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 (Colin Moran, Edgar Santana, Kyle Crick, Max Moroff and Dovydas Neverauskas), 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 our 2018 Prospect Guide, and links on each name go to their Pirates Prospects player pages.
1. Mitch Keller, RHP, Altoona – 8 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 6 SO
2. Austin Meadows, CF, Pirates – In Majors
3. Cole Tucker, SS, Altoona – 2-for-4, SB
4. Shane Baz, RHP, Bristol – 3.2 IP, 4 H, 3 ER, 2 BB, 5 SO
5. Ke’Bryan Hayes, 3B, Altoona – 0-for-4
6. Kevin Newman, SS, Indianapolis – 1-for-5, 2 SB
7. Taylor Hearn, LHP, Altoona – DNP
8. Lolo Sanchez, CF, West Virginia – 3-for-5, RBI, SB
9. Bryan Reynolds, OF, Altoona – DNP
10. Jordan Luplow, LF, Indianapolis – 1-for-4, 2 RBI, BB
11. Luis Escobar, RHP, Bradenton – DNP
12. Clay Holmes, RHP, Pirates – In Majors
13. Braeden Ogle, LHP, West Virginia – DNP
14. Nick Kingham, RHP, Indianapolis – 5.2 IP, 3 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 9 SO
15. Kevin Kramer, 2B, Indianapolis – 2-for-4, 2B, 3B
16. Adrian Valerio, SS, Bradenton – DNP
17. Calvin Mitchell, OF, West Virginia – DNP
18. Oneil Cruz, SS, West Virginia – 0-for-6, BB
19. Nick Burdi, RHP, Pirates (disabled list) – DNP
20. Dario Agrazal, RHP, Altoona – DNP
21. JT Brubaker, RHP, Indianapolis – DNP
22. Will Craig, 1B, Altoona – 2-for-3, BB
23. Stephen Alemais, 2B/SS, Altoona – 0-for-4
24. Jason Martin, OF, Altoona – 3-for-4, 2B
25. Brandon Waddell, LHP, Indianapolis – DNP
26. Eduardo Vera, RHP, Altoona – DNP
27. Mason Martin, 1B, Bristol – DNP
28. Conner Uselton, OF, Bristol – 3-for-5, 3B, 2 RBI
29. Cody Bolton, RHP, West Virginia – 6 IP, 8 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 5 SO
30. Steven Jennings, RHP, Bristol – DNP
Indianapolis won 5-4 over Toledo.
Nick Kingham got the start and worked hard in his 5.2 innings, throwing 104 total pitches (70 strikes). He put up a strong stat line too, allowing two runs on three hits, with three walks and nine strikeouts. The two runs scored on solo homers, one by former Pirate prospect Edwin Espinal. Kingham now has a 2.19 ERA in 49.1 innings at Indianapolis, with 51 strikeouts.
Dovydas Neverauskas pitched one inning and gave up two runs on five walks, one of them being intentional. Damien Magnifico finished the seventh, then Enny Romero continued his rehab with a scoreless eighth. Tanner Anderson got the save with shutout ball in the ninth.
The Indians trailed 4-2 going into the ninth. Three walks loaded the bases with two outs, then a two-run single by Jordan Luplow turned into three runs on a throwing error, giving Indianapolis the lead. Kevin Kramer had his 18th double and third triple. He also scored two runs. Kevin Newman singled and stole two bases. He now has a 12-game hitting streak. Wyatt Mathisen had two hits and an RBI. Max Moroff had a single, RBI and a walk.
Here is the boxscore from the MiLB site.
You can view the season preview here.
Altoona won 4-0 over Harrisburg.
Mitch Keller got the start and dominated for eight innings, allowing just one hit and walking two batters. He had six strikeouts, a 7:5 GO/AO ratio and threw 58 of 92 pitches for strikes. The only hit he allowed was a first inning single, which was quickly erased on a double play. In his last five starts combined, he has allowed four runs over 32.1 innings. Keller now had a 2.72 ERA through 86 innings, with 76 strikeouts. Montana DuRapau closed out the game.
The offense had a lot of opportunities to score. Jason Martin had three hits and two runs scored. He hit his 13th double. Cole Tucker had two hits and his 15th stolen base. Will Craig had two hits, a walk and a run scored. Christian Kelley had a single, double and an RBI. Bralin Jackson and Logan Hill each drove in runs.
Here is the boxscore from the MiLB site.
You can view the season preview here.
Bradenton has off on Monday.
Here is the boxscore from the MiLB site.
You can view the season preview here.
West Virginia won 4-1 over Lakewood.
Cody Bolton got the start in game one of a doubleheader, pitching for the first time in 12 days due to rain and the All-Star break. He was pitching great before the break and picked right up where he left off. Bolton allowed one run on eight hits in six innings, with no walks and five strikeouts. He had a 6:4 GO/AO ratio and threw 62 of 81 pitches for strikes. He now has a 1.03 ERA through 26.1 innings, with 25 strikeouts and four walks. Beau Sulser threw a scoreless seventh for the save.
Outfielder Fabricio Macias made his West Virginia debut after spending two days in Morgantown. He had three hits in his last game there, then went 2-for-3 in this game. Chris Sharpe and Ryan Peurifoy each had two hits and scored a run. Lolo Sanchez had an RBI single and his 14th stolen base. Kyle Watson drove in a pair of runs.
Here is the boxscore from the MiLB site.
In game two, Sergio Cubilete got the ball and went 4.2 innings, allowing one run on three hits and three walks. He got help from Drew Fischer, who recorded the final out in the fifth, stranding three inherited runners. Fischer tossed shutout ball the rest of the way, but the Power failed to score in the 1-0 loss.
West Virginia had four hits, all singles, and no walks. Lolo Sanchez had two hits. Fabricio Macias and Rodolfo Castro had the others.
You can view the season preview here.
Morgantown lost game one of a doubleheader 3-0 to Auburn.
Alex Manasa made his third start. He was strong in his first two games and started this game well, although he was helped out by three double plays. Things fell apart in the sixth and he finished with four runs on eight hits and two walks in 5.1 innings. He had two strikeouts and threw 58 of 88 pitches for strikes. Prior to that sixth inning, he had allowed three runs in 17.1 innings. Miguel Hernandez recorded the final two outs of the sixth.
Travis Swaggerty played his third game and had an 0-for-3 day. He made his first error and picked up his first outfield assist. Third round pick Connor Kaiser made his debut and went 1-for-3 with a single. Morgantown had three hits, all singles and three walks. They went 0-for-4 with runners in scoring position.
Here is the boxscore from the MiLB site.
In game two, eight round pick Zach Spears got the start and lasted just one inning due to his pitch count. He allowed two runs, with one being earned. Spears didn’t get any help from his batterymate Zac Susi, who had three passed balls and an error in the first inning. Nicholas Economos followed with one run over four innings. Cam Alldred retired the side in order in the seventh. Morgantown lost this game 3-2.
On offense, an almost completely different team from game one took the field. Eric Wood played his first rehab game in his return from a fractured pinky finger. He played first base and was 1-for-3 with a double. Zac Susi didn’t have as much trouble at the plate as he did behind it. He went 2-for-3 with two singles. The Black Bears had their chances, going 1-for-8 with runners in scoring position.
You can view the season preview here.
Bristol won 9-6 over Pulaski.
Shane Baz made his second start, trying to follow up on five shutout innings in his debut. He was strong through three shutout innings, picking up five strikeouts, then things fell apart in the fourth. Baz recorded two outs on 30 pitches before being removed. He allowed three runs on three hits and two walks, with all three hits being doubles. Adonis Pichardo stranded two runners for Baz in the fourth, but then allowed three runs of his own in the sixth without recording an out. Vince Deyzel was out next and struck out five batters over two shutout innings. Will Gardner tossed two shutout frames with four strikeouts.
Jonah Davis (15th round pick) had quite the third game as a pro. He hit two doubles and his first pro homer, driving in two runs and scoring three times. Victor Ngoepe had three hits, a walk, an RBI and two stolen bases. Conner Uselton had two singles, a triple and drove in two runs. He’s batting .409 and has hits in his first five games. Sherten Apostel had a single, RBI and a walk.
Here is the boxscore from the MiLB site.
You can view the season preview here.
The GCL Pirates had off on Monday. They usually only have off on Sundays, but with an odd amount of teams in the league this year, they will have occasional days off during the week this season. They also only play 54 games this year, not 60 like usual.
Here is the boxscore from the MiLB site.
You can view the season preview here.
The DSL Pirates1 lost 5-3 to the Rays2.
Norkis Marcos had three hits. Carlos Arroyo had three walks, two runs scored and a stolen base. Daniel Rivero drove in two runs with a single and his third double. He also stole his fourth base. Emilson Rosado hit his third double, walked and drove in a run.
Starter Arlinthon De Dios didn’t make it out of the first. He walked five batters and three of them scored, while recording just one out. Yoelvis Reyes was out next and he tossed one-hit ball over 4.2 scoreless innings. Miguel Diaz tossed 2.2 shutout frames after throwing two scoreless innings in his debut last week. Julio Rosario took the loss when he surrendered two runs in the ninth inning.
Here is the boxscore from the MiLB site.
The DSL Pirates2 won 9-3 over the Giants.
The offense put up three runs in the first inning without a hit. Three walks and two wild pitches were all they needed. The scored five more runs in the fourth inning, with the big hit being a three-run homer by Germin Lopez, his second of the season. Jhan Polanco and Omar Matos each hit doubles. Edgar Barrios and Mariano Dotel each stole their fourth base. No one on the Pirates had more than one hit.
Angel Suero started and threw four shutout innings on three hits and three walks, with six strikeouts. He also threw four shutout innings in his previous start. Xavier Concepcion gave up one run on one hit in four innings. Oscar Echarry allowed two runs in the ninth. He has given up multiple runs in four of his seven relief appearances.
Here is the boxscore from the MiLB site.
You can view the season preview for both teams here.
