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Prospect Watch: Offense Keys Victories for Indianapolis and Bradenton on Opening Day

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P2 Top 30

A look at how the current top 30 prospects did today. If a player is in the majors for an extended time (Tyler Glasnow, Trevor Williams, Alen Hanson), or loses his prospect eligibility, he will be removed from this list. 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 more active prospects on the list. Rankings are from the 2017 Prospect Guide, and links on each name go to their Pirates Prospects player pages.

1. Austin Meadows, CF, Indianapolis -[insert_php]
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2. Mitch Keller, RHP, Bradenton – [insert_php]
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3. Kevin Newman, SS, Altoona – [insert_php]
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4. Cole Tucker, SS, Bradenton – [insert_php]
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5. Ke’Bryan Hayes, 3B, Bradenton -[insert_php]
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6. Will Craig, 3B, Bradenton –  [insert_php]
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7. Taylor Hearn, LHP, Bradenton – [insert_php]
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8. Gage Hinsz, RHP, Bradenton  – [insert_php]
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9. Nick Kingham, RHP, Extended Spring Training – [insert_php]
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10. Steven Brault, LHP, Indianapolis – [insert_php]
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11. Clay Holmes, RHP, Indianapolis – [insert_php]
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12. Braeden Ogle, LHP, Extended Spring Training – [insert_php]
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13. Max Kranick, RHP, Extended Spring Training – [insert_php]
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14. Elias Diaz, C, Indianapolis – [insert_php]
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15. Edgar Santana, RHP, Indianapolis – [insert_php]
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16. Luis Escobar, RHP, West Virginia – [insert_php]
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17. Dovydas Neverauskas, RHP, Indianapolis – [insert_php]
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18. Yeudy Garcia, RHP, Altoona -[insert_php]
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19. Kevin Kramer, 2B, Altoona -[insert_php]
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20. Tyler Eppler, RHP, Indianapolis -[insert_php]
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21. Stephen Alemais, SS, West Virginia –  [insert_php]
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22. Brandon Waddell, LHP, Altoona – [insert_php]
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23. Travis MacGregor, RHP, Extended Spring Training – [insert_php]
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24. Barrett Barnes, LF, Extended Spring Training -[insert_php]
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25. Max Moroff, 2B, Indianapolis -[insert_php]
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26. Eric Wood, 3B, Indianapolis – [insert_php]
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27. J.T. Brubaker, RHP, Altoona – [insert_php]
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28. Chris Bostick, INF/OF, Indianapolis –  [insert_php]
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29. Connor Joe, 3B, Altoona – [insert_php]
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30. Jose Osuna, 1B, Indianapolis – [insert_php]
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P2 Top Performers

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Prospect-Watch-Indy

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INDIANAPOLIS – Steven Brault wants to take the mound with a level of confidence high enough that he feels he can throw any pitch for a strike.

His confidence wasn’t a problem on Thursday, but the results didn’t follow against Toledo.

Brault only allowed two runs — both on a home run in the first inning — but wasn’t sharp. He only threw 47 of his 80 pitches for a strike, finishing just four innings.

“It was just fastball command problems,” Brault said. “It’s the beginning of the season, a little adrenaline going. When you get behind hitters it’s hard to start mixing real effectively. Basically the game plan had to change because my fastball wasn’t there. It was as good as it could be with what I had.”

Indianapolis hit three home runs and scored five runs in the seventh inning to earn a 7-4 win over the Mud Hens. The top of their lineup — Max Moroff and Gift Ngoepe — reached base six times and each hit a home run.

The weather was nasty, with a temperature of 45 degrees at first pitch with extreme winds for most of the game.

Brault threw a first-pitch ball to seven of the first 11 batters he faced. He allowed a 1-0 count to three of the six batters he faced in the first inning, and allowed a four-pitch walk after giving up Steven Moya’s two-run homer.

“He couldn’t find a rhythm,” Indianapolis manager Andy Barkett said. “I don’t want to give him a way out, but these were tough conditions to pitch in. I think he was just scuffling with command. Anytime on a cold night it’s a variable that comes into play. His stuff was good and the ball was coming out okay, he just couldn’t put it where he wanted to.”

Brault threw a first-pitch ball to four of the five batters he faced in the second inning, but was helped out by some impatient Mud Hens hitters. Michael Almanzar flew out to shallow center on a 2-0 count, and Brault worked around a one-out single by getting fly outs from Brendan Ryan and Alex Presley, each on a 1-0 count.

The impatience of Toledo helped out Brault again in the third inning. Omar Infante and Juan Perez each worked a 3-0 count, only to popout and groundout, on the next pitch of each at-bat. Moya struck out in the only inning Brault retired the side in order.

Toledo’s Matt Murton worked a 3-0 count to lead off the fourth, but Brault came back to work a full count and induce a groundout. Brault then worked around a pair of two-out singles, striking out Presley on three pitches. One of those singles — from John Hicks — occurred when Moroff went to cover second base on a steal, leaving a hole through the infield.

“It wasn’t pitch efficient, which is what I want to be,” Brault said. “For me going forward, next time, it’s about getting ahead of hitters and I’ll be there.”

Moroff and Ngoepe — batting in the top two spots of the lineup — each had a big game. Moroff was 2-for-4 with a walk, a double and a monster home run to right-center field that nearly hit the concourse behind the outfield lawn. Ngoepe was 1-for-3 with a home run and two walks.

Neither of those two had much success at the plate last year — with the exception of Moroff drawing 90 walks to lead the International League. Ngoepe has the defensive ability to play in the Major Leagues and Moroff is being developed into a super utility-type player. And if one, or both, of those players show consistent production at the plate, they will become even more attractive prospects.

“They were both in big league camp and are both a year older and a year wise,” Barkett said. “They’re a little more confident at this level. I think when they got (to Indianapolis) last year they didn’t know what to expect and were a little overwhelmed. This year they’re both older and have a year at the Triple-A level. They can relax a little bit and let their talent rise to the top.”

Leading off the seventh inning, Jason Rogers tied the game at 3-3 with a home run down the right field line that hit the foul pole. Chris Bostick followed with a triple to the left-center field gap and scored on a wild pitch. Moroff then homered and Elias Diaz later added a two-run double.

Josh Lindblom, the scheduled starter on Monday, threw one inning of scoreless relief. He’s still scheduled to start and his appearance was simply to maintain his work schedule.

Edgar Santana struck out the side in the ninth inning on just 11 pitches. Barkett didn’t label Santana the closer afterward, noting multiple pitchers will fill that role early in the season.

“(But) his stuff was electric,” Barkett said. “That was impressive.”

Indianapolis played one major defensive shift in the game, moving third baseman Eric Wood into shallow right field when Steven Moya was at the plate. Ngoepe, playing shortstop, shaded toward second base. First baseman Jose Osuna and second baseman Moroff played relatively straight up. Moya struck out against the shift in the third inning, singled to right field in the fifth, and grounded out to Osuna in the seventh.

The Pirates top prospect — Austin Meadows — struck out twice and was hitless in four at-bats. Wood, who was making his Triple-A debut, also went 0-for-4. – Brian Peloza

Prospect-Watch-Altoona-Curve

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Altoona had their opener rained out. They will play a doubleheader on Saturday.

Prospect-Watch-Bradenton

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Bradenton won their season opener by an 8-4 score over Charlotte, taking the lead for good with five runs in the fourth inning. The Marauders got on the board first with an RBI double in the third inning from Casey Hughston, which scored Ke’Bryan Hayes from first base. In that five-run fourth inning, they scored their first run on a wild pitch. After Hughston struck out for the second out, Christian Kelley walked to load the bases. That was followed by back-to-back hits from Alfredo Reyes and Mitchell Tolman that each brought home two runs. The Marauders added another run in the seventh on an error and Jordan George capped off the scoring with a solo homer in the eighth.

Dario Agrazal got the Opening Day start and was one strike away from a decent start, but a two-run triple in the fifth inning ended his day early. Agrazal allowed four runs on six hits and a walk over 4.2 innings. He did a nice job of throwing strikes, and had a 9:3 GO/AO ratio. Agrazal was followed by Yunior Montero, who picked up four strikeouts in 1.1 innings for the win. Logan Sendelbach, who was a starter for West Virginia last year, pitched two scoreless innings in relief of Montero. Jess Amedee finished out the win with a scoreless ninth.

Cole Tucker picked up an RBI in the seventh inning, but he went 0-for-4 and made an error. Will Craig went 0-for-5 and grounded into a double play. He was at first base, which will be his primary position this year. Ke’Bryan Hayes was at third base and went 1-for-3 with a single, walk and two runs scored. He also committed an error (both errors were fielding, so it wasn’t the new first baseman having trouble). Mitchell Tolman had two hits, but was also thrown out stealing twice. Casey Hughston had two hits and two strikeouts.

Prospect-Watch-WV-Power

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West Virginia was rained out. They will play a doubleheader tomorrow.

John Dreker
John Dreker
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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