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 Bryan Reynolds), 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 and Stephen Alemais), 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, Pirates – In Majors
2. Ke’Bryan Hayes, 3B, Indianapolis – DNP
3. Cole Tucker, SS, Indianapolis – DNP
4. Oneil Cruz, SS, Bradenton – DNP
5. Travis Swaggerty, CF, Bradenton – DNP
6. Kevin Kramer, 2B, Indianapolis – DNP
7. Will Craig, 1B, Indianapolis – DNP
8. Jason Martin, OF, Indianapolis – DNP
9. JT Brubaker, RHP, Indianapolis – DNP
10. Calvin Mitchell, OF, Bradenton – DNP
11. Cody Bolton, RHP, Bradenton – DNP
12. Tahnaj Thomas, RHP, Bristol – DNP
13. Braxton Ashcraft, RHP, Morgantown – DNP
14. Lolo Sanchez, CF, Greensboro – 2-for-5
15. Pablo Reyes, Util, Indianapolis – DNP
16. Clay Holmes, RHP, Pirates – In Majors
17. Braeden Ogle, LHP, Greensboro – DNP
18. Michael Burrows, RHP, Morgantown – DNP
19. Jared Oliva, CF, Altoona – 1-for-5, 2B, SB
20. Ji-Hwan Bae, SS, Greensboro – 0-for-4
21. Max Kranick, RHP, Bradenton – DNP
22. Luis Escobar, RHP, Indianapolis – DNP
23. Osvaldo Bido, RHP, Greensboro – 7 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 7 K
24. Eduardo Vera, RHP, Indianapolis – DNP
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 – DNP
30. Jesus Liranzo, RHP, Indianapolis – DNP
Indianapolis had its game with Pawtucket postponed due to rain. It’ll be made up as part of a doubleheader tomorrow.
Here’s the boxscore.
You can view the season preview here.
Altoona got an outstanding start from Pedro Vasquez and beat Binghamton, 5-1. Vasquez gave up a run on a triple and a ground out by the first two hitters, then lasted through seven innings. He allowed just four hits and a walk, and struck out four while throwing 60 of 92 pitches for strikes. Yeudy Garcia followed with two scoreless innings.
The Curve fanned 15 times, but they got longballs from Hunter Owen and Bligh Madris, Owen’s 15th and Madris’ third, the latter with a man aboard. Jerrick Suiter drove in the other two runs with a single. Jared Oliva added his eighth double and Robbie Glendinning drew a pair of walks.
Here’s the boxscore.
You can view the season preview here.
Bradenton is on their All-Star break until Monday.
Here’s the boxscore.
You can view the season preview here.
Greensboro got seven shutout innings from Osvaldo Bido in a 4-0 blanking of Kannapolis. Bido allowed just four hits, all singles, and walked nobody. He struck out seven and threw 52 of 79 pitches for strikes. In his last three games, Bido has given up just two runs and eight hits in 19 innings, while fanning 22. Only two runners reached second against him and none reached third. Will Gardner threw the last two innings and fanned five. He’s struck out 23 so far this year in 15.2 IP, with just nine hits allowed.
The Grasshoppers got two in the first on a home run by Mason Martin, his 18th of the year. That was all the offense in the game until the ninth, when Connor Kaiser made it 3-0 with his fourth longball. Patrick Dorrian drove in a run later in the inning with his 16th double. Martin, Kaiser, Lolo Sanchez and Grant Koch each had two hits.
Here’s the boxscore.
You can view the season preview here.
Morgantown got its first win, beating Mahoning Valley, 6-3. Jesus Valles pitched respectably in his first game above the Dominican Summer League. He gave up two runs, both on solo home runs, in four and a third innings. Valles allowed six hits and two walks altogether, while striking out three. Francis Del Orbe followed with two and two-thirds scoreless innings. He gave up just a hit and a walk, and fanned three.
After Del Orbe, Xavier Concepcion made his stateside debut. As reported here, Concepcion frequently hits triple digits, but in this game at least he was very wild, with a lot of his pitches far off the plate or bouncing well in front of it. He lasted two-thirds of an inning, giving up a run on a hit and two walks. Mike LoPresti recorded the last four outs for a save.
The Black Bears got a lot of their offense on walks — they drew six — bloops and infield hits. Kyle Mottice and Brett Kinneman reached base three times each and each stole two bases. Jonah Davis added three walks. The game saw some comical relief, as Kinneman got a sandlot home run — actually scored a four-base error — when the first baseman let a grounder go under his glove and the right fielder couldn’t come up with the ball in the corner. Emilson Rosado, who’ll head to the Gulf Coast League when the draftees start joining the team, made his US debut and went 0-for-3 with a hit batsman. Juan Pie was 1-for-4 with an RBI.
Here’s the boxscore.
You can view the season preview here.
The DSL Pirates1 lost to the Indians, 7-2. The Pirates took a 2-0 lead in the first, but the bats went silent after that. They had only five hits, two of them, including a double, by 16-year-old Franrielis Bastardo. Osvaldo Gavilan had his third triple. Starter Luis Peralta gave up two runs on four hits and three walks in four innings, although he struck out five. Miguel Peralta (no relation as far as I can tell) walked five in an inning and two-thirds. That’s been a problem for him, as he’s now walked 11 in four and a third innings.
Here’s the boxscore.
The DSL Pirates2 ran their record to 11-2 with a 10-4 drubbing of the Tigers2. Five different players had at least two hits. Jose Berroa (age 17) went 3-for-5 and is now batting .333. Jauri Custodio (17), who signed with the Pirates this past March, had a pair of doubles in five times up. He has five doubles and an .812 OPS in 11 games. Rodolfo Nolasco (17, .869 OPS), Dariel Lopez (17, .837) and Rayber Romero (17) all went 2-for-5. Deivis Nadal (17, 1.029) had a double and two walks.
Starter Sergio Umana, a 19-year-old Nicaraguan who signed in December, had the weakest of his three starts so far, giving up four runs on nine hits. He still went five and two-thirds innings, though, with no walks and four strikeouts. He’s now fanned 19 and walked just one in 16 and two-thirds innings. Joel Blanco (17) and Wilbur Martinez (17) combined to fan seven in three and a third scoreless innings.
Here’s the boxscore.
You can view the season preview here.