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Prospect Watch: Will Craig, Rodolfo Castro and Dylan Busby Each Homer for the Ninth Time

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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 (Kevin Newman, Nick Burdi 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 – 0-for-5

3. Oneil Cruz, SS, Bradenton – DNP

4. Travis Swaggerty, CF, Bradenton – 1-for-4, BB

5. Kevin Kramer, 2B, Indianapolis – 3-for-4, 2B

6. Bryan Reynolds, OF, Pirates – In Majors

7. Will Craig, 1B, Indianapolis – 1-for-4, HR (9), 2 RBI

8. Jason Martin, OF, Indianapolis – 0-for-3, 2 BB

9. JT Brubaker, RHP, Indianapolis – DNP

10. Calvin Mitchell, OF, Bradenton – 1-for-5, 2B, 2 RBI

11. Cody Bolton, RHP, Bradenton – DNP

12. Tahnaj Thomas, RHP, Extended Spring Training – DNP

13. Braxton Ashcraft, RHP, Extended Spring Training – DNP

14. Lolo Sanchez, CF, Greensboro – 0-for-2, BB, HBP, 2 SB

15. Pablo Reyes, Util, Indianapolis – DNP

16. Clay Holmes, RHP, Indianapolis – DNP

17. Braeden Ogle, LHP, Greensboro – DNP

18. Stephen Alemais, 2B/SS, Altoona – DNP

19. Michael Burrows, RHP, Extended Spring Training – DNP

20. Jared Oliva, CF, Altoona – 0-for-4, BB

21. Ji-Hwan Bae, SS, Greensboro – DNP

22. Max Kranick, RHP, Bradenton – DNP

23. Luis Escobar, RHP, Bradenton – DNP

24. Osvaldo Bido, RHP, Greensboro –  DNP

25. Eduardo Vera, RHP, Indianapolis – DNP

26. Gage Hinsz, RHP, Altoona – DNP

27. Aaron Shortridge, RHP, Bradenton – DNP

28. Blake Weiman, RHP, Altoona – DNP

29. Steven Jennings, RHP, Greensboro – DNP

30. Brandon Waddell, LHP, Indianapolis – 0.2 IP, 5 H, 5 ER, 1 BB, 1 SO

Prospect-Watch-Indy

Indianapolis lost 6-3 to Louisville. Dario Agrazal made his second Triple-A start. He allowed two runs over 6.2 innings in his debut, then pitched even better tonight. Agrazal went seven innings, allowing one unearned run on four hits and a walk, striking out seven batters. He threw 61 of 95 pitches for strikes and posted a 12:1 GO/AO ratio. Things got out of hand quickly after he left, as Brandon Waddell had his worst outing of the season. He allowed five runs on five hits and a walk, while recording just two outs. Jesus Liranzo recorded the final four outs, stranding one inherited runner.

Will Craig got the scoring started in the first inning with a two-run homer. It was his ninth home run of the season and temporarily put him alone at the top of the home run chart for the Pirates, until Dylan Busby tied him later (and Rodolfo Castro even later). The only other run came on a pinch-hit RBI single by Trayvon Robinson in the seventh inning. Jose Osuna had two hits, two walks and scored two runs. Kevin Kramer had three hits, including his seventh double.

Here is the boxscore from the MiLB site.

You can view the season preview here.

Prospect-Watch-Altoona-Curve

Altoona won 8-3 over Richmond on Saturday night. Cam Vieaux got the start and went five innings, allowing three runs on six hits and three walks. He struck out six batters. Vieaux now has a 2.67 ERA in 33.2 innings, with a .216 BAA and a 1.10 WHIP. Jake Brentz, who now has an 0.77 ERA, struck out three batters over two shutout innings. Blake Cederlind joined Altoona today and debuted with two shutout innings on a hit, walk and two strikeouts. His fastball was sitting 97-100 MPH.

The Curve got another big night from Jason Delay, who reached base eight times in his previous three games combined. He went 4-for-4 with a walk on this night. Delay hit his second career triple, scored a run and picked up an RBI. He now has a .361 average and a 1.008 OPS. Bralin Jackson had three hits, including his sixth double. He had two RBIs and a run scored. He also stole his third base. Hunter Owen drove in his 26th run.

Here is the boxscore from the MiLB site.

You can view the season preview here.

Prospect-Watch-Bradenton

Bradenton won 5-4 over Lakeland on a walk-off hit in the tenth inning. The Marauders were down 4-0 early, before scoring three runs in the fifth inning. Daniel Amaral singled in a run, then Calvin Mitchell brought home two runs with his fifth double of the season. With two outs in the bottom of the ninth, Dylan Busby smacked his ninth home run of the season to tie the game. In the tenth, Deon Stafford singled home the winning run. Amaral, Stafford and Lucas Tancas each had two hits.

Oddy Nunez started and it was a poor outing, with a highlight of note. Nunez allowed three runs on three hits and two walks, with two strikeouts in three innings. He also hit two batters. The positive coming out of this game was the return of his velocity. In his last start, he touched 92 MPH twice, after sitting 87-90 MPH last year, with a dip to mid-80s later in starts. On this night however, he was consistently hitting 92 MPH and even touched 93. Hunter Stratton gave up one run over three innings, then Ike Schlabach and Nick Mears each went two scoreless frames with three strikeouts. Mears, who was promoted from Greensboro earlier in the day, was hitting 98 MPH and threw 15 of his 16 pitches for strikes.

Here is the boxscore from the MiLB site.

You can view the season preview here.

Greensboro won 6-3 over West Virginia in a game that was delayed over two hours due to rain. Alex Manasa got the start and lasted 5.1 innings, allowing three runs on five hits and two walks, with three strikeouts. He threw 59 of 93 pitches for strikes and had a 7:0 GO/AO ratio. Manasa now has a 3.21 ERA in 33.2 innings. Conner Loeprich followed with three strikeouts over 1.2 scoreless innings. Samuel Reyes was next out and he picked up his third save by throwing two shutout innings, striking out four batters. Reyes has given up one run on four hits in 16.1 innings, while picking up 22 strikeouts.

Rodolfo Castro wasn’t going to be outdone by the other home run hitters tonight. He connected on a grand slam in the third inning and a solo homer in the seventh. That gave him nine homers on the season. He also collected his eighth double. Pat Dorrian hit two doubles, giving him eight on the season. Lolo Sanchez reached base on a walk and hit-by-pitch. He stole two bases, giving him ten on the season.

Here is the boxscore from the MiLB site.

You can view the season preview here.

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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