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Prospect Watch: Altoona is No Hit, Barnes Homers, Good Pitching From Irwin, Sadler

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TOP OF THE SYSTEM

A look at how the current top 20 prospects did today.  Note that this list doesn’t include players currently in the majors. Rankings are from the mid-season update.

1. Gerrit Cole, RHP, Altoona (2-2, 5.17) – DNP

2. Jameson Taillon, RHP, Bradenton (5-7, 4.43) – DNP

3. Starling Marte, CF, Indianapolis (.286) – DNP

4. Alen Hanson, SS, West Virginia (.329) – 0-for-4

5. Josh Bell, RF, West Virginia (.274) – Low-A DL

6. Luis Heredia, RHP, State College (1-1, 1.13) – DNP

7. Rudy Owens, LHP, Indianapolis (7-4, 2.89) – DNP

8. Jeff Locke, LHP, Indianapolis (7-5, 2.95) – DNP

9. Robbie Grossman, CF, Altoona (.254) – 0-for-4

10. Gregory Polanco, CF, West Virginia (.318) – 2-for-4, 2B, 3 RBI

11. Kyle McPherson, RHP, Altoona (1-4, 4.40) – DNP

12. Nick Kingham, RHP, West Virginia (1-7, 6.06) – DNP

13. Justin Wilson, LHP, Indianapolis (7-4, 4.06) – DNP

14. Tony Sanchez, C, Indianapolis (.238) – 0-for-3

15. Bryan Morris, RHP, Indianapolis (1-2, 2.65) – 2.0 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 1 K, 1 HR

16. Mel Rojas, CF, Bradenton (.261) – DNP

17. Wyatt Mathisen, C, GCL Pirates (.322) – DNP

18. Barrett Barnes, CF, State College (.280) – 0-for-1, 2 BB

19. Alex Dickerson, 1B, Bradenton (.295) – 1-for-4, BB

20. Colton Cain, LHP, Bradenton (3-5, 4.19) – DNP

 

$2.50 PROSPECT GUIDES

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DAILY SUMMARY

Top Pitcher: Phil Irwin, RHP (1-7, 3.63) – 8.0 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 6 K, 0 HR

Top Hitter: Barrett Barnes, CF (.291) – 2-for-4, HR

Home Runs: Barrett Barnes (3)

 

AAA: INDIANAPOLIS INDIANS

Box Score

Result: Indianapolis 4, Columbus 3

Starting Pitcher: Rick VandenHurk, RHP (9-1, 3.43) – 6.0 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 3 BB, 3 K, 0 HR

Top Hitter: Brandon Boggs, RF (.281) – 2-for-3, BB, 2 RBI

Other Notable Performers

Bryan Morris, RHP (2.65) – 2.0 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 1 K, 1 HR

Alex Presley, LF (.301) – 2-for-4

Game Notes: Rick VandenHurk picked up his ninth win of the year, and now has a 3.43 ERA in 65.2 innings, with a 53:24 K/BB ratio with Indianapolis. Bryan Morris now has a 2.65 ERA in 54.1 innings, with a 55:12 K/BB ratio. Brandon Boggs is hitting for a .407 average and a 1.151 OPS in 27 at-bats in July, following a .364 average and a 1.034 OPS in 77 at-bats in June.

 

AA: ALTOONA CURVE

Box Score

Result: Akron 2, Altoona 1

Starting Pitcher: Phil Irwin, RHP (1-7, 3.63) – 8.0 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 6 K, 0 HR

Top Hitter: Jarek Cunningham, 2B (.219) – 0-for-2, BB

Game Notes: Altoona was no-hit by Giovanni Soto, who did allow a run on three walks, but stuck out six in the complete game no hitter. Soto needed 104 pitches to get the job done. The no hitter over-shadowed a great performance by Phil Irwin, who threw 100 pitches, with 71 for strikes. In his last four starts, Irwin has given up four earned runs in 28 innings, with a 23:3 K/BB ratio. Robbie Grossman went 0-for-4, snapping a 25 game on-base streak.

 

A+: BRADENTON MARAUDERS

Box Score

Result: Bradenton 8, Clearwater 5

Starting Pitcher: Casey Sadler, RHP (3.16) – 7.0 IP, 6 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 0 BB, 10 K, 0 HR

Top Hitter: Dan Grovatt, LF (.263) – 2-for-5, BB, SB

Other Notable Performers

Justin Howard, 1B (.308) – 2-for-4, BB

Kirk Singer, 3B (.272) – 2-for-6, SB

Game Notes: Casey Sadler has now made six starts in a row. The right-hander has combined for a 2.45 ERA in 33 innings during that stretch, with a 28:7 K/BB ratio after his ten strikeout performance today. On the season, Sadler has a 3.07 ERA in 41 innings as a starter over eight starts, with a 31:8 K/BB ratio. Dan Grovatt has a .346 average and an .874 OPS in 52 at-bats in July.

 

A: WEST VIRGINIA POWER

Box Score

Result: Augusta 4, West Virginia 3

Starting Pitcher: Ryan Hafner, RHP (0-7, 7.11) – 5.0 IP, 1 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 7 BB, 1 K, 0 HR

Top Hitter: Gregory Polanco, CF (.318) – 2-for-4, 2B, 3 RBI

Other Notable Performers

Zac Fuesser, LHP (4.26) – 3.0 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 0 K, 0 HR

Game Notes: Coming in to this game, Gregory Polanco had a .444 average and a 1.221 OPS in 45 at-bats in the month of July. Ryan Hafner’s walk rates have struggled all season. After tonight’s game he has a 27:59 K/BB ratio in 55.2 innings. Last year he walked 20 in 65.2 innings in State College.

 

A-: STATE COLLEGE SPIKES

Box Score

Result: Brooklyn 3, State College 2

Starting Pitcher: Jason Creasy, RHP (0-2, 4.50) – 5.0 IP, 7 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 1 BB, 0 K, 0 HR

Top Hitter: Barrett Barnes, CF (.291) – 2-for-4, HR

Other Notable Performers

Logan Pevny, RHP (1.64) – 2.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 K, 0 HR

Game Notes: Barrett Barnes hit his third home run of the year. All three have come in his last nine games. He’s 12-for-29 in that span, and has three doubles and seven walks to go with his homer. Jason Creasy now has a 4.50 ERA in 26 innings, with a 14:7 K/BB ratio. Logan Pevny has a 1.64 ERA in 11 innings, with a 7:5 K/BB ratio.

 

RK: GCL PIRATES

The Pirates were off today.

 

DOMINICAN SUMMER LEAGUE

For a primer on the 2012 DSL Pirates, along with information on the players to watch, check out the 2012 DSL Preview.

 

RK: DSL PIRATES1

The Pirates were off today.

 

RK: DSL PIRATES2

The Pirates were off today.

Tim Williams
Tim Williams
Tim is the owner, producer, editor, and lead writer of PiratesProspects.com. He has been running Pirates Prospects since 2009, becoming the first new media reporter and outlet covering the Pirates at the MLB level in 2011 and 2012. His work can also be found in Baseball America, where he has been a contributor since 2014 and the Pirates' correspondent since 2019.

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