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, 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 2016 prospect guide, and links on each name go to their Pirates Prospects player pages.
We’re working on a solution for the PHP stat codes not working in the app.
1. Tyler Glasnow, RHP, Indianapolis -[insert_php]
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2. Austin Meadows, CF, Altoona – [insert_php]
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3. Josh Bell, 1B, Indianapolis – [insert_php]
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4. Jameson Taillon, RHP, Indianapolis – [insert_php]
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5. Alen Hanson, 2B, Indianapolis – [insert_php]
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6. Harold Ramirez, OF, Altoona -[insert_php]
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7. Reese McGuire, C, Altoona -[insert_php]
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8. Elias Diaz, C, Pirates – Disabled List.
9. Nick Kingham, RHP, Indianapolis – Disabled List
10. Ke’Bryan Hayes, 3B, West Virginia -[insert_php]
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11. Kevin Newman, SS, Bradenton -[insert_php]
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12. Yeudy Garcia, RHP, Bradenton -[insert_php]
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13. Steven Brault, LHP, Indianapolis -[insert_php]
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14. Stephen Tarpley, LHP, Bradenton – Extended Spring Training
15.Cole Tucker, SS, West Virginia – Disabled List
16. Chad Kuhl, RHP, Indianapolis – [insert_php]
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17. Max Moroff, 2B, Indianapolis -[insert_php]
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18. Mitch Keller, RHP, West Virginia -[insert_php]
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19. Clay Holmes, RHP, Altoona – [insert_php]
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20. Willy Garcia, OF, Indianapolis -[insert_php]
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21. Brandon Waddell, LHP, Bradenton – [insert_php]
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22. Tyler Eppler, RHP, Altoona -[insert_php]
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23. Barrett Barnes, OF, Altoona -[insert_php]
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25. Gage Hinsz, RHP, – Extended Spring Training
26. Adrian Valerio, SS, – Extended Spring Training
27. Adam Frazier, INF/OF, Indianapolis -[insert_php]
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28. Kevin Kramer, 2B, Bradenton -[insert_php]
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29. Jordan Luplow, OF/3B, Bradenton – [insert_php]
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30. JT Brubaker, RHP, West Virginia -[insert_php]
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Jameson Taillon made his fourth start of the season on Thursday afternoon. He came into the game with a 1.65 ERA in 16.1 innings, with no walks and 16 strikeouts. Taillon started the game with a ground out to second base on the first pitch. Two pitches later, he got a soft line to center field for the second out. One pitch later, Ryan Flaherty single on a line drive to center. Taillon ended the inning on the tenth pitch, getting a swinging strikeout. He threw seven fastballs and three curves, with the latter missing the zone on all three pitches. He hung one up in the zone and two were in the dirt.
The second inning started with a good sign, as Taillon froze the batter with an 0-2 curve for the first out. The was followed by a weak ground out to first base. After a couple fastballs up out of the zone, Taillon got a fly ball to right field for the final out. This was a nine pitch inning, eight were fastballs. No pitch speeds were posted, but the announcer did mention one of the fastballs came in at 93 MPH. Taillon has been somewhere in the 92-96 range in each start.
In the third, the first pitch was lined into right field for a single. The next batter lined out to deep right field for the first out. During the next at-bat, the runner stole second. He came home on a long double to the left field gap. The next hitter grounded out to third base for the second out. Taillon used the curve twice in this at-bat, buckling the knees on the first pitch, before getting the grounder on the second. He got Ryan Flaherty on a check swing with a 3-2 curve. After 19 pitches total in the first two innings, Taillon threw 20 pitches in the third. He also mixed in a couple change-ups this frame.
Taillon started the first batter of the fourth with two curves that were up out of the zone, one almost hitting the batter in the helmet. He then went to three straight fastballs and got the strikeout, hitting 94 twice. The next batter reached on a swinging bunt that went about 15 feet, which Jacob Stallings threw into right field, allowing the runner to go to second base. Taillon threw a change-up for a strike and hit 93 with the fastball in that at-bat. The next batter went down looking on a curve that may have caught the top of the outside corner. He got the third out on a pop up to second base. Through four innings, he threw 55 pitches, 37 for strikes.
The fifth began with with two change-ups for strikes, followed by a curve that was grounded out to shortstop. Taillon then issued his first walk of the season, though he was near the zone with all of his pitches. One pitch later, he got a 4-6-3 double play, nicely turned by Alen Hanson and Gift Ngoepe. It was a nine pitch inning and despite the walk, the command was fine and he used all three pitches.
In the sixth, Taillon got a fly ball to the warning track in right field. The next batter lined out to center field, where Danny Ortiz made a nice diving catch coming straight in. One pitch later, the third place hitter singled into left field, just out of the reach of third baseman Max Moroff. Three pitches later, the side was retired on a fly ball to right field. There was some solid contact in this inning as Taillon reached 73 pitches, 47 for strikes.
He came out for the seventh for the first time and got a grounder to second base on the first pitch. The next batter struck out looking on a curve. It was a three pitch at-bat. Taillon issued a six pitch walk to the third hitter, just missing the outside corner on a 3-1 fastball. He came back to pick up his seventh strikeout, this time on a curve looking for the final out, ending his day. Taillon allowed one run on five hits and two walks.
Norfolk has a lineup with seven players who have Major League experience. I mentioned during Taillon’s last game, that despite throwing one-hit ball over six shutout innings, he wasn’t at his best and it may have had to do with a Louisville lineup that just wasn’t that good. He pitched better in this game than he did in Louisville. His curve was better, the fastball wasn’t up as much and the change-up looked good again. There was some hard contact, but he pitched well with runners on base and finished strong, limiting Norfolk to a 1-for-5 with runners in scoring position. Overall a very solid outing, and as good as any of his first three starts.
Indianapolis was winning this game 5-1 going into the eighth inning. Then the rain started and Norfolk began a comeback that was temporarily halted at 5-3, as the game went into a delay. When they resumed, Norfolk tacked on three more runs to take the lead. Alen Hanson had the big hit for Indianapolis, a two-run double in the second inning to make it 4-0. Max Moroff homered in the sixth to make it 5-1. It was his third homer of the season. He hit seven all of last year and his career-high is eight set back in 2013 with West Virginia. Those two hits were the only extra-base hits for Indianapolis. Josh Bell went 1-for-3 with a walk, as he extended his on-base streak to 19 games.
Jung-ho Kang pinch-hit in the ninth and struck out against Chaz Roe, who has 60 games of MLB experience. Roe was briefly Pirates property after the 2014 season and he is the great-nephew of Bill Mazeroski. Kang is now 3-for-25 with four walks and seven strikeouts.
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Altoona has off today.
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Bradenton lost 3-0 in ten innings on Thursday, as two Palm Beach pitchers did a great job of keeping the Marauders off the bases. Bradenton managed to scrape together four singles and didn’t draw one walk. Logan Hill got a rare start and had two hits, plus he stole a base. The only time Bradenton really threatened was with two outs in the sixth inning when Kevin Newman reached on an error and then got to third after a throwing error on a Kevin Kramer infield single. Jordan Luplow followed them and struck out to end the inning. Luplow struck out three times in the game. Taylor Gushue had the only other hit for the Marauders.
Alex McRae threw six shutout innings, giving up five hits and three walks. He had an 8:4 GO/AO ratio and two strikeouts. McRae had particular trouble with lead-off hitter Darren Seferina, who collected three hits off him (then added another off reliever Jose Regalado). McRae threw 84 pitches, 50 for strikes. He has 2.88 ERA in 25 innings this season, putting up that low number despite an 11:9 BB/SO ratio. Regalado made his High-A debut and threw three shutout innings before allowing three runs in the tenth for the loss. He pitched briefly for West Virginia earlier this season.
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CHARLESTON, WV – West Virginia lost 4-2 tonight, all due to a bad four run inning in the third. JT Brubaker took the mound tonight, with the second best pitching prospect at the level getting off to a great start through two innings. He struck out three in those first two frames, while giving up just one hit. The third inning was a different story.
Brubaker was a victim of two errors to start the frame, including one that was his own doing. The leadoff hitter reached on an error when Ryan Nagle dropped a shallow pop up in right field. Brubaker then fielded a bunt in the next at-bat, but threw wild to first, putting runners at first and third. The runner at first then stole second, putting two in scoring position.
Brubaker battled back with one of his eight strikeouts, but gave up a single to tie the game at 1-1. Another stolen base put two more runners in scoring position, and then Brubaker left a ball up that was hit for a three run homer, putting Rome up 4-1.
“Any time you give away outs, you’re asking for some trouble,” Power Manager Brian Esposito said. “That’s all it was. He competed, and limited the damage the best he could.”
Without the errors, Brubaker might have made it out of the inning without giving up a run, and might have made it out of the outing without a run. He looked good after that, working a quick fourth inning, then striking out two in the sixth inning to avoid damage from a leadoff double.
“The first two innings felt good,” Brubaker said. “The third inning, some stuff happened. You can’t control it. I felt like I bounced back good after that third inning. Put up zeroes, kept our team in the ball game.”
The offense didn’t do much tonight. In fact, the lone bright spot on offense was Tito Polo. He created a run with his speed in the first inning. He reached on an infield single to second base, then stole second and third base. He followed that up by scoring on a sacrifice fly from Ke’Bryan Hayes. Polo’s speed came into play in the sixth inning as well, scoring from second base on a line drive single to right field, on a play where a slower player might have been held up at third.
“When you have that kind of speed, you can impact a lot of teams,” Esposito said. “When you have that kind of speed, and you continue to get some experience on how to use it even better, now you’re talking about some serious weapons that are going help a ball club in the big leagues win a championship… He’s got game changing speed, no doubt.”
Christian Kelley showed off a strong arm behind the plate, throwing out two of four base stealers tonight, with some accurate throws down to second. Mitchell Tolman was removed from the game after not running hard after a pop out. Alfredo Reyes hasn’t shown good defense this series at shortstop, making an error today, and missing a few plays yesterday. If Cole Tucker ends up coming to West Virginia once his rehab is over, that would really help the infield defense for as long as he’s here.
