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 (Clay Holmes, Jacob Stallings, Kevin Newman 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, Nick Burdi 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, Indianapolis – DNP
2. Ke’Bryan Hayes, 3B, Indianapolis – 1-for-5
3. Cole Tucker, SS, Indianapolis – 1-for-3, 2 BB
4. Oneil Cruz, SS, Bradenton – 1-for-4
5. Travis Swaggerty, CF, Bradenton – 1-3, HR (7), BB
6. Kevin Kramer, 2B, Indianapolis – 2-for-4, 2B
7. Will Craig, 1B, Indianapolis – 0-for-4, BB
8. Jason Martin, OF, Indianapolis – 1-for-1, 3 BB
9. JT Brubaker, RHP, Indianapolis – DNP
10. Calvin Mitchell, OF, Bradenton – 2-for-4, 2 2B
11. Cody Bolton, RHP, Altoona – DNP
12. Tahnaj Thomas, RHP, Bristol – DNP
13. Braxton Ashcraft, RHP, Morgantown – DNP
14. Lolo Sanchez, CF, Bradenton – 0-for-4
15. Pablo Reyes, Util, Indianapolis – 1-for-4
16. Braeden Ogle, LHP, Bradenton – DNP
17. Michael Burrows, RHP, Morgantown – DNP
18. Jared Oliva, CF, Altoona – 2-for-5
19. Ji-Hwan Bae, SS, Greensboro – 1-for-4, 2B
20. Max Kranick, RHP, Bradenton – DNP
21. Luis Escobar, RHP, Pirates – In Majors
22. Osvaldo Bido, RHP, Greensboro – DNP
23. Eduardo Vera, RHP, Indianapolis – DNP
24. Gage Hinsz, RHP, Altoona – DNP
25. Aaron Shortridge, RHP, Bradenton – DNP
26. Blake Weiman, LHP, Indianapolis – DNP
27. Steven Jennings, RHP, Greensboro – DNP
28. Brandon Waddell, LHP, Altoona – DNP
29. Jesus Liranzo, RHP, Altoona – DNP
30. Rodolfo Castro, 2B, Bradenton – 0-for-0
Indianapolis beat Durham, 8-3. Cam Vieaux had a solid start, giving up two runs, both on solo home runs, in six innings. He allowed five hits overall, walked nobody and fanned seven. Vieaux threw 62 of 90 pitches for strikes. Sean Keselica threw the last three innings, allowing one run.
Erik Gonzalez drove in three runs as he continued his rehab. He had a single and a triple while serving as the DH. Jason Martin reached base four times on three walks and a single, and also stole his sixth base. Cole Tucker reached three times on two walks and a single. Kevin Kramer had a single and his 25th double. Hunter Owen went 1-for-4 while getting his first career start at first base; he’d previously played three innings there for Altoona.
Here’s the boxscore.
You can view the season preview here.
Altoona lost to Bowie, 7-6, in ten innings. The Curve came back from a 5-0 deficit to take a 6-5 lead in the eighth, but Angel German couldn’t hold the lead and Matt Eckelman gave up an unearned run (due to the free baserunner) in the tenth to lose it. Beau Sulser got a spot start and gave up four runs over four innings. Blake Cederlind gave up a run over two innings.
Jared Oliva had an off-day, going 2-for-5, which will actually lower his July average. He also stole his 28th base. Bligh Madris also had two hits. The Curve had eight hits overall, but they were all singles. They went 2-for-14 with runners in scoring position and stranded a dozen.
Here’s the boxscore.
You can view the season preview here.
Bradenton lost to Tampa, 8-3. Gavin Wallace, whose role seems to be to eat as many innings as possible for this team, started and stayed in to give up all eight runs, seven of them earned, over five and two-thirds innings. John O’Reilly followed with two and a third scoreless innings, although he let one of Wallace’s runners score.
Travis Swaggerty drove in two of the Marauders’ runs with his seventh home run. He also had an outfield assist. Oneil Cruz drove in the other run, but for some reason was replaced on defense after striking out in the eighth inning. Cal Mitchell had two hits, both doubles, which gives him 18 on the season. Mitchell has an eight-game hitting streak after a very rough stretch. Lolo Sanchez was 0-for-4, leaving him 2-for-27 in his last eight games.
Here’s the boxscore.
You can view the season preview here.
Greensboro got thrashed by Augusta, 8-1. Alex Manasa lasted only three innings, giving up four runs on eight hits. Cam Alldred gave up three runs in two innings. Will Gardner threw two scoreless innings, lowering his ERA to 0.86. The Grasshoppers had just six hits, with the only extra-base hit being Ji-Hwan Bae’s 15th double.
Here’s the boxscore.
You can view the season preview here.
Morgantown beat Auburn, 8-3. The Black Bears got two hits apiece from Jared Triolo, Matt Gorski and Cory Wood. Gorski had his fifth double and fourth steal, and Wood got his second triple. Blake Sabol drove in a pair of runs. Will Kobos started and threw five shutout innings, allowing three hits and a walk, and striking out four. Winston Nicacio followed with three perfect innings, striking out four. Alec Rennard ran into trouble in the ninth, giving up the three Auburn runs. That led to recently promoted Bear Bellomy getting the last out for his first New York-Penn League save. He has yet to allow a run in nine pro outings, two in the NYPL and seven for Bristol.
Here’s the boxscore.
You can view the season preview here.
Bristol beat Kingsport, 3-1. The Pirates got a strong start from Luis Ortiz, who allowed just three hits and one run in six innings. He fanned five and didn’t walk a batter. Yoelvis Reyes followed with three scoreless innings.
Bristol had seven hits, all of them singles. Three came from seldom-used Joseivin Medina and two from Aaron Shackelford. Medina, Shackelford and Jesus Valdez had the RBIs.
Here’s the boxscore.
You can view the season preview here.
The GCL Pirates beat the Orioles, 6-4. Mario Garcia had a good start, giving up a run on two hits and three walks in four and two-thirds innings. Recent NDFA signee Orsen Josephina got the win with two and a third scoreless innings. Lizardy Dicent, making his second appearance after returning from injury, threw two-thirds of an inning and allowed a home run to Adley Rutschman, this year’s first overall draft pick who was playing his first pro game. Why exactly a major college draftee taken first overall is in the GCL escapes me.
The Pirates got two hits apiece from Jase Bowen, Yoyner Fajardo and Andres Alvarez. Bowen had the team’s only extra-base hit, his second triple. Fajardo is now batting .372. He also stole two bases, giving him 12 on the season.
Here’s the boxscore.
You can view the season preview here.
The DSL Pirates1 beat the Indians, 3-1. Starter Raydel Velette threw five shutout innings, giving up three hits and three walks, and striking out two. Yeison Santos gave up a run over three innings. Jarlin Yes (no, that’s not a typo) threw a scoreless ninth for the save.
The Pirates had only five hits and four walks, but somehow managed to get 14 at-bats with runners in scoring position (they managed two hits out of those chances). Shendrik Apostel was the only player with two hits; he also walked twice, for four times on base.
Here’s the boxscore.
The DSL Pirates2 beat the Royals2, 5-3. Jauri Custodio and Rodolfo Nolasco each had two hits. Nolasco hit his ninth double and Custodio belted his third home run while driving in two. Custodio also had two steals, giving him 11, and Nolasco had one, his third.
Starter Felipe Mezquita lasted only three and a third innings, giving up three runs on four hits and four walks. The bullpen, though, followed with six and two-thirds scoreless frames, four of them by Francisco Hodge. He gave up two hits and no walks, and fanned five. Emmanuel Mejia pitched the ninth for the save. He has yet to allow a run over eight games. He’s allowed just two hits and two walks in nine and two-thirds innings, while striking out 17.
Here’s the boxscore.
You can view the season preview here.
