30.5 F
Pittsburgh

Prospect Watch: JT Brubaker Gets Altoona Within One Win of Eastern League Title

Published:

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, 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 Mid-Season Update, and links on each name go to their Pirates Prospects player pages.

1. Mitch Keller, RHP, Altoona – [insert_php]
include_once (‘./p2-stats/stats_functions.php’);
display_top30(656605,’P’,’20170913′);
[/insert_php]

2. Austin Meadows, CF, Indianapolis – [insert_php]
display_top30(640457,’B’,’20170912′);
[/insert_php]

3. Shane Baz, RHP, GCL Pirates – [insert_php]
display_top30(669358,’P’,’20170908′);
[/insert_php]

4. Cole Tucker, SS, Altoona – [insert_php]
display_top30(657061,’B’,’20170912′);
[/insert_php]

5. Kevin Newman, SS, Indianapolis – [insert_php]
display_top30(621028,’B’,’20170912′);
[/insert_php]

6. Ke’Bryan Hayes, 3B, Bradenton -[insert_php]
display_top30(663647,’B’,’20170908′);
[/insert_php]

7. Will Craig, 1B, Bradenton – [insert_php]
display_top30(643269,’B’,’20170908′);
[/insert_php]

8. Taylor Hearn, LHP, Bradenton – [insert_php]
display_top30(621368,’P’,’20170908′);
[/insert_php]

9. Gage Hinsz, RHP, Bradenton – [insert_php]
display_top30(656543,’P’,’20170908′);
[/insert_php]

10. Calvin Mitchell, OF, GCL Pirates – [insert_php]
display_top30(668751,’B’,’20170908′);
[/insert_php]

11. Braeden Ogle, LHP, Bristol – [insert_php]
display_top30(669180,’P’,’20170908′);
[/insert_php]

12Edgar Santana, RHP, Indianapolis – [insert_php]
display_top30(650828,’P’,’20170912′);
[/insert_php]

13. Kevin Kramer, 2B, Altoona -[insert_php]
display_top30(596012,’B’,’20170913′);
[/insert_php]

14. Clay Holmes, RHP, Indianapolis – [insert_php]
display_top30(605280,’P’,’20170912′);
[/insert_php]

15. Jordan Luplow, LF, Pirates – [insert_php]
display_top30(656669,’B’,’20170912′);
[/insert_php]

16. Luis Escobar, RHP, West Virginia – [insert_php]
display_top30(650813,’P’,’20170908′);
[/insert_php]

17. Max Kranick, RHP, Bristol – [insert_php]
display_top30(668820,’P’,’20170908′);
[/insert_php]

18. Steven Jennings, RHP, GCL Pirates – [insert_php]
display_top30(675651,’P’,’20170908′);
[/insert_php]

19. Adrian Valerio, SS, West Virginia – [insert_php]
display_top30(650832,’B’,’20170909′);
[/insert_php]

20. Nick Kingham, RHP, Indianapolis – [insert_php]
display_top30(592468,’P’,’20170912′);
[/insert_php]

21. Conner Uselton, OF, GCL Pirates – Disabled List

22. Max Moroff, INF, Pirates – [insert_php]
display_top30(621559,’B’,’20170912′);
[/insert_php]

23. Dovydas Neverauskas, RHP, Pirates – [insert_php]
display_top30(596720,’P’,’20170912′);
[/insert_php]

24. Eric Wood, 3B, Indianapolis – [insert_php]
display_top30(607780,’B’,’20170912′);
[/insert_php]

25. Eduardo Vera, RHP, West Virginia – [insert_php]
display_top30(622747,’P’,’20170909′);
[/insert_php]

26. Logan Hill, LF, Altoona – [insert_php]
display_top30(664930,’B’,’20170912′);
[/insert_php]

27.  Tyler Eppler, RHP, Indianapolis -[insert_php]
display_top30(621169,’P’,’20170912′);
[/insert_php]

28. Lolo Sanchez, CF, GCL Pirates – [insert_php]
display_top30(665975,’B’,’20170909′);
[/insert_php]

29. Dario Agrazal, RHP, Altoona -[insert_php]
display_top30(642607,’P’,’20170909′);
[/insert_php]

30. Brandon Waddell, LHP, Altoona -[insert_php]
display_top30(663399,’P’,’20170913′);
[/insert_php]

P2 Top Performers

[insert_php]
display_topperf(‘20170913’);
[/insert_php]


Prospect-Watch-Indy

[expand title=”Box Score” tag=”span”]
[insert_php]
create_boxscore(‘20170912′,’ind’);
[/insert_php]
[/expand]

Indianapolis finished with a 79-63 record. They lost in the first round of the playoffs 3-1 to Durham.

Prospect-Watch-Altoona-Curve

[expand title=”Box Score” tag=”span”]
[insert_php]
create_boxscore(‘20170913′,’alt’);
[/insert_php]
[/expand]

TRENTON, NJ – Altoona’s pitching staff has now gone through the rotation one full time and they are 5-0 in the playoffs. The first four starters set the bar high for JT Brubaker in game two of the Eastern League finals on Wednesday night and he came through with a terrific performance against a team that went 92-48 during the regular season.

Brubaker was throwing gas on this night and he held that velocity until the very end of his eight inning performance. The Trenton radar gun is at least two miles per hour slow from what I’ve been told. On that gun on Wednesday, Brubaker was sitting 94-96 MPH, never hitting below 93 with his fastball. He even hit 96 MPH in the eighth. For comparison sake, Mitch Keller on the same gun was topping out at 96 and was down to 91-93 in the later innings of his six inning outing against Trenton last month. Brubaker was doing a great job of keeping the ball down in the zone, especially in the later innings, when he started mixing his pitches better and getting more swinging strikes.

Brubaker kept Trenton scoreless through the first four innings, scattering three hits. In the fifth, he gave up a run, but it was a little tough luck on his part. The first hit of the inning was a liner to Jerrick Suiter, who had the ball pop out of his mitt. It was well-struck and he had to jump for it, but they just missed getting the out. Then after another single put runners on the corners with one out, Brubaker looked like he got out of the inning with a double play ball, but the fast runner (lead-off hitter Jeff Hendrix) was able to beat the throw to first base. That run was unearned due to a passed ball between the two singles.

Then in the eighth inning, Trenton scored another run and it started with an infield single to Pablo Reyes, who couldn’t handle a grounder to his right. Would have been a tough play, but the ball was hit hard and it looked like he had plenty of time, even with a fast runner (Hendrix again) going up the line. After a ground out to second base, Hendrix scored on a single to center field. That was followed immediately by a double play started by Brubaker, who made three solid defensive plays in the game.

Brubaker allowed eight hits and a walk over his eight innings. He had six strikeouts and a 10:4 GO/AO ratio, while throwing 68 of his 94 pitches for strikes. His changeup, which he threw often, looked great in this game and it had strong results, mostly on swinging strikes and foul balls. Brubaker has now allowed three earned runs over 26 innings in this playoffs during his career.

Altoona got all of the offense they would need in the fifth inning. Jin-De Jhang singled, then moved to second on a bunt by Wyatt Mathisen, which was credited as a sacrifice bunt, although it looked like he was going for a hit. Jordan George then singled into center field, which Jhang didn’t get a great jump on, but the center field bobbled the ball twice. That allowed Jhang to score easily and George went into second base. After a pitching change, Michael Suchy smoked a line drive into center field, which was nearly caught on a diving play. That put runners on the corners for Elvis Escobar, who singled off of the glove of the second baseman.

With Escobar making it 2-0, the Trenton pitcher then got wild,  hitting Pablo Reyes on the elbow, then walking Kevin Kramer with the bases loaded for a third run.

The Curve scored again in the sixth, starting the inning with a walk to Jhang and a single by Mathisen. After George bunted them over and Michael Suchy popped up, Elvis Escobar singled up the middle. Jhang scored, but Mathisen was thrown out at home on a very close play to end the inning. Kevin Kramer was also thrown out at home plate earlier in the game, on a play that wasn’t close at all.

Jhang reached base three times with two singles and a walk. Kramer had two walks and Escobar had two hits. Yeudy Garcia finished out the game with a scoreless ninth, allowing a walk, but he struck out two batters.

Mitch Keller will be on the mound tomorrow in Altoona trying to win the series with a sweep. – John Dreker

Prospect-Watch-Bradenton

[expand title=”Box Score” tag=”span”]
[insert_php]
create_boxscore(‘20170904′,’bra’);
[/insert_php]
[/expand]

Bradenton finished their season with a 70-62 record.

Prospect-Watch-WV-Power

[expand title=”Box Score” tag=”span”]
[insert_php]
create_boxscore(‘20170905′,’wva’);
[/insert_php]
[/expand]

West Virginia finished their season with a 69-67 record.

Prospect-Watch-Morgantown

[expand title=”Box Score” tag=”span”]
[insert_php]
create_boxscore(‘20170908′,’wev’);
[/insert_php]
[/expand]

Morgantown finished with a 40-35 record.

Prospect-Watch-Bristol
[expand title=”Box Score” tag=”span”]
[insert_php]
create_boxscore(‘20170901′,’bri’);
[/insert_php]
[/expand]

Bristol finished their season with a 17-49 record.

Prospect-Watch-GCL

[expand title=”Box Score” tag=”span”]
[insert_php]
create_boxscore(‘20170903′,’pir’);
[/insert_php]
[/expand]

The GCL Pirates finished their season with a 26-34 record.

Prospect-Watch-DSL

[expand title=”Box Score” tag=”span”]
[insert_php]
create_boxscore(‘20170826′,’dpi’);
[/insert_php]
[/expand]

The DSL Pirates finished with a 36-34 record.

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.

Related Articles

Latest Articles