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 – 2-for-5, RBI
3. Oneil Cruz, SS, Bradenton – DNP
4. Travis Swaggerty, CF, Bradenton – 0-for-3, BB
5. Kevin Kramer, 2B, Indianapolis – 1-for-3, HR (5), RBI, BB
6. Will Craig, 1B, Indianapolis – 2-for-5, 2B, HR (13), RBI
7. Jason Martin, OF, Indianapolis – 0-for-5
8. JT Brubaker, RHP, Indianapolis – DNP
9. Calvin Mitchell, OF, Bradenton – 0-for-3, BB
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 – 1-for-5, RBI
14. Pablo Reyes, Util, Indianapolis – 2-for-4
15. Clay Holmes, RHP, Pirates – In Majors
16. Braeden Ogle, LHP, Greensboro – 2.0 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 3 SO
17. Stephen Alemais, 2B/SS, Altoona – Out for the Season
18. Michael Burrows, RHP, Extended Spring Training – DNP
19. Jared Oliva, CF, Altoona – DNP
20. Ji-Hwan Bae, SS, Greensboro – 2-for-5, 2B
21. Max Kranick, RHP, Bradenton – DNP
22. Luis Escobar, RHP, Indianapolis – DNP
23. Osvaldo Bido, RHP, Greensboro – 4.0 IP, 9 H, 7 ER, 0 BB, 3 SO
24. Eduardo Vera, RHP, Indianapolis – DNP
25. Gage Hinsz, RHP, Altoona – DNP
26. Aaron Shortridge, RHP, Bradenton – 7.0 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 4 SO
27. Blake Weiman, LHP, Altoona – DNP
28. Steven Jennings, RHP, Greensboro – DNP
29. Brandon Waddell, LHP, Indianapolis – DNP
30. Jesus Liranzo, RHP, Indianapolis – DNP
Indianapolis lost 15-9 to Columbus. Keone Kela started the game, making his first rehab appearance. Things did not go well, as he allowed three runs on three hits, with no walks and one strikeout in one inning. He threw 19 pitches, 11 for strikes. After that, Pedro Vasquez took over in his Triple-A debut and got hit hard, allowing eight earned runs in 3.1 innings. Sean Keselica pitched 2.2 frames and served up four runs. Jake Brentz had a scoreless eighth.
The offense was led by Jose Osuna, who drove in six runs. He had a three-run homer in the fifth inning, then cleared the bases in the eighth inning with a double. The double was his seventh and the homer was his second of the season. In the second inning, Will Craig and Kevin Kramer went back-to-back with solo shots. It was the 13th of the season for Craig, who also added his fifth double. For Kramer, it was his fifth of the year. Ke’Bryan Hayes drove in the other run with a fifth inning single, one of two hits for him on the day. Eric Wood and Pablo Reyes each had two hits. Reyes scored two runs.
Here is the boxscore from the MiLB site.
You can view the season preview here.
Altoona lost 5-3 to Portland, dropping their second straight to the worst team in the league. The Curve sent out Matt Eckelman to start in place of Pedro Vasquez, who was promoted to Indianapolis. Eckelman ended up allowing five runs in the first inning, which is all that Portland would need or get today. The pitching was impressive after that, with Beau Sulser dropping his ERA to 0.61 with four shutout innings. He was followed by two scoreless frames from Blake Cederlind, who hasn’t allowed a run since April 15th. This was still one of his rougher outings, giving up three hits and two walks. Joel Cesar closed out the game with a scoreless eighth.
The Curve have been struggling to hit this week, with almost nothing to show for their first four games. When Vasquez was promoted, the 26th man returned to the lineup, with Ryan Peurifoy getting the start for the first time in three weeks. He had a .000 average before today, so not much was expected here, but he hit his first home run of the season, then singled and scored a run two innings later. Bligh Madris had an RBI single, while Mitchell Tolman had an RBI ground out. Brett Pope had a single and a walk. Jerrick Suiter singled for the only other hit.
Here is the boxscore from the MiLB site.
You can view the season preview here.
Bradenton won 2-1 over Tampa on a walk-off homer by Lucas Tancas. Aaron Shortridge got the start and had a terrific outing, going seven innings, with one run on three hits and no walks. He struck out four batters. Shortridge had his start earlier this week ended early due to rain. This is now his longest career outing. On the season, he has a 3.27 ERA and a 1.09 WHIP in 55 innings. Logan Stoelke tossed a scoreless eighth and Nick Mears retired the side in order in the ninth, picking up the win.
Tancas was the offense for Bradenton. Besides the walk-off, his third home run of the season, he also doubled in the first run of the game in the second inning. It was his 15th double of the season. The Marauders had just five hits on the night. Raul Hernandez picked up two singles, and Robbie Glendinning, who scored on the Tancas double, also had a single.
Here is the boxscore from the MiLB site.
You can view the season preview here.
Greensboro lost 10-7 to Hickory, snapping their nine-game win streak. Osvaldo Bido had his toughest outing of the season. He gave up seven runs on nine hits over four innings, with three of those hits being home runs. Bido had no walks, three strikeouts and a 7:1 GO/AO ratio, while throwing 58 of 82 pitches for strikes. Cristofer Melendez allowed two runs in two innings, while Braeden Ogle gave up one run over the final two frames. He had three strikeouts.
The offense had a big game, but couldn’t overcome the ten-run outburst by Hickory. Mason Martin hit his 13th home run and his second double. He drove in two runs, giving him 47 RBIs in 46 games. Rodolfo Castro also hit his 13th home run of the season, a two-run shot in the fourth inning. He has 34 RBIs. Ji-Hwan Bae had a single, double and two runs scored, getting his average up to .333 in limited time. Fabricio Macias hit his sixth double and drove in a run.
Here is the boxscore from the MiLB site.
You can view the season preview here.