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 (Kevin Newman, Nick Burdi, Bryan Reynolds and Cole Tucker), 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 (Travis MacGregor), 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 updated 2019 Prospect Guide, and links on each name go to their Pirates Prospects player pages.
1. Mitch Keller, RHP, Indianapolis – DNP
2. Ke’Bryan Hayes, 3B, Indianapolis – 1-for-4, HR (2), 3 RBI, BB
3. Oneil Cruz, SS, Bradenton – DNP
4. Travis Swaggerty, CF, Bradenton – 1-for-4, BB, RBI, 2 SB
5. Kevin Kramer, 2B, Indianapolis – 1-for-4, HR (4), 2 RBI
6. Will Craig, 1B, Indianapolis – 1-for-4, HR (12), RBI, BB
7. Jason Martin, OF, Indianapolis – 2-for-5, 2B, RBI
8. JT Brubaker, RHP, Indianapolis – DNP
9. Calvin Mitchell, OF, Bradenton – 2-for-5, RBI
10. Cody Bolton, RHP, Bradenton – DNP
11. Tahnaj Thomas, RHP, Extended Spring Training – DNP
12. Braxton Ashcraft, RHP, Extended Spring Training – DNP
13. Lolo Sanchez, CF, Greensboro – DNP
14. Pablo Reyes, Util, Indianapolis – 0-for-4
15. Clay Holmes, RHP, Pirates – In Majors
16. Braeden Ogle, LHP, Greensboro – DNP
17. Stephen Alemais, 2B/SS, Altoona – Out for the Season
18. Michael Burrows, RHP, Extended Spring Training – DNP
19. Jared Oliva, CF, Altoona – 2-for-4
20. Ji-Hwan Bae, SS, Greensboro – 2-for-5
21. Max Kranick, RHP, Bradenton – DNP
22. Luis Escobar, RHP, Indianapolis – DNP
23. Osvaldo Bido, RHP, Greensboro – DNP
24. Eduardo Vera, RHP, Indianapolis – 5.0 IP, 6 H, 5 R, 4 ER, 0 BB, 2 SO
25. Gage Hinsz, RHP, Altoona – DNP
26. Aaron Shortridge, RHP, Bradenton – DNP
27. Blake Weiman, LHP, Altoona – DNP
28. Steven Jennings, RHP, Greensboro – DNP
29. Brandon Waddell, LHP, Indianapolis – 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 SO
30. Jesus Liranzo, RHP, Indianapolis – 0.2 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 0 SO
Indianapolis won 8-7 over Louisville. Eduardo Vera got the start tonight and it went a lot like his last outing. He had one bad inning due to poor defense, one inning where he got hit around, then finished strong. Vera gave up four earned runs over five innings on six hits. He had no walks and two strikeouts, with an 8:2 GO/AO ratio, which is unusual for him because he’s a fly ball pitcher. Jesus Liranzo pitched the sixth and had trouble, allowing a run on three hits and a walk. Brandon Waddell recorded the final out of the sixth, stranding the bases loaded. He then tossed a scoreless seventh. After Dovydas Neverauskas surrendered a run in the eighth, Jake Brentz picked up the save in the ninth, working around two hits.
The Indians got some power from their big prospects. Will Craig connected on his 12th home run of the season, tying him for first among all Pirate minor leaguers with Greensboro’s Mason Martin and Rodolfo Castro. Ke’Bryan Hayes hit a two-run homer earlier in the game, his second of the season. He also picked up a third RBI on a bases loaded walk. Kevin Kramer played outfield (LF) for the first time in his pro career and connected on his fourth home run. Jason Martin had two hits, including his fourth double. Jacob Stallings hit his eighth double.
Here is the boxscore from the MiLB site.
You can view the season preview here.
Altoona lost 7-2 to New Hampshire. Scooter Hightower got the start and allowed five runs over five innings. Yeudy Garcia followed with two runs in the sixth inning on three hits and two walks. He threw 39 pitches in the inning. Joel Cesar and Angel German finished off the day with a scoreless inning each.
Yesterday, the only Curve run came on a Jerrick Suiter home run. In Thursday’s game, Suiter had an RBI single in the fourth and an RBI double in the ninth to bring home both runs. The double was his seventh of the season. Jared Oliva had two hits. Logan Hill hit two doubles, giving him 13 on the season. Altoona had zero walks and 11 strikeouts.
Here is the boxscore from the MiLB site.
You can view the season preview here.
Bradenton won 10-2 over Tampa. Domingo Robles got the start and allowed two runs in the second inning before settling down and finishing with six strong innings. He gave up four hits and three walks, while picking up five strikeouts and posting a 9:3 GO/AO ratio. Robles now has a 2.61 ERA in 62 innings and he’s gone at least six innings in nine of his ten starts. This game was just his second home start of the season. Ryan Valdes, Shea Murray and Hunter Stratton followed Robles with one shutout inning apiece.
The Marauders got contributions from the entire lineup. Everyone reached base at least once, while Dylan Busby was the only player who didn’t score a run, though he did pick up an RBI. Travis Swaggerty had a single, RBI, walk and two stolen bases, giving him nine steals on the season. Calvin Mitchell had two hits, an RBI and a run scored. Lucas Tancas and Randolph Gassaway each had a single, double and a walk. Jesse Medrano had the big hit of the night, clearing the bases on a three-run double.
Here is the boxscore from the MiLB site.
You can view the season preview here.
Greensboro won 6-5 over West Virginia for their eighth straight win. Brad Case has been the best starter in the system so far this season, but he didn’t have his A game on Thursday night. Case allowed five runs (four earned) on eight hits over six innings. He was still displaying the same great control we have seen all season, walking none and striking out four, while throwing 68 of 94 pitches for strikes. He now has a 2.10 ERA and a 42:2 (yes, 42:2) SO/BB ratio in 55.2 innings. Case picked up his seventh win thanks to 1.2 shutout frames from Joe Jacques and 1.1 scoreless by John O’Reilly, who recorded his second save. He has thrown 7.2 shutout innings since joining Greensboro.
Mason Martin had himself quite a day, as he continues to extend his league lead in RBIs. Martin had an RBI triple in the first inning, his first triple of the year. He hit a two-run homer in the third inning, which came about a minute before Will Craig hit his 12th homer. Martin drove in a fourth run on a ground out in the fifth inning, giving him 45 RBIs in 44 games. Ji-Hwan Bae played his first game since his suspension ended after Tuesday’s game. He went 2-for-5 with two singles and two runs scored. Fabricio Macias had two hits, including his fifth double. Grant Koch had two hits, including his eighth double.
Here is the boxscore from the MiLB site.
You can view the season preview here.