Prospect Watch: Clutch Home Run From Meadows Highlights Winning Night

P2 Top 30

A look at how the current top 30 prospects did today. Note that this list doesn’t include players currently in the majors. If a player is in the majors, he will be removed, 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 (Nick Kingham, Jacob Taylor), 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 30 active prospects on the list. Rankings are from the mid-season update, and links on each name go to their Pirates Prospects player pages.

1. Tyler Glasnow, RHP, Indianapolis -[insert_php]
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2. Jameson Taillon, RHP, Indianapolis – Disabled List

3. Austin Meadows, CF, Altoona -[insert_php]
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4. Josh Bell, 1B, Indianapolis -[insert_php]
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5. Alen Hanson, 2B, Indianapolis -[insert_php]
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6. Reese McGuire, C, Bradenton -[insert_php]
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7. Elias Diaz, C, Pirates – In Majors

8. Harold Ramirez, OF, Bradenton -[insert_php]
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9. Cole Tucker, SS, West Virginia – Disabled List

10. Kevin Newman, SS, West Virginia -[insert_php]
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11. Ke’Bryan Hayes, 3B, Morgantown -[insert_php]
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12. Mitch Keller, RHP, Bristol -[insert_php]
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13. Clay Holmes, RHP, Bradenton – Disabled List

14. Stephen Tarpley, LHP, West Virginia -[insert_php]
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15. Max Moroff, 2B, Altoona -[insert_php]
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16. Barrett Barnes, OF, Altoona -[insert_php]
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17. Yeudy Garcia, RHP, West Virginia -[insert_php]
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18. Trey Supak, RHP, Bristol -[insert_php]
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19. Gage Hinsz, RHP, Bristol -[insert_php]
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20. Adam Frazier, SS, Altoona -[insert_php]
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21. Willy Garcia, OF, Indianapolis -[insert_php]
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22. Steven Brault, LHP, Altoona -[insert_php]
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23. Kevin Kramer, 2B, West Virginia -[insert_php]
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24. Tyler Eppler, RHP, Altoona -[insert_php]
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25. Adrian Valerio, SS, GCL -[insert_php]
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26. Connor Joe, 1B, West Virginia -[insert_php]
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27. John Holdzkom, RHP, Indianapolis – Disabled List

28. Jordan Luplow, 3B, West Virginia – Disabled List

29. Casey Hughston, OF, Morgantown -[insert_php]
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30. Billy Roth, RHP, Bristol -[insert_php]
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P2 Game Notes

INDIANAPOLIS — Two days after earning a split of the International League West crown, Indianapolis opened its playoff series at home. They did not waste any time getting on the board, scoring six runs in the bottom of the first inning. The big hit of the frame was a three-run double by Dan Gamache on an elevated pitch. Over his last 11 games, Gamache went 9-for-39, but he certainly picked a good time for a huge hit. Gamache also picked up his fourth RBI of the game in the eighth to add an insurance run.

Josh Bell added two hits and scored in the first inning rally. Bell has been the model of consistency for Indianapolis over the past month plus. Since a slow start when he joined Indianapolis at the beginning of August, Bell has reached base in nearly half of his plate appearances, posting an OPS of .946. When Indianapolis has had a rally, Bell has been right in the middle of it.

Keon Broxton added a pair of hits, along with a walk. He also stole a pair of bases. Broxton has now stolen 30 bases in 89 games with Indianapolis, having been caught just nine times.

Along the lines of consistency, Wilfredo Boscan has been just that recently. He made it look like a good decision to start him game one, going seven strong innings, spreading around seven hits and a lone run. Boscan had some mixed control over the game, but fought his way through by being effectively wild. Boscan has only allowed more than two earned runs once since July 14, and in that start, he allowed three in 6.1 innings of work. Boscan has worked into the seventh inning in four of his last six starts as well.

Taking the 1-0 lead in the series, Indianapolis will look to build on it Thursday in game two with Vance Worley on the mound. – Ryan Palencer

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P2 Game Notes

ALTOONA — The anticipation and build-up for playoff baseball in Altoona was quickly nullified by a seven spot against them in the second inning. It took seven more innings for that excitement to return.

Austin Meadows hit a two run home run in the bottom of the ninth inning to tie the game at seven. Following an infield single by Barrett Barnes (and an error moving him to second), Jacob Stallings hit an RBI single back up the middle to clinch Altoona’s first playoff victory in five years.

After falling behind 7-0 after some very sloppy defense and a few bloopers in the second, Altoona began a comeback trail that began and finished on the bat of Jacob Stallings.

In the fourth, Stallings lined a double to the right-center wall, moving Barrett Barnes to third base, and Barnes eventually came around to score on a Stetson Allie groundout.

In the fifth inning, it was an Adam Frazier walk that started the inning. Max Moroff and Austin Meadows followed with singles before Barnes launched a first pitch slider down the middle into the left field bleachers for a grand slam. The grand slam brought the Curve back within two runs.

“I didn’t even really think about it,” Barnes said. “I just saw it and reacted. When I hit it, I knew I got it.”

This was the definitive turning point for the team, who needed a jolt to get them back into the game. They took that two-run deficit into the ninth inning, and it wasn’t until then that they finished off Bowie.

After a Jose Osuna infield single, Austin Meadows hit one just far enough over a leaping Mike Yastrzemski at the right field wall for the two-run home run.

“He started me out with two sliders, and I knew he was coming fastball, so I was just looking to get the head out and do some damage on the ball,” Meadows said with shaving cream still caked on his face and jersey. “It was an exciting moment.”

Then again came Stallings with Barnes on second this time, and he was able to drive a first pitch strike back up the middle for the game winning single.

“I’ve actually faced Triggs a few times [recently], and he’s struck me out the last two times I faced him,” Stallings said. “I was actually thinking about my approach… and I came up with a plan against him. I wanted to be aggressive and get a ball up in the zone. Luckily I was able to find a hole.”

The unsung heroes of the game are the relievers who entered in the second inning. John Kuchno, Josh Smith, Brett McKinney, and Montana DuRapau threw 7.1 scoreless innings to allow Altoona to come back from down seven runs.

“You can’t say enough about our bullpen and the job they did,” Stallings said. “To keep us in the game like that and give us a chance, that was phenomenal.”

This season, Altoona was 1-48 when trailing after seven and 1-51 when trailing after eight. In the playoffs, they are now 1-0 using the same criteria.

The game didn’t necessarily begin how Altoona drew it up, though.

The Curve had to wait an extra two hours before the first pitch because of a rain delay, and Chad Kuhl took the mound for a franchise that hasn’t been in the playoffs since 2010. Kuhl didn’t necessarily look great in the first inning, allowing four hard hit fly balls, but he was able to escape the inning without allowing any runs.

The second inning wasn’t quite as friendly to him.

The inning began with a grounder going through the legs of shortstop Adam Frazier followed by a well-placed easily hit fly ball that fell in by the right field line. The snowball just kept picking up steam after that. Kuhl really didn’t have any balls hit too hard against him in the second, but all Bowie needed to do was put the ball in play to score seven runs in the inning.

The Curve committed three errors in the second inning, and it was obvious that frustration was mounting for Kuhl. It was probably one of those innings where if the first out is recorded, things would’ve turned out very differently. Everything just seemed to fall apart for the Curve in the second – pitching, defensively, and fundamentally.

Ultimately, the team picked up Kuhl – as well as each other for their defensive lapses – to find a way to win this game.

“The resiliency that this team has – as they keep moving forward – it’s unbelievable for them,” manager Tom Prince said after the game. “It’s a tribute to them and what they are doing.”

Barrett Barnes finished 3-for-4 with the grand slam on the night, scoring three times. Five other Curve players provided two hits each.

Notes:

**Since Jacob Stallings began playing everyday on August 27^thto close out the season, he hit .342 with a .855 OPS.

**Austin Meadows and Stetson Allie both made great catches in the field tonight. Meadows ran down a short line drive and made a sliding catch at the last possible moment. Stetson Allie tracked a fly ball over his head and made a basket catch before crashing into the right field wall. – Sean McCool

Bradenton Marauders Prospect Watch

Bradenton has completed their season.

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P2 Game Notes

West Virginia took game one of their series with Hickory, thanks to a strong start from Austin Coley and a key home run from Taylor Gushue in the fifth inning. Coley set the tone, throwing six innings while allowing two runs on seven hits, with no walks and three strikeouts. He’s been one of the best West Virginia starters this year, showing off a fastball that can sit in the low-90s and some good off-speed stuff. He was going up against a Hickory team that tagged him for five runs in six innings a month ago, but he bounced back tonight with a much better outing, continuing his solid run from the end of the year where he combined for four earned runs in 26 innings.

Coley gave up runs in the second and fourth innings, putting West Virginia down 2-0. The run in the second came off a solo homer with one out, and the run in the fourth came after three straight singles, followed by an RBI ground out with one out.

West Virginia quickly tied the score in the fifth inning. With one out, Chase Simpson hit a double. That was followed by a two-run homer by Taylor Gushue to tie the score. The catcher has shown some pop in his bat, but only had five homers on the season heading into tonight. Pablo Reyes had a two out single to put runners at first and second, and Kevin Kramer drew a walk to load the bases. West Virginia almost stranded the runners when Michael Suchy struck out swinging, but a wild pitch got away from Hickory catcher Jose Trevino, leading to the eventual game winning run scoring.

West Virginia added some insurance in the seventh when Pablo Reyes doubled and scored on Kramer’s single. Both hits came with two outs. Both Reyes and Kramer had big nights, picking up two hits each, and each hitting a double. Reyes finished the year with a .268/.345/.438 line in 388 at-bats, showing good power for a middle infielder. Kramer had a brief appearance in the SAL at the end of the year, hitting for a .333 average with two doubles and a triple in his final ten games.

The Power now head to Hickory, where they hold a big advantage with Stephen Tarpley going Friday night, and Yeudy Garcia throwing on Saturday. They need just one more win to advance to the South Atlantic League championship series. – Tim Williams

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P2 Game Notes

Morgantown’s game was postponed until tomorrow. Game one will still be in Morgantown, while each of the games in Williamsport get pushed back a day.

The Bristol Pirates have completed their season. The season recap will be posted soon.

GCL Pirates Prospect Watch

The GCL Pirates have completed their season. Season recap and top ten prospect list can be found here.

The DSL Pirates have completed their season. You can read our full season recap here, with reports on 41 different players. There is also a list of 12 players to watch, which can be found here.

John Dreker

+ posts

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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joe s

7 years ago

#95806

we know Stallings is a great defensive catcher but now he is hitting will in AA. Do we have another catching prospect here?

Troy B

#95802

Maybe someone on here could explain why in the world the Pirates would call up Elias Diaz and have him sit every inning since , rather than actually play in the AAA playoffs. I just don’t get it. Please do not tell me it is for the major league experience. The guy has not caught or swung at a pitch in 2 weeks. That is just plain stupid as far as I am concerned.

Luke S

Reply to Troy B

#95804

There is a balance between the best needs of the player and the needs of the big league club. Diaz getting the call is basically the team saying “we dont trust Tony Sanchez to getting time if a catcher gets hurt”. They needed a 3rd catcher, and this shows they dont even really value Sanchez as that.

They also arent likely to have him up early next year barring injury, so he’ll get plenty of reps in AAA next year.

Reply to Luke S

#95807

They could call him up when a 3rd stringer is needed and have him anywhere in a few hours. C’mon , is there really a need for a 3rd stringer to sit on the bench nightly?

#95808

Well i think its just not true that in all situations they can have a new 3rd string catcher at the game in a few hours. 4th string option is playing in the playoffs in Indy and its gonna take more than a few hours to let him know, get him on a plane, and get it to PGH. Night game followed by a day game is one easy example of an issue.

That, and its fun to just have the better option already in the clubhouse. Diaz isnt likely to be used as primary backup next year, so thats a ton of at bats. This is absolutely not a move we should be discussing at this length. It’ll be 2 years before Diaz is a primary backup, and thats not a bad thing.

meatygettingsaucy

#95803

He’s the most major league ready catcher and was brought up as the third string catcher, as has been done the past few years come September

BallHeadWonder

#95801

Montana DuRapau closed a Playoff game with 2 strong innings!! Pretty cool to see Prince Tom (Tom Prince) have that much confidence in him to use him in the 8th and 9th. Through the meat of there lineup!! Having only been there for what?? 2 weeks!! Way to go Altoona!!!

Kozy21

Reply to BallHeadWonder

#95805

Seems like it’s a only a matter of time before Prince gets a shot at a major league dugout. It’s always bench players and catchers that seem to make the best managers.

candyfan

#95800

While it’s not the end all/be all, seeing three of our four teams win their opening round games is a great sign. Indy, Altoona and the West Virginia Power have some real good prospects looking up to Pittsburgh. And let’s not overlook the strong finish that Morgantown put on in the NYPenn League to get into the playoffs.

Finally, many say that Bradentown in High A has the best prospects of all for this season, but they missed the playoffs. Pirates fans who miss attending games at these five levels are missing some exciting baseball played by some sure-fire stars of the near future.