Tony Sanchez currently sports a .936 OPS

It’s received wisdom these days that AAA teams serve more as taxi squads for their parent teams than as prospect development vehicles.  Most teams in the International and Pacific Coast Leagues are made up primarily of players who are beyond the prospect stage, but who could be useful in the majors under the right circumstances, usually injuries.  Indianapolis is no different this year.  Although minor league W/L records aren’t good measures for a farm system generally, the Indians’ current 29-13 record does give some indication that there’s help available if the Pirates need it.

The Good

Felix Pie, OF (AAA):  From the time the Pirates signed him, Pie figured most likely to be called upon if the Pirates needed an outfielder who could play center.  (I don’t even want to mention what circumstances could create a need for a center fielder.)  In April, Pie didn’t look like an option under any circumstances.  For the month, he hit 172/232/203.  In May, though, he’s hitting 370/463/674.

Ivan De Jesus, Jr., IF (AAA):  De Jesus had a very good spring, but was doomed once the Pirates acquired John McDonald for no apparent reason.  Then De Jesus got only sporadic playing time in April while Brandon Inge was on rehab.  When he’s gotten to play, though, De Jesus has hit 326/381/467 with solid plate discipline.  He probably doesn’t have the range any more (due to a broken leg several years ago) to play short on more than an occasional basis, but he’s a reasonable option should the Pirates need a utility infielder.

Tony Sanchez, C (AAA):  Going into this season, Sanchez had been written off by many fans as nothing more than a possible backup at the major league level.  He’s come alive with the bat in a big way, though, hitting 400/471/700 in May — at one point hitting doubles in five straight games — and 307/413/523 overall.  His strikeout and walk numbers are solid and almost exactly half of his hits (13 of 27) have gone for extra bases.

Dilson Herrera, 2B (Low A):  Herrera came into the season as a popular choice for a Hanson/Polanco style breakout.  If he follows either player’s path, it’ll be Gregory Polanco.  Herrera didn’t get off to a hot start like Alen Hanson did a year ago, but he had a solid April.  He’s picked it up in May, hitting 349/370/545 through eleven games to raise his overall OPS to .812. Herrera still has a tendency to swing and miss, as he’s striking out in about a quarter of his ABs, but hopefully he’ll continue making steady progress, as Polanco did last year.

Josh Bell, OF (Low A):  Bell raised concerns by struggling early in the season.  He wasn’t catching up to a lot of pitches and, although he showed good power, his strikeout (27) and walk (5) numbers were ugly.  He’s reversed that in May, with 12 walks and 11 strikeouts, while hitting .333.  Overall, he’s hitting 295/363/497 and starting to look like the guy the Pirates gave a $5M bonus.

Orlando Castro, LHP (Low A):  West Virginia went into this season with quite a few prospects who carried some hype, but Castro wasn’t one of them.  He’s a small (5’11″) lefty who sometimes sits at 90-91, but more often in the upper-80s.  He’s been very good, sometimes dominant, in most of his starts so far, with the most notable numbers being 40 whiffs and only four walks in 44.2 IP, and a WHIP below 1.00.  He probably won’t be on any prospect lists any time soon, but he’s worth watching.

Tyler Glasnow, RHP (Low A):  Glasnow was one of the more heavily hyped prospects at West Virginia, and he’s more than lived up to it.  The numbers so far:  1.80 ERA, 1.07 WHIP, .129 opponents’ average (not a typo), and 42 whiffs in 30 innings.  The only concern so far is 19 walks, but as a very tall (6′ 8″) pitcher who’s still only 19, it’s not surprising that Glasnow might have inconsistent mechanics.  He’s got dominating stuff and a very high ceiling.

The Bad

Clay Holmes, RHP (Low A):  Not all of West Virginia’s high ceiling prospects have come through so far, which is exactly what you’d expect from a group of young players.  Holmes has struggled severely with his command, giving some credence to observers who had strong doubts about his mechanics.  His BB:K ratio is an abysmal 25:17.  Things have gotten worse, too, as he’s allowed 23 hits and 15 walks in his last 17 innings, while fanning only four.

Wyatt Mathisen, C (Low A):  The Pirates drafted Mathisen, who was primarily a shortstop in high school, with the intention of having him catch.  They moved him up to full season ball directly from rookie ball and he’s struggled with the transition, both defensively and offensively.  He’s hitting only 176/248/196, but his walk (8) and strikeout (17) numbers aren’t those of a player who’s in over his head.  Catchers tend to develop slowly, so Mathisen, considering his inexperience, should get a lot of slack.

Nick Kingham fanned 26 in his last 17 innings.

A month into the minor league season, things are starting to take shape with the Pirates’ full-season affiliates.  With a deep roster and very talented pitching staff, Indianapolis is dominating the International League with a 20-7 record.  By contrast, Altoona is increasingly struggling despite a good rotation led by Jameson Taillon, Casey Sadler and a red-hot Stolmy Pimentel.  The Curve is being undone by an extremely weak lineup.  Bradenton and West Virginia have had a lot of up-and-down performances.  This shouldn’t be surprising.  The Pirates are young throughout the minors.  Except for the Indianapolis hitters, the hitters and pitchers on every one of the four full-season affiliates are younger than their leagues’ weighted average ages.  In the case of the Bradenton hitters and all the West Virginia players, they’re the youngest or close to the youngest.  It’s going to take time for their performances to even out.

The Good

Jordy Mercer, SS (AAA):  Mercer is now hitting 330/398/440.  He’s controlling the strike zone well, with 11 walks and 17 Ks in 91 ABs.  He has only two errors in 23 games at short.  But, hey, he’s nowhere near as old as John McDonald, so he just needs to bide his time for another decade or so.

Andy Oliver, LHP (AAA):  Oliver was coming off some severe struggles during his last couple years with the Tigers.  He had ERAs of 4.71 and 4.88 in AAA in 2011 and 2012.  In 2012 he walked 88 in 118 innings.  With Indianapolis, Oliver hasn’t been an unequivocal success — he’s walked 19 in 32.1 IP, which is still too many — but he’s taken significant steps toward getting back on the prospect map.  Opponents are hitting only .202 against him and he’s fanned well over a batter an inning, with 39.  His control issues still make him a risk to call up, but he could merit time in the majors at some point this year.

Vic Black, RHP (AAA):  Like Oliver, Black still has control issues.  He’s walked a bit too many this year:  seven in 15.1 IP (but only two in his last nine).  Opponents, though, are hitting only .170 against him and he’s fanned 14.1 batters per nine innings after fanning 12.8 last year in AA.  He’s especially tough in short stretches; of the five runs he’s allowed, four came in the second inning of outings.  He probably won’t be a good candidate for multiple-inning relief outings, but he could turn into a late-inning reliever at the major league level soon.

Jose Osuna, 1B (High A):  Osuna got off to a bad start, but he’s quickly turned it around.  After the first couple weeks, he was sporting an OPS of .465, with no walks and eleven strikeouts.  Since then, he has five walks and four whiffs.  In his last nine games, he’s hitting .344.  The power isn’t there yet, but hopefully will pick up soon.

Alen Hanson, SS (High A):  Hanson also got off to a very bad start, earning a lot of negative attention, in particular, for serious error problems.  After he committed ten in his first ten games, the team gave him a few days off.  Since then, he’s had three errors in a dozen games.  That’s hardly outstanding, but he seems to have gotten much better focused.  He’s also turned things around at the plate, batting .325 in his last ten games.  He’s also cut his strikeout rate from more than one every four at-bats to one every eight.

Nick Kingham, RHP (High A):  Some prospect mavens, including Keith Law, picked Kingham as a candidate to break out in 2013.  It may be happening.  In his last three starts, Kingham has fanned 26 while walking just one in 17 innings.  That includes a six-inning, 13-K performance his last time out.  On the season, he’s fanned 33 and walked four in 26.2 IP.  Coming into the season, the biggest question about Kingham was whether he could miss enough bats.  So far, he’s providing dramatic evidence that he can.

The Bad

Alex Dickerson, 1B (AA):  As a first base prospect and a draftee from a major college program, Dickerson needs to hit a lot and hit quickly to qualify as a real prospect.  Right now, it’s not happening.  He’s showing a little power, but hitting only 200/253/365.  He’s also not controlling the strike zone, with six walks and 20 strikeouts.

Carlos Paulino, C (AA):  Paulino is an impressive defensive catcher who got a lot of action in major league spring training, but he has to hit something to have a chance of reaching the majors.  So far, though, he’s hitting only 186/294/237.  At least his walk and strikeout numbers (seven of each) are good, so he’s not completely overmatched.

Gift Ngoepe, SS (AA):  Unfortunately, Ngoepe is overmatched.  He’s batting 139/229/222 and has struck out in 43% of his at-bats.  He didn’t really appear ready for AA after mostly struggling at the plate at Bradenton last year, and it’s turning out that he’s not.  Ngoepe would be one of everybody’s favorite baseball stories if he reached the majors, but he’s going to have to turn things around dramatically for that to happen.  He’s still only 23, so it could certainly happen.

Willy Garcia, OF (High A):  Promoting Garcia to high A was an aggressive move for the Pirates, as his plate discipline had significant problems.  Those problems are proving too much for him to overcome.  So far, he’s walked just twice while striking out 30 times, just under once every three at-bats.  He’s batting only 211/227/295, and is hitting only .125 in his last eight games.

Allie’s fast start has stirred much talk

The season’s first two weeks have produced some noteworthy performances in the Pirates’ farm system, both good and bad. It’s way too early to start drawing any conclusions from these performances, but it’s not too early to scope out some players who’ll be interesting to follow closely, either with enthusiasm or concern. The biggest extremes have come at West Virginia and Bradenton, as a number of the Power’s hitters have gotten off to big starts and some of the Marauders’ just the opposite, while both teams have had massive fielding problems.

The Good

Stetson Allie, 1B (West Virginia):  The former strong-armed pitching prospect has made by far the most noise in the system in the early going, leading to considerable discussion online about whether he’s a real power hitting prospect. Allie may have the most raw power in the system, but there wasn’t much to be encouraged about coming into the season. After he converted to hitting, he struggled in the Gulf Coast League last year, fanning in exactly a third of his ABs. It’s a measure of his struggles that, in the playoffs, the team went with Eric Wood at third and Edwin Espinal at first, while Allie rode the bench. Allie’s swing-and-miss tendencies seemed as troublesome as ever in training camp, which Tim Williams chronicled. The season’s first game was more of the same, as Allie fanned in all four of his ABs.

Since then, it’s been a completely different story. Despite starting the season 0-8, Allie is now hitting 407/478/780 and is leading the league in many categories. Even his plate discipline has been solid since that first game, with nine walks and eleven strikeouts. It’s impossible to say whether this will continue. The pitchers still may figure him out. It’s almost as hard to explain what’s changed, but one possibility is that Allie has learned to wait on off speed stuff and trust in his strength to drive the ball to any part of the park. Of his six HRs, only two have gone to left.

Eric Wood, 3B (West Virginia):  Wood came into the season with far less visibility than Allie. A native Canadian drafted out of Blinn College, a Texas junior college, he was originally a pitcher but moved to third when he won the school’s homerun competition. He wasn’t well known when the Pirates drafted him in the 6th round, but the team liked his power potential. So far, that power is showing up well in games, as he’s slugging .604 and batting .333. There are some caveats, like a weak K:BB ratio of 10:3 and defensive problems in the form of six errors. But his strong start makes him worth checking on while you’re wondering how Allie did each day.

Raul Fortunato, OF (West Virginia):  Fortunato is even more of an unknown quantity than Wood. The Pirates kept him in the Dominican Summer League for three years, which is never a good sign. He also isn’t loaded with tools, other than above average speed. He had a huge season in his third year, though, so the Pirates skipped him over the GCL and sent him to the New York-Penn League last year. He got hurt in his fourth game and missed the rest of the year, so he remains something of a mystery. He’s had a big start to his season, hitting 333/357/574 so far. Like Wood, his plate discipline hasn’t been impressive, as he has two walks and ten strikeouts. But he’s yet another hitter with the Power who’s interesting to follow right now.

Stolmy Pimentel, RHP (Altoona):  As a “prospect” who’d had no success above class A and who had only one option left, Pimentel seemed little more than a throw-in as part of the Hanrahan trade. He pitched very well in camp and it’s continued into the season. He has yet to allow a run after two starts. In 12.1 IP, he’s allowed just seven hits and four walks, while fanning 11. The Pirates reportedly have coveted Pimentel for some time and it’s possible they’ve added another quality pitching prospect to the upper levels of their system.

Mel Rojas, Jr., OF (Altoona):  Rojas hasn’t set the woods on fire so far, but he’s more than held his own in AA. After he posted a .657 OPS last year in high A, he seemed to have fallen off the prospect map. Rojas instead has put up a solid line of 288/339/423. Maybe more importantly, he’s cut his strikeout rate from one every four and a half last year to one every six and a half this year. That’s not an easy thing to do while moving up a level. Rojas has had promising stretches before and couldn’t continue it.  Given his performance so far as a pro, it wouldn’t have been surprising if he’d been completely overmatched from day one in AA, so his first two weeks is encouraging.

Duke Welker, RHP (Indianapolis):  Welker has upper-90s velocity, but despite gradual improvement hadn’t quite broken out, due largely to weak control. So far this year, though, he’s allowed no runs, two hits and no walks in eight innings. He’s fanned nine. That’s not a lot of innings, but if he can continue throwing strikes he could be an option for the Pirates’ bullpen very soon.

The Bad

Jerry Sands, OF (Indianapolis):  It was disappointing to see Sands cut early in spring training, but it’s been even more disappointing to see him open the season with a 186/205/186 line, with no extra base hits. One walk and eleven strikeouts isn’t so good, either. For some reason, it seems whenever the Pirates acquire a hitter who ostensibly has power, the lights immediately go out. Hopefully, Sands isn’t just the latest version of Andy LaRoche.

Matt Curry, 1B (Altoona):  A numbers game resulted in Curry making his third trip to AA. Because he’s limited to first base, he needs to hit a lot, and because he’s already spent so much time at one level, he needs to do it immediately. Instead, he’s hitting 250/275/375, with two walks and 14 strikeouts.

Alen Hanson, SS (Bradenton):  The big story in the system early last year has been a big story early this year, too, but for a different reason. Hanson’s severe defensive problems — ten errors in his first ten game — led to him sitting out the last three games. As Tim has discussed, Hanson makes the tough plays but loses focus on the easy ones. Although the fielding has gotten the most attention, Hanson hasn’t been any better at the plate. He’s hitting 191/224/255, with fourteen strikeouts and just two walks. Even with his breakout 2012 season, Hanson was clearly more raw than Gregory Polanco, so it’s not surprising that he’d run into some problems. Hopefully the time off will get him turned around.

Jose Osuna, 1B (Bradenton):  Osuna had a good season last year as a 19-year-old in low A, so he seemed like a breakout candidate this year. The concern about him, though, is that he’s more mature physically than many players his age and not as athletic as Hanson or Polanco, so he may not have much projection remaining. So far in high A, he’s been overmatched, hitting 170/188/277 with no walks and eleven strikeouts.

TRENDING UP

Chris Leroux, RHP (AAA):  Just a couple weeks ago, Leroux had been struggling through his rehab as a reliever and was removed from the 40-man roster.  He’s turned things around completely in four games as a starter, posting an ERA of 0.72 and allowing opponents to hit only .146 against him.  He’s fanned 17 and walked only three in 25 innings, and should have close to a lock on a callup in September, if not sooner.

Oscar Tejeda, OF (AA):  Tejeda has done little since the Pirates acquired him off the waiver wire to justify the move, all the more so because he’s now strictly a corner outfielder rather than a shortstop, his position when he was once regarded as a prospect.  He’s had a good stretch lately, though, going 10-29 (.345) with seven doubles, a HR and 11 RBIs.

Alex Dickerson, 1B (High A):  Dickerson has never quite gone on a sustained tear, but he’s quietly put up OPS figures over .900 each month since May.  He’s been hot so far in August, hitting 400/442/550, and was named the best defensive first baseman in the Florida State League in a poll of the league’s managers by Baseball America.

Dan Gamache, 2B (Low A):  Gamache has continued raking, going 9-21 (.429) in the last week and hitting 436/476/795 so far in August.

Willy Garcia, OF (Low A):  In his last seven games, Garcia’s gone 11-29 (.379) with three doubles and three HRs.

Nick Kingham, RHP (Low A):  Kingham is having his best stretch of the season, posting an ERA of 0.98 in his last five games, with 15 hits, one walk and 25 strikeouts in 27.2 IP.

TRENDING UP AND DOWN

Vic Black, RHP (AA):  Black has gone to extremes in the month of August.  In three outings covering four innings, he allowed no hits and a walk and fanned 11.  In the other two outings, he gave up decisive HRs, the only two he’s allowed all year, and was charged with five runs total over just two and a third innings.  On the season he’s fanned 71 in just 50.1 IP, and that ratio probably speaks more loudly than anything else he’s done.

TRENDING DOWN

Chase d’Arnaud, SS (AAA):  D’Arnaud is having a bad ending to a difficult season.  He had his best month in July, but he’s hitting only .200 in August.  In the last week he went 3-21 (.143).  He’s not making a case for a September callup and could be jeopardizing his roster spot.

Zack Dodson, LHP (Low A):  Dodson was already having a disappointing season, posting an ERA of 4.86 at a level he’s repeating, but now he’s been suspended for 50 games as a result of testing positive for the second time for a drug of abuse.  The suspension will stretch into the 2013 season.  Not cool.

TRENDING UP

Jose Tabata, OF (AAA):  Maybe he’s starting to work his way back.  In the past week Tabata went 12-25 (.480).  He also had four walks and only three Ks, but only one of the hits, a double, went for extra bases.

Yamaico Navarro, UT (AAA):  Navarro hasn’t had any exciting streaks since the Pirates sent him to AAA, but he’s been a steady part of the Indianapolis offense and has gotten better over the course of the season.  He hit 296/416/549 in July and is 5-17 so far in August.  His plate discipline has been very good:  26 walks and 30 Ks.  On the season he has an .844 OPS.

Jeff Locke, LHP (AAA):  Locke has thrown 14.1 shutout innings in his last two starts while fanning 14 and allowing only seven hits.  In a dozen starts since May, his ERA is 2.28 and he’s fanned 66 in 71 innings.

Adalberto Santos, OF (AA):  Since he returned from injury, Santos has picked up where he left off.  In his last nine games he’s 15-36 (.417) with two doubles and two triples.  On the year he’s got four more walks than strikeouts.

Phil Irwin, RHP (AA):  In his last seven starts, Irwin’s ERA is 0.96.  In 47 innings he’s allowed only 33 hits and four walks.  He’s fanned 42.

Dan Gamache, 2B (Low A):  The always-entertaining West Virginia Power nearly always have somebody hot, usually either Gregory Polanco or Alen Hanson.  Their hottest hitter over the last week, though, has been Gamache, who’s gone 12-26 (.462) with four doubles and a triple.

Nick Kingham, RHP (Low A):  Kingham has had a rough season, but in his last four starts his ERA is 0.41.  He’s allowed only 14 hits and three walks, and fanned 21 in 22 innings.

Adrian Sampson, RHP (Short Season A):  Sampson started off a little slowly, but in his last two games he’s allowed only an unearned run and four hits in ten innings, while fanning nine.

Eric Wood, 3B (Rookie):  Wood was a bit of a mystery when the Pirates drafted him in the 6th round, but he’s starting to make the decision look good.  In the last ten games he’s hit 452/528/742, with a double, triple and two HRs.  He has only 13 Ks to go with 11 walks.

TRENDING DOWN

Tony Sanchez, C (AAA):  Sanchez suddenly started showing the power the Pirates expected after his promotion to AAA, but lately he hasn’t been hitting.  In his last ten games he’s gone hitless seven times and is just 5-32 (.156).  The one good sign is that he’s fanned only five times while walking five, so it’s not like he’s been overwhelmed.

Justin Wilson, LHP (AAA):  In his last six starts, Wilson has walked 22 in 25.2 IP.  He hasn’t gone over five innings in any of those starts.  He’s unlikely to get called up if the control meltdowns continue.

Matt Curry, 1B (AA):  Curry’s had some hot streaks this year, but he hasn’t been able to keep hitting with any consistency.  In his last ten games he’s gone 5-38 (.132) with one walk and twelve Ks.  In August, he’s 2-17 (.118) with eight Ks.

Maximo Rivera has seen his numbers drop off slightly over the last month, but this is still a breakout season for the highly touted 19-year-old, who has seen time at six different positions this year. He is hitting .369 with a .910 OPS and 26 stolen bases. He has also seen a great improvement in his contact, going from 47 strikeouts last year in 200 AB’s, down to 18 this season in 157 AB’s.

Second baseman Gustavo Barrios wasn’t even mentioned in either of my previous articles. The 18-year-old from Colombia is hitting .333 in 30 games. He is on the small side, and doesn’t have a strong OPS to go along with that average, but he is a first year player and he hasn’t made an error yet, so the good start makes him a player to keep an eye on for now.

Ulises Montilla missed some time in July, finishing the month with a .289 average in 13 games. He started off strong, and has since rebounded in August, going 6-12 so far, to put his season numbers at .329 with an .877 OPS. He also has more walks than strikeouts, something he did during both seasons in the VSL.

What a difference a month makes for Danny Arribas, the 19-year-old catcher/corner infielder from Miami. He hit .213 in 21 June games. In July he batted .338 with an .833 OPS and he has continued his hot hitting into August, collecting six hits in 11 AB’s. He has shown improvements across the board in every category, especially over last year’s stats.

Pablo Reyes, an 18-year-old shortstop in his first year of pro ball, is off to a solid start. He is hitting .292 with 15 stolen bases, 12 doubles and a 16/7 BB/K ratio in 44 games. It’s a good sign with him that he is playing shortstop everyday over some bigger names or players that have been around longer.

Outfielder Tito Polo hit .308 in July after a strong finish to the month of June. He is just 17 years old, a first year player out of Colombia. His strikeout total is high for the DSL, but it is still a strong start for one of the younger players on the team. He has 13 stolen bases and has played more than half of his games in centerfield.

Fredis Padilla hit .321 in July with seven extra base hits, after hitting .125 in June with no extra base hits. The 18-year-old infielder in his first season, has played solid defense at second base, and has recently seen more playing time.

The move to the DSL for Carlos Esqueda has not been kind. He hit .342 as a rookie in the VSL in 2010, then showed improvements in his overall game early in 2011, before an ankle injury during a home plate collision ended his season. This year he is hitting .264, with a .241 average in July and he has yet to bat during the month of August.

Highly touted 19-year-old shortstop Carlos Ozuna has had a rough time recently, hitting .225 in July with a high strikeout rate and a low .572 OPS. He was successful on all seven stolen bases attempts in June, only to see that drop to six out of 11 in July.

Dennis Hurtarte, the 19-year-old switch-hitting first baseman from Guatemala, has hit well recently, batting .284 in his last 18 games, after a .191 start to his career. He has yet to show power, despite his good size (6′ 2″, 221) and he has had trouble vs the few left-handed pitchers he has seen, going 0-11 with 4 strikeouts.

Yunior Aquiles was one of the better signings of the 2010 July 2nd signing period but he has yet to show any potential. He was described as raw when he signed, and saw very few AB’s last year. This season he is hitting .229 in 105 AB’s with a high strikeout rate and not much else. He is still just 18 and a perfect candidate to be next year’s Maximo Rivera.

Ramses Pena looks to be a bust. The 19-year-old was signed in 2009 to a six figure bonus, and had not shown much during his first two seasons besides good speed and a decent walk rate. He has continued both of those trends, but his bat has not come around, especially lately, hitting .114 with 15 strikeouts in 14 games since the All-Star break.

Miguel “Adrian” de Aza has also struggled this year. Another highly touted signing, he played in the Dominican Prospect League last year and has had trouble since moving to the DSL. He was a potential five tool player, but he has shown none of that in the stats so far, not a good sign from the 19-year-old right fielder. He hit .225 in June with a poor BB/K  rate.

Jose Salazar impressed many by playing shortstop last year as a 16-year-old over highly touted signing Dilson Herrera, who is now in the GCL. Salazar made the move to the DSL and started off slow, while playing third base instead of shortstop this year. He has recently begun to hit and made the move back to shortstop. He’s batting .286 in 14 games since the All-Star break, albeit, with no walks.

Rodney Polonia, the 19-year-old son of major leaguer Luis Polonia, has not fared well in his second season of pro ball. He is hitting .221 in 40 games, with a low walk rate to go along with the low average and no power. His July/August has been slightly better than his weak June.

Jordan Galvez hit .308 and .309 in the VSL the last two years. His move to the DSL has been disastrous and he hasn’t played in the last week, after going 0-for-14 in his last four games.

Omar Basulto is a soon-to-be 19-year-old, 6′ 3″ lefty in his first season. He made the All-Star team and has been the best pitcher this year in the Pirates DSL system. In 33 innings, he has a 1.64 ERA with nine walks, 27 strikeouts and a 0.91 WHIP.

Another 6′ 3″ lefty pitching well recently is Mervin Del Rosario. He’s showing a great groundball rate, low walk totals and a decent 3.43 ERA in ten starts. In his last three starts, he has allowed six hits over 14 innings. His strikeout rate (17 in 42 innings) is alarmingly low. He was a highly touted signing two years ago.

Sticking with lefty pitchers, Cesilio Pimentel was very good during his brief time last year, with a high strikeout rate. He started off strong this season, but his July was pretty bad, a 2.00 WHIP and 6.75 ERA in just 12 innings of work over the entire month. He rebounded with 4.1 scoreless innings in his first August appearance.

Leandro Rodriguez, another DPL signing from last year, has been on fire recently in his first year of pro ball. He had a decent month of June, but since July 1st, he has a 1.23 ERA in five starts, with 20 strikeouts in 22 innings. He allowed five homers in June, none since.

Oderman Rocha disappointed a few fans with his return to the DSL (he was in the VSL last year) and he has shown some strong reasons why he should have been in the GCL this year. The 19-year-old 6′ 3″ righty has a terrific 2.47 GO/AO ratio, to go along with a .226 BAA and 33 strikeouts in 29.2 innings. He is one of just a handful of recent players to attend the Pirates Fall Instructional League on year, then return to the DSL/VSL the next.

Dan Urbina has shown strong improvements over his rookie season in the VSL last year. His last start (yesterday) was poor, but prior to that he had a 3.43 ERA and had cut down greatly on base runners allowed over last year, while also pitching much more often.

Just like Urbina, Jesus Paredes pitched poorly in his first year, last season in the VSL. This year he has totally turned things around, striking out 35 batters in 30 innings, with a 2.70 ERA and .204 BAA. He is a 19-year-old, 6′ 2″ lefty.

Christian Henriquez, a July 2nd signing from 2010, has pitched well recently, going 13 innings in his last three outings without allowing an earned run. He started the year off real slow, but has shown excellent command (9 BB in 41.2 IP) and a strong groundball rate.

The Pirates really liked Arquimedes Lorenzo when they signed him, but a failed drug test cost him most of last year. Now 21 years old, he seems to be rebounding after a slow start this year. He has shown a great groundball rate, been tough to hit, and hasn’t allowed a homer all season, while also striking out more batters recently.

Richard Mitchell just turned 17 days ago and is highly touted by the Pirates. The results aren’t there, especially recently, but he is one to watch as he matures and works on his off-speed stuff. He moved from one Pirates DSL team to the other in July, and has seen very little action, pitching three times in the last three weeks. He’s a work in progress, with high upside.

Christopher De Leon had one very bad outing in July that skews his numbers for the month. Otherwise, he has pitched great recently, getting a high groundball rate, with 36 strikeouts in 33 innings this year. He is 20 years old, in his third season in the DSL, coming off two decent years already.

Finally, 19-year-old, 6′ 7″ lefty, Angel Sanchez has had good results despite some command issues. The 18 walks in 33.2 innings don’t look good, but it’s actually a huge improvement over last year, when he averaged nearly two walks per inning. He gets a ton of groundballs, has a decent strikeout rate, and batters are hitting just .225 against him. Sanchez had a 2.84 ERA in July, though he did just have a rough outing three days ago.

STATE COLLEGE

Barrett Barnes, OF:  Barnes so far has been just what the Pirates would have expected from a supplemental first round pick.  He’s shown good patience (16 BB, 20 K) and solid power (five HRs; the rest of the team has only three), leaving him with a 293/399/463 line.  He also has ten steals in 14 tries.

Tyler Gaffney, OF:  Gaffney was a two-sport player at Stanford and is coming off a very bad junior year, but he’s been an on-base machine for the Spikes so far, thanks to a very high walk rate and an extreme tendency to get hit with pitches, nearly one in every seven plate appearances.  He’s also shown good gap power, with a line of 351/543/526.  He signed late and so has played only for about three weeks.

Samuel Gonzalez, C:  Gonzalez has had a disappointing season.  He returned to State College after being an All-Star there last year.  Shoulder problems have kept him from catching, so the Pirates have used him mainly at first.  Whether it’s because of the shoulder or not, he hasn’t hit at all, posting a 218/291/287 line.

Jacob Stallings, C:  Stallings looked like a possible organizational player when the Pirates drafted him, but he’s done better than expected with the bat and done a strong job defensively, as expected.  He’s thrown out 13 of 33 potential base stealers and impressed the Pirates with his handling of the young State College pitchers.  He’s also hit 282/323/411, thanks in part to 14 doubles.  He won’t have to hit a great deal to have a chance to reach the majors due to his defense.

Jake Burnette, RHP:  One of the “projectable right-handers” the Pirates drafted in 2011, Burnette has had uneven results.  His WHIP is respectable at 1.33, thanks mainly to the fact that he hasn’t walked many.  He’s fanned very few, though, just eight in 21 innings.  His ERA is 4.71.

Jason Creasy, RHP:  Creasy’s numbers are very similar to Burnette’s (1.34 WHIP, 4.63 ERA), except that his K rate, while low, isn’t nearly as low as Burnette’s.  Creasy has fanned 21 in 35 innings.

Dalton Friend, LHP:  A 12th round pick, Friend is a darkhorse prospect, but he’s interesting because he had one of the highest K rates in JC ball.  He has erratic stuff, so he figured to be a project for the Pirates.  His first outing was a disaster — six earned runs without retiring a batter — but he’s pitched very well since then, allowing just 15 hits and two walks in 17.2 IP, while fanning 16.

Luis Heredia, RHP:  It’s been well documented that Heredia is off to an outstanding start, pitching in a league populated heavily with college draftees while he’s still only 17.  Heredia has a 1.85 ERA and 1.03 WHIP, as his control is dramatically improved from last year.  He’s not striking out many and he’s throwing only in the low 90s, but . . . well, he’s still 17.

Clay Holmes, RHP:  Holmes has been nearly unhittable, as opponents are batting only .139 against him and his ERA is 0.80.  He hasn’t struck out many and he’s had occasional control issues, but for a guy who completely skipped rookie ball he’s doing very well.

Joely Rodriguez, LHP:  Like several other State College pitchers, Rodriguez has shown very good control while not fanning many.  His WHIP is 1.16 and his ERA 3.08.

Adrian Sampson, RHP:  Unlike most State College pitchers, Sampson is striking out a batter an inning.  He’s also shown good control and has a WHIP of 1.21.  Sampson was drafted out of JC ball and is still only 20, so he’s younger than a lot of the college players he’s facing.

GULF COAST LEAGUE PIRATES

Stetson Allie, 1B:  Allie has struggled so far, fanning in a third of his ABs, although he’s walked a lot, too, and shown decent power.  His line is 220/331/349.  He struggled defensively at third, enough so that he’s now playing first.

Elvis Escobar, OF:  The Pirates brought Escobar and Harold Ramirez to the GCL without having them play in the Dominican Summer League.  That’s a challenging assignment and Escobar is still just 17, so he’d be expected to struggle.  He’s held his own reasonably well, though, hitting 235/299/322.

Edwin Espinal, 3B:  Espinal came into the season as a potential power hitter, but he’s struggled so far.  It’s not hard to see why:  he has 23 strikeouts and no walks.  Overall, he’s hitting 175/175/238.

Dilson Herrera, 2B:  Herrera so far has shown some similarity to Alen Hanson, although he’s stockier than Hanson and the Pirates have already moved him off shortstop.  He’s shown good power this year, with a team-leading six HRs.  His plate discipline hasn’t been great, but he’s hitting 254/311/500 so far.

Jin-De Jhang, C:  Jhang has potential as a hitter, which explains why he’s been sharing the catching with second-round pick Wyatt Mathisen.  He’s shown excellent plate discipline (11 BB, 8 K) and is hitting 316/407/392.  He’s also shown a good arm, throwing out 32% of base stealers.

Wyatt Mathisen, C:  Mathisen’s numbers have been very similar to Jhang’s:  308/391/385, 8 BB, 12 K.  Unlike Jhang, he’s shown some speed, with eight steals, although he’s been caught five times.  He’s thrown out 37%, which is surprising because he doesn’t have much experience as a catcher.  He’s currently out with a fractured foot, but he’s expected back in a week or two.

Candon Myles, OF:  The speedster Myles has hit well so far at 306/387/367.  He’s walked 13 times and struck out 21, and stolen 11 bases in 16 tries.

Harold Ramirez, OF:  The other half of the young outfield duo, Ramirez missed several weeks at the start of the season due to an infection.  He seems to be more advanced than Escobar; at 323/373/355, he’s hit very well and his plate discipline has been good (four walks, seven Ks).  The lack of power at age 17 isn’t a concern.

Kevin Ross and Max Moroff, SS:  Unusually for them, the Pirates signed two HS shortstops in the 2012 draft.  Both signed late and have played only briefly so far.  Ross has started off slowly (2-for-24) and Moroff is 4-for-8.

Luis Urena, OF:  Urena bears some similarity to pre-2012 Gregory Polanco in that he’s a tall, lean, extremely toolsy outfielder who’s also very raw.  His power is starting to come around, as he has five HRs so far and is hitting 247/330/556, but he’s had problems making contact, striking out in 44% of his ABs.  He’s not going to be able to hit at higher levels with that kind of swing-and-miss.

Eric Wood, 3B:  Wood is something of a mystery, which is unusual for a sixth round draft pick.  He’s had a good start, including some power, but it has to be kept in mind that he was drafted out of junior college rather than high school.  He’s hitting 265/383/471 with three HRs in 21 games.  He’s walked 11 times and fanned 13.

Colten Brewer, RHP:  The GCL pitching staff doesn’t have a lot of very interesting pitchers, mostly just the two projectable high school right-handers drafted in 2011 and one in 2012.  Brewer is one of the former.  He’s done well in four starts, but he’s been hurt and hasn’t pitched in three weeks.  He has a 1.18 WHIP and 3.71 ERA, and 13 Ks in 17 IP.

Tyler Glasnow, RHP:  Another 2011 draftee, Glasnow also has pitched well, striking out a batter an inning and posting an ERA of 2.84 and WHIP of 1.16.  Opponents have hit .197 against him.

Jon Sandfort, RHP:  The 2012 third round pick has had a difficult time so far, failing to get out of the first inning in two of three starts.  He’s walked five and allowed five hits in three and a third innings.

TRENDING UP

Brock Holt, SS (AA):  Holt continues to hit, and continues to be marooned in Altoona.  In the past week he went 9-23 (.391), leaving him at 319/384/440 on the season.

Robbie Grossman, OF (AA):  Grossman’s turnaround continues.  In the last week he went 12-28 (.429), leaving him at 265/376/408 on the season.

Gregory Polanco, OF (Low A):  Polanco has even been out-hitting Alen Hanson lately.  In the last week he went 9-19 (.474) with two doubles.

Jacob Stallings, C (Short Season A):  Stallings started off slowly, hitting just .175 in June, but he’s been hot lately, hitting  361/400/500 in his last ten games.  His catching and his ability to control the running game are both outstanding, so any offense at all will give him a chance to get established as a real prospect.

Clay Holmes, RHP (Short Season A):  Holmes has been uncanny in his last three games, going five shutout innings and allowing exactly one hit in each one.  He’s not fanning many batters, only 19 in 28.2 IP, but opponents are hitting only .133 against him.

Dalton Friend, LHP (Short Season A):  A 12th round pick, Friend was one of the Pirates’ more interesting later round picks as a big LHP with erratic, but sometimes very good, stuff.  His first pro outing was a disaster:  six earned runs allowed without recording an out.  Since then, he has a 1.84 ERA and 15 strikeouts with a 1.02 WHIP in 14.2 IP.

Harold Ramirez, OF (Rookie):  Ramirez missed the early part of the GCL season due to a leg infection, but he’s done very well since being activated, especially considering that he’s only 17 and didn’t play in the Dominican Summer League before coming to the US.  In 13 games he’s hitting 333/373/375.

TRENDING DOWN

Rudy Owens, LHP (AAA):  Owens has run into his first rough stretch of the year in his last three starts.  He had a 7.98 ERA in those three starts.  He even walked seven in 14.2 IP, which for him is a lot.

Justin Wilson, LHP (AAA):  Wilson also has had a rough three-start stretch.  In 12 innings he walked 11 and had an ERA of 11.25.  The stuff is still there, though, as he fanned 15.

Mel Rojas, Jr., OF (High A):  Since a strong May, Rojas has steadily gone downhill.  He hit 226/287/290 in June and, so far, has hit 194/266/361 in July.  In his last five games he’s gone 0-17.

TRENDING UP

Brandon Boggs, OF (AAA): Boggs has been blistering hot for a while now. In his last ten games he’s hit 469/553/719. In June and July combined he’s batting .375 and controlling the strike zone well, with 17 walks and 25 Ks. It’s unlikely he’ll get called up, but he’s a reasonable option in case the Pirates have any more outfield injuries and still aren’t inclined to promote Starling Marte.

Nate Baker, LHP (AA): Baker has turned his season around since being moved to the bullpen. As a starter he posted a 5.90 ERA and walked more than he struck out. Since moving to the bullpen he’s had an ERA of 1.83, opponents are hitting .216 against him, and he has 18 strikeouts and seven walks in 19.2 IP.

Mike Colla, RHP (AA): Colla has made the same transition as Baker. Since posting a 5.15 ERA in seven starts, he’s had an ERA of 1.24 in relief. He’s fanned 26 and walked only six in 29 relief innings.

Alex Dickerson, 1B (High A): Dickerson continues to elevate his game slowly but surely. In his last ten games he’s hit 333/372/513. In June and July he’s batting .327 and slugging .547. He has a reverse platoon split, with an .837 OPS against LHPs and .777 against RHPs.

Justin Howard, 1B/OF (High A): Howard has been on fire lately, hitting 429/488/514 over his last ten games. On the season he’s now hitting 308/406/413, with almost the same number of walks as Ks. What probably limits him to being an organizational player, though, is the fact that he’s strictly a corner player and has little power, with just one HR all year.

Jose Osuna, 1B (Low A): I could just about plug Alen Hanson and Gregory Polanco in here every week, but Osuna has now gotten into his first really good stretch. Up until recently he’s been mildly disappointing, not getting overmatched but not hitting well, either. So far in July, though, he’s hitting 314/340/569. In 13 July games he has four HRs after hitting only five in 74 games before that.

D.J. Crumlich, IF (Short Season A): Drafted as a glove guy, Crumlich so far has been a surprise with the bat. He’s been the Spikes’ most consistent hitter, with a 317/364/427 line.

Clay Holmes, RHP (Short Season A): Holmes has been very good so far, albeit with a very low strikeout rate of 5.7 per nine innings. He struggled in one start, but in the other four has gone five innings every time, allowed no earned runs and given up just six hits in the 20 innings. Opponents on the year are batting just .146 against him.

Joely Rodriguez, LHP (Short Season A): Rodriguez has allowed just one earned run in his last three starts, each of them covering five innings. In the 15 innings he’s given up just eight hits and one walk. Like Holmes, though, he’s not missing many bats; he’s fanned only seven in those three starts.

TRENDING DOWN

Oscar Tejeda, OF (AA): After getting off to a good start since the Pirates claimed on waivers, Tejeda slumped. In his last six games he’s hitting .130 and overall for Altoona his line is just 216/237/333, which is consistent with his struggles at the AA level the last two years. Given that he’s strictly an outfielder now, the Pirates’ decision to claim him looks puzzling, to say the least.

Jameson Taillon, RHP (High A): Taillon’s struggles continued, as he got bombed again on Saturday. Over his last ten games he has an ERA of 6.42 and a below average strikeout rate. For a guy with his stuff this is baffling.

Matt Benedict, RHP (High A): Benedict was the mainstay in the West Virginia rotation when the team had nobody else pitching respectably, but he’s been overmatched at Bradenton. In five starts he has an ERA of 11.78, with 11 walks and only six strikeouts in 18.1 IP.

TRENDING UP

Tony Sanchez, C (AAA):  In the past week Sanchez finally started to show some of the power the Pirates expected him to have.  He hit his first three HRs of the year in three consecutive games and is hitting 346/414/769 in July, with two doubles and three HRs.

Jeff Locke, LHP (AAA):  Locke’s last two starts have been outstanding.  He allowed just one run in 13 innings on just five hits and five walks.  He fanned 12.  In fact, in his last 48 innings he’s fanned 48.  His ERA is now 2.92.

Justin Wilson, LHP (AAA):  Wilson had an outstanding string of five starts in which he allowed just six runs, five earned, on a mere 12 hits in 30 innings, with 31 Ks.  Maybe more importantly, he walked only eight, hinting at progress on his big weakness.  Unfortunately, he had a control meltdown on Sunday, but after walking four in the first two innings, he recovered to last five without walking any more.  On the season opponents are batting just .191 against him and he’s striking out a batter an inning.

Matt Curry, 1B (AA):  Curry stayed hot, with a four-hit game on Friday and a 12-25 (.480) performance for the week, with two doubles, a triple and a HR.  On the season he’s now hitting 320/374/523.

Alex Dickerson, 1B (High A):  Dickerson has gradually been turning around a disappointing season.  After posting a .906 OPS in June, he’s hitting 387/400/677 so far in July.

Casey Sadler, RHP (High A):  A sidearm thrower, Sadler looked like he’d try to make his way in the bullpen, but he’s mostly been used as a starter since the end of May and has made the transition very well.  In six starts he has an ERA of 2.79, and he’s allowed only 25 hits and six walks in 29 innings.

Colton Cain, LHP (High A):  Cain has struggled during much of the season and also missed a month.  In his last four starts, though, he has a 1.50 ERA and only 16 hits allowed in 24 IP.

Alen Hanson, SS (Low A):  Hanson just keeps hitting.  So far in July he’s hitting 368/385/684, with three doubles and three HRs.  He also earned himself the top spot on Baseball America’s prospect hot sheet.

Gregory Polanco, OF (Low A):  Polanco’s had a bigger month than Hanson so far, hitting 500/563/857.  Not only is he showing the power the Pirates hoped to see, he’s stolen 28 bases in 36 tries.

Taylor Lewis, OF (Low A):  Lewis is an interesting player.  He was considered very toolsy when drafted, but he played at a northern college, the University of Maine, and didn’t see the best competition.  He struggled in his debut last year and stayed in extended spring training until mid-June.  He’s hit well since being assigned to West Virginia, though, including a 348/500/478 line so far in July.  He struggled with the strike zone in his first couple weeks, with just two walks and 13 Ks in June, but in July he’s posted seven walks and five Ks.

Barrett Barnes, OF (Short Season A):  After signing Barnes started slowly, but he went on a three-game tear starting on Independence Day.  For the week he went 8-18 (.444) with three doubles and two HRs.

Joely Rodriguez, LHP (Short Season A):  Rodriguez has a good arm, but pitched surprisingly little before this year, even though he’s 20.  In his last two starts he’s thrown five scoreless innings each time, allowing only four hits and one walk.  He’s not striking out many batters, but he’s made big strides with his command, which was an issue before this year.

Luis Heredia, RHP (Short Season A):  Heredia has been impressive in his four starts so far, especially if you remind yourself that he’s still only 17 and still growing.  His control, which was something of an issue last year, has improved immensely:  he’s walked only three in 19 IP.  He’s fanned 14 and has an ERA of 0.95.

TRENDING DOWN

Willy Garcia, OF (Low A):  Garcia takes a big cut and chases a lot of bad pitches, with the result that he’s been extremely streaky all year.  Right now he’s in a down phase.  In his last ten games he’s hitting 205/222/273 with one walk and ten strikeouts.

Nick Kingham, RHP (Low A):  Kingham seemed to have turned things around after a bad start to the season, but in his last three starts he’s struggled, with an ERA of 8.40, with 20 hits and seven walks allowed in 15 IP.

Ryan Hafner, RHP (Low A):  Hafner has struggled all year, especially with his control, and things didn’t improve in his two starts during the past week.  In the first he lasted only a third of an inning.  Between the two, he gave up nine hits and six walks in just 4.2 IP.  His ERA was 13.50.

Yhonathan Barrios, 3B (Short Season A):  Barrios was considered a strong prospect when the Pirates signed him out of Colombia, but he was hampered by injuries until this year.  Now he’s just not hitting.  He went 1-15 (.067) in the past week, leaving him at 154/214/154 on the season.