In yesterday’s Morning Report, we looked at the team-by-team pitching staffs around the organization and how they stack up against each other and in their own leagues. Today, we move on to the hitters as a group.
Yesterday, it was clear that Indianapolis was the best pitching staff and they also had the most prospects. They had/have just as many hitting prospects and their batters have combined for a .713 team OPS. That ranks them fourth in the International League. They lead the league in triples.
Altoona has a .736 OPS, playing in a league that sees a little more offense than the International League. Altoona ranks second in OPS in the Eastern League, but they are actually closer to last place (.683) than they are to first place Reading with a .797 OPS. Altoona also leads the league in triples.
Bradenton has a .704 OPS, which is third best in the Florida State League and 31 points above the league average in the pitcher-friendly league. They don’t lead the league in anything, but they are top 2-3 in multiple categories.
West Virginia has a .680 OPS and they rank tenth in their own league. Not surprisingly, they don’t lead the league in any category, but they are last in hits, doubles and batting average.
Morgantown ranks fourth with a .692 OPS. Besides stolen bases, where they rank last in the league, they fall right around fourth in every other category as a team. Their team OPS is 45 points higher than the league average.
As I mentioned yesterday when I noted Bristol was the worst pitching team, their offense is barely any better with a .660 OPS, ranking next to last. The only worse team is the Danville team they beat last night. Despite the low OPS, they rank third in runs, though similar to Altoona’s OPS difference, they are just as close (26 runs) to first as they are to last. Bristol is last in triples, total bases and slugging.
The GCL Pirates have a .697 OPS, which ranks them sixth in the 17-team league. They lead the league in triples. By some strange coincidence, the DSL Pirates rank 27th in both pitching and hitting, putting up a .646 OPS. It’s a 42-team league, so it could be worse.
If you factor in the leagues, Indianapolis, Altoona and Bradenton are all pretty much equal when it comes to hitting. They are also the teams that have had the most prospects throughout the year, which is what you want to see. Morgantown isn’t too far off that group, and as the numbers point out, they are an above average hitting team.
** If you missed the late addition to the Top Performers article, Elvis Escobar was named the Florida State League Player of the Week. He definitely earned it too, hitting .526/.591/.842 in five games. On the season, the 21-year-old outfielder is hitting .258/.297/.378 in 83 games.
** I mentioned back on July 7th that Rinku Singh was suffering from arm soreness after his first game, which was six days earlier. It’s now 12 days later and he has not resumed throwing, so this is another setback for him. While he isn’t a prospect, he is a good story. Coming back to pitch after missing three full seasons shows the determination and desire he has to succeed at baseball. Assuming nothing major is wrong, he will need time to build back up again, so we may not see him again this year.
Unfortunately, there is a similar story to Singh, with Eduardo Vera unable to throw since he return from Tommy John surgery back on July 5th. That was his first appearance since 2014. There were reports that the 22-year-old righty looked better than before his injury and you always want to see successful returns from Tommy John surgery, so this isn’t a good sign. He’s another player who we may not see again before the end of the season with two weeks missed and counting.
PIRATES GAME GRAPH
The Pirates were off on Monday
TODAY’S SCHEDULE
Today’s Starter and Notes: The Pirates were off yesterday. Jameson Taillon will be activated from the disabled list for tonight’s game. The Pirates placed him on the DL to help limit his innings for the season. Between Indianapolis and Pittsburgh, he is up to 89.2 innings. The Brewers will counter with Junior Guerra, who has a 3.06 ERA in 82.1 innings, with 72 strikeouts and a 1.07 WHIP. In his last start, he gave up three runs on seven hits and three walks over 5.2 innings. In his two prior starts, Guerra threw a combined 15.1 innings of shutout ball.
In the minors, Nick Kingham makes his third rehab start this afternoon against the GCL version of a powerhouse, the 18-3 Blue Jays. Kingham will go four innings today. He went four innings in his last start as well, allowing one run.
Tyler Eppler makes his first start since July 5th, getting extra rest before and after the Eastern League All-Star break. He has already throw 28.2 more innings than last year during the regular season, but last year he also put in innings during Extended Spring Training, the Fall Instructional League and the Arizona Fall League, so he should be fine to finish out the rest of the season.
James Marvel makes his seventh start since returning from Tommy John surgery. He has had some strong outings surrounding a couple poor outings, which has led to a 3.95 ERA. Marvel has an impressive 2.10 GO/AO ratio. Matt Eckelman gets the start for Bristol. West Virginia has off today.
MLB: Pittsburgh (47-44) vs Brewers (39-51) 7:05 PM
Probable starter: Jameson Taillon (3.86 ERA, 5:21 BB/SO, 28.0 IP)
AAA: Indianapolis (49-48) vs Lehigh Valley (56-40) 7:05 PM (season preview)
Probable starter: Wilfredo Boscan (4.22 ERA, 8:44 BB/SO, 70.1 IP)
AA: Altoona (52-41) vs Hartford (50-42) 4:00 PM (season preview)
Probable starter: Tyler Eppler (3.95 ERA, 21:68 BB/SO, 100.1 IP)
High-A: Bradenton (50-43) vs Clearwater (55-38) 6:30 PM (season preview)
Probable starter: Buddy Borden (7.16 ERA, 8:11 BB/SO, 16.1 IP)
Low-A: West Virginia (48-46) vs Charleston (53-40) 7:00 PM 7/20 (season preview)
Probable starter: Mitch Keller (2.64 ERA, 11:94 BB/SO, 88.2 IP)
Short-Season A: Morgantown (14-17) @ Williamsport (18-13) 7:05 PM (season preview)
Probable Starter: James Marvel (3.95 ERA, 7:16 BB/SO, 27.1 IP)
Rookie: Bristol (11-13) vs Bluefield (10-13) 7:00 PM (season preview)
GCL: Pirates (9-12) vs Blue Jays (18-3) 12:00 PM (season preview)
DSL: Pirates (14-23) vs Mets1 (19-17) 10:30 AM (season preview)
HIGHLIGHTS
Here are the highlights from Monday’s Indianapolis game, which include the good and bad from Tyler Glasnow, as well as a web gem from Pedro Florimon
RECENT TRANSACTIONS
7/17: Jonathan Schwind assigned to Altoona.
7/16: Elias Diaz assigned to Altoona on rehab.
7/16: Gerrit Cole activated from the disabled list. Josh Bell optioned to Indianapolis.
7/15: Pirates sign Austin Shields. Assigned to GCL Pirates.
7/15: Pirates sign Boomer Synek. Assigned to GCL Pirates.
7/14: Francisco Cervelli assigned to Indianapolis on rehab.
7/14: John Kuchno assigned to Altoona.
7/14: Jordan George promoted to West Virginia
7/13: Daniel Zamora placed on West Virginia disabled list.
7/13: Colten Brewer activated from temporary inactive list. Nick Neumann placed on Bradenton disabled list.
7/12: Rob Scahill claimed off waivers by Brewers.
7/10: Ryan Vogelsong assigned to Altoona on rehab.
7/9: Jonathan Schwind promoted to Indianapolis.
7/8: Pirates sign Josh Outman.
7/8: Josh Bell promoted to Pittsburgh. Tyler Glasnow optioned to Indianapolis.
7/8: Nick Kingham assigned to GCL Pirates on rehab.
7/7: Juan Paula promoted to Morgantown.
7/7: Tyler Glasnow recalled. Kyle Lobstein optioned to Indianapolis.
7/6: Steven Brault optioned to Indianapolis. Kyle Lobstein promoted to Pirates.
7/6: Jacob Stallings sent outright to Indianapolis.
7/6: Pirates released Clario Perez.
THIS DATE IN PIRATES HISTORY
Eight former Pittsburgh Pirates players born on this date, including two born on the same day 151 years ago. Starting with the most recent players first, we have pitcher Brian Smith (2000), pitcher Vincente Palacios (1987-88, 1990-92), catcher Nick Koback (1953-55), lefty pitcher Earl Hamilton (1918-23), catcher Jeff Sweeney (1919) and first baseman Harry Davis (1896-98). Palacios was a member of three straight NL East champs. Koback signed with the Pirates at the age of 17 and went right to the majors. In three seasons with the Pirates, he played a total of 16 games despite being in the big leagues the entire time from July 1953 until July 1955. Harry Davis was acquired from the New York Giants in exchange for Hall of Fame first baseman Jake Beckley, in a deal that didn’t work out well for Pittsburgh.
Two players from the 1897 Pirates were born 151 years ago today. Along with Harry Davis, three players from that team shared the same birthday, but pitcher Bill Hart and third baseman Jim Donnelly were born on the same date. Hart won over 300 games in pro ball, though 251 of those wins came in the minor leagues. He played pro ball from 1885 until 1910. Donnelly came over from Baltimore in a trade that included the Pirates all-time batting average leader, Jake Stenzel. The deal didn’t work out for the Pirates, as Donnelly hit .193 in 44 games. You can find more info on every player in the link above.
