It was clear coming into this season that finding offense was going to be an issue for the Pirates, both short- and long-term, and so far that’s held true. There have been some encouraging signs from Indianapolis, but what about the system as a whole?
To stick with Indy for a moment, we’ve seen impressive starts from Cole Tucker and Bryan Reynolds — who of course are now in the majors — and solid but more mixed ones from Ke’Bryan Hayes and Will Craig. Largely due to these guys, the Indians were fourth in the International League in OPS through Tuesday.
A little caution is needed with raw AAA numbers this year, though, because of the change in baseballs. Instead of using the standard minor league ball, the AAA leagues are using major league balls, which are more lively. (Why the minors used different balls in the first place, I have no idea.) As a result, home runs are sharply up in AAA. Of course, this doesn’t nullify what the Indy hitters were doing. Tucker and Reynolds were slugging .579 and .735, respectively, in a league where the norm is .430. It’s going to take time to see what effect the difference in baseballs has, though. Pitching in AAA isn’t just qualitatively different from the majors. It’s a lot heavier on slow stuff, which could possibly explain why Baseball America believes the impact has been greater than expected. Anyway, the linked article is worth reading if you have a subscription.
The Pirates’ other affiliates aren’t doing as well, in comparison to their leagues or otherwise. Altoona is next-to-last in the Eastern League in OPS, with an anemic line of 221/279/314. (This is through Tuesday, so the Curve’s 10-run, 17-hit game on Wednesday will help those numbers a bit.) Bradenton, despite playing in one of the Florida State League’s best hitting parks, is 6th in the 12-team league in OPS at .648. A huge proportion of the offense is coming from Dylan Busby (.962 OPS) and Daniel Amaral (.852). Greensboro is struggling severely, with a team average of .199 and OBP of .286 that are both last in the 14-team South Atlantic League. The team OPS is 12th.
As with the major league team, these offensive struggles are wasting some good pitching. Altoona is 4th in its league in staff ERA and 2nd in WHIP. Bradenton is 2nd in ERA; practically everybody is pitching very well except Oddy Nunez and Gavin Wallace, who’ve combined to allow almost exactly half of the runs the team has given up. Greensboro, with excellent work from some unheralded starters (Osvaldo Bido, Brad Case and Alex Manasa — although you’ve read about them here) is 2nd.
So the performance of the bulk of the Pirates’ farm system is mirroring the major league team, with lineups struggling to back effective pitchers. That’s something the team needs to address, at all levels.
TODAY’S SCHEDULE
Today’s Starter and Notes: The Pittsburgh Pirates lost 11-2 to the Arizona Diamondbacks on Wednesday night. They will send out Jameson Taillon this afternoon in the final game of the four-game set. Taillon allowed one run over five innings in his last start against the San Francisco Giants. His outing was shortened due to rain. The Diamondbacks will attempt the series sweep with Zack Greinke on the mound. He has a 4.60 ERA in 29.1 innings over five starts, with 32 strikeouts and a 1.13 WHIP. He threw six shutout innings against the Chicago Cubs in his last start.
The minor league schedule includes an early afternoon start time for Indianapolis. They will send Eduardo Vera to the mound for his fourth start. He has a .228 BAA and a 1.13 WHIP. Altoona has off today. Bradenton’s Domingo Robles has thrown six shutout innings twice this season, and allowed eight runs over 11 innings in his other two starts combined. Nicholas Economos starts for Greensboro. He has 19 strikeouts in only 11.2 innings this season.
The full 2019 Pirates Prospects Prospect Guide is now available, up to date as of April 3rd, with every player in the minor league system. Includes full reports on the top 50 prospects, reports on over 150 other players, as well as looks back at the recent drafts and international signing classes.
MLB: Pittsburgh (12-10) vs Arizona (14-11) 12:35 PM
Probable starter: Jameson Taillon (3.12 ERA, 20:6 SO/BB, 26.0 IP)
AAA: Indianapolis (10-8) @ Gwinnett (10-9) 12:05 PM (season preview)
Probable starter: Eduardo Vera (3.38 ERA, 12:5 SO/BB, 16.0 IP)
AA: Altoona (9-10) vs Richmond (7-10) 6:00 PM 4/26 (season preview)
Probable starter: James Marvel (1.99 ERA, 20:2 SO/BB, 22.2 IP)
High-A: Bradenton (13-7) @ Daytona (11-9) 7:05 PM (season preview)
Probable starter: Domingo Robles (3.13 ERA, 19:6 SO/BB, 23.0 IP)
Low-A: Greensboro (11-8) @ Hagerstown (9-11) 6:05 PM (season preview)
Probable starter: Nicholas Economos (0.77 ERA, 19:6 SO/BB, 11.2 IP)
HIGHLIGHTS
From Altoona, the only highlight posted by any of the four minor league teams on Tuesday night. Pitcher Cam Vieaux helping himself out with a single up the middle
@CVieaux sends one up the middle.
We're up, 2-0, in the fourth pic.twitter.com/3AHJAiTdSm
— Altoona Curve (@AltoonaCurve) April 23, 2019
To help fill this in, we look at the night from Trevor Williams
RECENT TRANSACTIONS
4/23: Nick Burdi placed on injured list. Pirates recall Steven Brault.
4/23: Brandon Maurer placed on injured list. Montana DuRapau added to Indianapolis roster
4/23: Kevin Newman sent to Indianapolis on rehab. Nick Franklin assigned to Indianapolis
4/23: Oneil Cruz assigned to Bradenton.
4/22: Blake Weiman added to Altoona roster. Angel German assigned to Extended Spring Training
4/22: Joel Cesar added to Bradenton roster. Gavin Wallace assigned to Extended Spring Training
4/22: Jose Osuna assigned to Bradenton on rehab
4/22: Gregory Polanco activated from injured list. Steven Brault optioned to Indianapolis
4/21: Elias Diaz activated from injured list. Jacob Stallings placed on injured list.
4/20: Starling Marte and Erik Gonzalez placed on injured list. Cole Tucker and Bryan Reynolds added to Pirates
4/20: Alfredo Reyes promoted to Indianapolis. Ryan Peurifoy assigned to Altoona
4/19: Lonnie Chisenhall assigned to Indianapolis on rehab
4/19: John Bormann activated from injured list. Joel Cesar assigned to Extended Spring Training
4/18: Ji-Hwan Bae moved to suspended list.
4/18: Montana DuRapau and Dean Lockery assigned to Extended Spring Training.
4/17: Nick Franklin assigned to Bradenton. Oneil Cruz assigned to Extended Spring Training
4/17: Alfredo Reyes assigned to Altoona. Robbie Glendinning sent to Bradenton.
4/16: Pirates activate Kyle Crick from injured list. Option Kevin Kramer to Indianapolis
4/16: Pirates activate Dovydas Neverauskas from injured list and option him to Indianapolis
4/15: Altoona activates Jared Oliva from injured list. Ryan Peurifoy assigned to Extended Spring Training
THIS DATE IN PIRATES HISTORY
Four former Pittsburgh Pirates players born on this date, including a pitcher for a World Series winning team. Bob Johnson pitched for the Pirates from 1971 until 1973, going 9-10, 3.45 in 174.2 innings during the 1971 season. In the NLCS that year, Johnson started game three and defeated Juan Marichal. He lost game two of the World Series, but the Pirates still defeated the Orioles in seven games, winning their fourth World Series title. Johnson started his career with the 1969 Mets, who won their first World Series title that year.
Other former Pirates players born on this date include: Pitcher Brad Clontz (1999-2000), infielder Jimmy Brown (1946) and catcher Tom Quinn (1886). More on them in the link above.
On this date in 1918, the Pittsburgh Pirates played their home opener at Forbes Field against the Cincinnati Reds. In 92 minutes, the Pirates won 1-0, with Casey Stengel picking up the only RBI in the first inning. Pitcher Frank Miller threw a complete game shutout, allowing three hits, two walks and he didn’t strike out a single batter. The lineup that day included two Hall of Fame managers, Stengel and Bill McKechnie, plus Hall of Fame center fielder Max Carey. You can see the boxscore here.
