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Prospect Watch: Tyler Glasnow and Mitch Keller Highlight Sunday’s Action

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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, 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 Mid-Season Update, and links on each name go to their Pirates Prospects player pages.

1. Mitch Keller, RHP, Altoona – [insert_php]
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2. Austin Meadows, CF, Indianapolis – [insert_php]
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3. Shane Baz, RHP, GCL Pirates – [insert_php]
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4. Cole Tucker, SS, Altoona – [insert_php]
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5. Kevin Newman, SS, Indianapolis – [insert_php]
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6. Ke’Bryan Hayes, 3B, Bradenton -[insert_php]
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7. Will Craig, 1B, Bradenton – [insert_php]
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8. Elias Diaz, C, Pirates – [insert_php]
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9. Taylor Hearn, LHP, Bradenton – [insert_php]
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10. Gage Hinsz, RHP, Bradenton – [insert_php]
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11. Calvin Mitchell, OF, GCL Pirates – [insert_php]
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12. Braeden Ogle, LHP, Bristol – [insert_php]
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13Edgar Santana, RHP, Indianapolis – [insert_php]
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14. Kevin Kramer, 2B, Altoona -[insert_php]
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15. Steven Brault, LHP, Pirates– [insert_php]
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16. Clay Holmes, RHP, Indianapolis – [insert_php]
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17. Jordan Luplow, LF, Indianapolis – [insert_php]
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18. Luis Escobar, RHP, West Virginia – [insert_php]
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19. Max Kranick, RHP, Bristol – [insert_php]
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20. Steven Jennings, RHP, GCL Pirates – [insert_php]
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21. Adrian Valerio, SS, West Virginia – [insert_php]
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22. Nick Kingham, RHP, Indianapolis – [insert_php]
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23. Conner Uselton, OF, GCL Pirates – Disabled List

24. Max Moroff, INF, Pirates – [insert_php]
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25. Dovydas Neverauskas, RHP, Indianapolis – [insert_php]
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26. Eric Wood, 3B, Indianapolis – [insert_php]
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27. Eduardo Vera, RHP, West Virginia – [insert_php]
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28. Logan Hill, LF, Altoona – [insert_php]
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29.  Tyler Eppler, RHP, Indianapolis -[insert_php]
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30. Lolo Sanchez, CF, GCL Pirates – [insert_php]
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P2 Top Performers

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Prospect-Watch-Indy

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INDIANAPOLIS — The magic finally ran out for at least one day.

Indianapolis was in a prime position to rally for another win, but fell short in a 3-2 loss to Columbus on Sunday in the team’s regular season home finale.

The Indians loaded the bases with nobody out in the ninth inning, trailing by a run. Eric Wood beat out an infield single, Erich Weiss doubled down the left field line and Joey Terdoslavich was intentionally walked.

But that’s as far as the scoring threat reached. Indianapolis catcher Jackson Williams hit into a 1-2-3 double play, but that still left runners at second and third with two outs. Kevin Newman, who is hitting .288 was intentionally walked to get to Gift Ngoepe, who struck out swinging to end the game.

Still, the Indians have a stranglehold on winning the International League West Division, with a magic number of three with nine games left to play.

Tyler Glasnow made his first start with Indianapolis since passing the Aug. 26 deadline that gave the organization an extra season of control over the pitcher. How long Glasnow remains in Indianapolis is unclear, but he put together six solid innings to open start on Sunday.

Glasnow allowed one hit and one walk over the first six innings, throwing a relatively efficient 79 pitches before running into trouble in the seventh inning.

“He’s throwing the ball well and he just wanted to repeat another good outing,” Barkett said. “They obviously got to him in the seventh, but he gave us a chance to win and threw the ball really well. I was really happy with how he threw the ball.”

Glasnow ran into trouble in the seventh inning, facing three batters but not recording an out. He allowed a double, walk and two-run single before being removed from the game.

“I was consistent and tried to work the zone down,” Glasnow said. “I’ve been missing up recently, so that was my main focus for that. I fell apart a little bit in that last inning but I felt good up until the end. I just didn’t make my pitches when I had to.”

Glasnow threw a perfect three innings to open the game. Columbus’ Michael Martinez broke up the perfect game with a bunt single to lead off the fourth inning, reaching second on third baseman Eric Wood’s throwing error on the play. Martinez scored two groundouts later, and Glasnow worked around a two-out walk.

Christopher Bostick, Danny Ortiz and Erich Weiss each had two hits. Weiss hit a solo homer in the fifth inning, his third of the 7-game homestand.

Edgar Santana put together one of his better appearances in recent weeks, allowing just one hit and striking out four batters in three innings of work. – Brian Peloza

Prospect-Watch-Altoona-Curve

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ALTOONA, Pa. – Mitch Keller made his fifth Double-A start for the Altoona Curve on Sunday night, facing off against division rival Bowie. The Curve had taken two out of three so far in the series, and they came in with a two game lead over these Baysox in the Eastern League Western Division.

Like he’s done in each of his four starts already for the Curve, Keller started strong and faded late in his outing. He worked primarily with his top two pitches – fastball and curveball – early, then added his changeup in intermittently as the game progressed.

In the first, Keller recorded three quick outs with two swinging strikeouts. He struck out the first batter of the game using primarily his fastball, and he struck out the third batter he faced on a check swing on a curveball low and away. In the second, Keller allowed an easy single to right field, but he was pretty efficient otherwise. He used his curveball to record another strikeout on minor league veteran Garabez Rosa.

Keller struck out three more batters between the third and the fourth innings. He did allow a double to Bowie’s up-and-coming superstar Austin Hays, but he otherwise got through those innings easily. You started to see a couple changeups thrown to lefties the second time through Bowie’s lineup here. In the fourth, he used his nasty curveball to strike out the last two batters of the inning.

In the fifth, Keller allowed a home run to Bowie’s Ryan Mountcastle on a fastball up in the zone. He got two fly outs and a groundout the rest of the inning, but you maybe saw a little of fatigue start to set in during the inning. Then in the sixth inning, it really looked like Keller lost all steam as he approached 100 pitches. After a deep fly out to center field, Keller hit the next batter he faced with a curve ball. A hard hit single on another curve ball and a walk loaded the bases against Keller. He fought back to strike out Rosa to get the second out of the inning, but he was at 102 pitches and was lifted with the bases loaded. Unfortunately, Jake Brentz came in and gave up a first pitch grand slam on a fastball down the middle.

Keller has given up one earned run in innings one through four so far in his Double-A career (20 innings). On the other hand, he has now given up 11 earned runs in the fifth and sixth innings of his starts (8.2 innings). Some of those runs, including three tonight, have come after he has exited the game; however, it still shows that runners are getting on base before being lifted.

“I just think he’s getting tired towards the end of his outings,” Manager Michael Ryan said. “A lot of foul balls early, and his pitch count gets up. You get up around 100 pitches in the sixth, and you’re going to get tired.”

As for a solution to Keller being able to extend his outings and have more success late, Ryan said that he needs to continually get strike one and locate his off-speed stuff better.

“When teams don’t chase, there goes your pitch count,” Ryan said. “That’s what happened tonight.”

Prefacing with the fact that Keller struggled late again, he looked really good early. The fastball had life, and Bowie struggled getting on it. His curveball was being used within the strike zone early in counts, getting in on the hands of right-handed batters, then he used it in the dirt and outside the strike zone as a two-strike pitch.

“The breaking ball is really good, especially if he can locate it,” Ryan said. “He can throw it for a strike, then he can throw it to get them to chase for the strikeout.”

Altogether, my biggest takeaway from tonight’s start from Keller is that is stuff can be absolutely nasty; however, he needs to learn how to conserve enough of it early so that he has some left in the tank late. He has shown that issue through his five Double-A starts.

Offensively, Cole Tucker got things started quickly for the Curve, ripping a lead-off triple to right-center field. He took off from the box as soon as the ball left his bat, and there was not doubt that he was getting to third base. His speed is a huge weapon that he continually uses to his advantage on the base paths. In the third, he doubled to right field. Combined with a walk, Tucker went 2-for-3 this evening. He also made a nice diving stop deep in the hole while playing shortstop, recording an out at first base.

Over his last eight games, Tucker is hitting .393 (13-for-33) with three doubles, two triples, and a home run.

“He has very good balance at the plate right now,” Ryan said. “He’s not trying to do too much, and when you keep it simple, good things happen. It’s one of those cliches that less is more. He’s not trying to homer every time. He controls the barrel.”

Anderson Feliz and Jin-De Jhang both added two hits for the Curve.

Dropping the game tonight, Bowie gained a game back in the division, and Altoona now holds a one game lead over the Baysox for the top spot in the playoff race. -Sean McCool

Prospect-Watch-Bradenton

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Bradenton was rained out. Sunday’s game has been canceled and Friday’s suspended game has also been canceled. The stats through four innings will not count towards season stats.

Prospect-Watch-WV-Power

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West Virginia won 2-1 over Hagerstown in the bottom of the ninth on a walk-off bases loaded double by Kevin Mahala. Luis Escobar started the game and cruised through six innings on one hit and one walk. In the seventh inning, he walked the first batter, then allowed a lead-off single. That was followed by a wild pitch and a throwing error by catcher Brent Gibbs, which allowed a run to score. In the bottom of the ninth, Albert Baur singled, then Henrry Rosario reached on a fielding error while attempting a sacrifice bunt. Victor Fernandez walked to load the bases, then two batters later, Mahala hit the game-winning double.

Escobar finished with seven strikeouts on the night, including three in the seventh inning. That gives him a league leader 160 strikeouts and puts him within four strikeouts of the team record set by Tyler Glasnow in 2013.

Pasquale Mazzoccoli threw two scoreless frames for the win. The Power had four hits (all singles) and two walks prior to their ninth inning comeback. Baur reached base three times with two singles and a walk.

Prospect-Watch-Morgantown

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Morgantown has had some trouble recently, which had caused them to fall out of first place in their division. On Sunday, they led 2-1 in the eighth inning and ended up dropping a 5-2 decision to first place Mahoning Valley. The Black Bears are now three games back in the standings with 11 games remaining on the schedule.

Gavin Wallace has had a lot of success recently while pitching to contact and filling the strike zone. In today’s game, he allowed one run over 5.2 innings, while posting a 9:4 GO/AO ratio. In his last eight starts, he has walked two and struck out 14 batters in 41.1 innings. His season ERA was 4.91 back on July 16th and it went down to 2.25 after today’s game.

Eighth round draft pick Blake Weiman gave up the damage in this one, allowing four runs in the bottom of the eighth. Morgantown scored their first run in the first inning on the speed of Raul Siri. He walked, stole two bases, then scored on a pick-off play at first base, while Jared Oliva avoided the tag. In the eighth, Julio de la Cruz hit a solo homer. Morgantown had just two other hits besides the homer and one ended in an out when Lucas Tancas tried to stretch a single into a double.

Prospect-Watch-Bristol
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Bristol got a strong start from Max Kranick and everyone in the lineup helped out on offense, as they beat Kingsport by a 13-5 score. Kranick was injured during the end of Extended Spring Training, so this was just his fifth start of the season, and the second one for Bristol. He went 5.2 innings on Sunday night, allowing one run on five hits, with one walk and five strikeouts. He posted a 6:3 GO/AO ratio and threw 56 of 90 pitches for strikes.

Kranick didn’t get a decision in this game because Drew Fischer relieved him and allowed four runs in his brief outing. After Fischer left, Miguel Hernandez and Jacob Taylor combined for 2.2 no-hit innings to finish the game.

On offense, Matt Diorio had the big game, collecting three hits and driving in four runs. Edison Lantigua also had three hits, falling a home run short of the cycle. He had an RBI, a walk and scored three runs. Johan De Jesus had an odd batting line, failing to collect a hit, but he drove in a pair of runs and scored three times. Jason Delay and Ryan Peurifoy each drove in a pair of runs.

Prospect-Watch-GCL

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The GCL Pirates are off on Sundays

Prospect-Watch-DSL

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The DSL Pirates finished with a 36-34 record.

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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