pitcher James “King” Brady.

The other two players born on this date are 1947 pitcher Steve Nagy and 1957 pitcher Bob Kuzava. Both players passed away within the last year, and at the time they were among the oldest living former Pirates. Nagy made his big league debut with the 1947 Pirates, pitching six times, five of those games as a reliever. He would later pitch for the 1950 Senators. Nagy was 97 when he passed last July. The younger Kuzava made his debut a year before Nagy and ended up pitching ten years in the majors, playing for eight different teams. He passed away at 93 earlier this month, just two weeks shy of his birthday.

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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