Pittsburgh Pirates Minor League Report – June 29th

Apr 19, 2015; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Major League baseballs sit on the field before the Pittsburgh Pirates host the Milwaukee Brewers at PNC Park. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

Welcome to our weekly trip around the Pittsburgh Pirates’ minor league system. This is where we give you a look at how each Pirates’ affiliate did during the previous week along with division standings, updates about players who stood out during the previous week, a look at the injury report, and give you a peek at the week ahead.

We will start our weekly recap with the Triple-A Indianapolis Indians.

Next: Indianapolis Indians

Feb 21, 2014; Bradenton, FL, USA; Pittsburgh Pirates infielder Alen Hanson (63) poses for a photo at Pirate City. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

Triple-A Indianapolis Indians

The Indianapolis Indians went 4-3 over the last week. They wrapped up a disappointing road trip by losing three of four in Gwinnett to the Braves. Then, they returned home for a well timed three-game sweep of the Syracuse Chiefs.

International League West Division standings:

Indianapolis Indians – 46-31

Columbus Clippers – 41-36

Louisville Bats – 38-39

Toledo Mud Hens – 33-43

Players that stood out:

OF Gorkys Hernandez  and INF Steve Lombardozzi were both called up by the Pittsburgh Pirates on Sunday. OF Jose Tabata and RHP Chris Volstad were both designated for assignment by the Pirates.

RHP Deolis Guerra was called up by the Pirates on Friday.

INF Brent Morel had ten hits, including four home runs, ten RBIS, one walk, and one stolen base and is now batting .252. He leads the team with eight home runs.

OF Willy Garcia  is currently batting .189 since being called up from Altoona. He had four hits and struck out six times.

RHP Angel Sanchez picked up his first win during his start Thursday. He allowed seven hits, walked one, and had two strikeouts.

OF Jaff Decker collected two RBIs, six hits, one stolen base, and scored five runs. He is now batting .307.

C Elias Diaz only saw action in three games. He collected one hit and one walk and his average is now .276 for the year.

RHP Adrian Sampson continues to lead the team with 76 strikeouts. He had a no decision this week after giving up four runs in five innings but remains tied for the team lead with six wins.

RHP Blake Wood leads the team with 19 saves. He only saw action in two games this past week, giving up one run while striking out one and collecting one save.

RHP Radhames Liz started Friday’s game against Syracuse. He went four innings, allowing just one hit and striking out six.

RHP Wilfredo Boscan went 1-1 this past week. He pitched a total of eleven innings, giving up six hits, throwing seven strikeouts, walking four, and allowing two earned runs.

More from Pirates Prospects

• Pittsburgh Pirates Prospect Stockwatch: Outfielder Tres Gonzalez
• Pittsburgh Pirates: Top Pitching Prospects Fans Could See Early in 2023
• Pittsburgh Pirates: Three Prospects to Watch Early in 2023
• Pittsburgh Pirates: Bold Strategy to Start at Second Base
• Pittsburgh Pirates: Taking Stock of Teenage Prospects

INF Pedro Florimon had three hits and is now batting .230. He also stole three bases in Sunday’s game.

C Tony Sanchez  had one hit and his average is now .200 for the season.

OF Keon Broxton kept his average at .180.

LHP Clayton Richard went 1-1 this past week. He struck out eight and allowed four earned runs.

RHP John Holdzkom saw action in three games for a total of five innings, allowing just one hit and no walks while striking out six.

1B John Bowker is now batting .238 after collecting five hits last week.

P Brad Lincoln returned from the disabled list. He pitched two innings Friday night and picked up the win.

Injury Report:

INF Hunter Morris was reinstated from the disabled list.

INF Alen Hanson remains on the disabled list with a fractured left pinky.

RHP Casey Sadler was placed on the Disabled List with a forearm strain.

A look at next week:

The Indians remain at home for three games against West Division foe, the Columbus Clippers.  Then, the Indians hit the road for a short two-game series with the Toledo Mud Hens. Finally, the Indians return home for a three-game weekend series with the Louisville Bats.

Next, we step down to Double-A Altoona.

Next: Watch Out For the Curve

Sep 17, 2014; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Pittsburgh Pirates minor league outfielder Josh Bell (35) of the Altoona Curve in attendance as he was named the Pirates Minor Player of the Year before the Pirates host the Boston Red Sox at PNC Park. The Pirates won 9-1. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

Double-A Altoona Curve

The Altoona Curve went 2-6 over the last week. The Curve beat Harrisburg on Monday in the final game of the weekend series. Then, they suffered one win and three losses at home against the Erie SeaWolves. After a rain out on Saturday, the Curve dropped both games of a double header on Sunday to the Harrisburg Senators.

Eastern League West Division standings:

Bowie Baysox – 42-31

Altoona Curve – 42-33

Richmond Flying Squirrels – 38-34

Akron RubberDucks – 40-36

Harrisburg Senators – 35-41

Erie SeaWolves – 29-44

Players that stood out:

OF Mel Rojas Jr is hitting .273 since being demoted to the Curve. He collected four hits, two RBIs, walked three times, and stole one base this week.

1B Josh Bell saw his average climb slightly over the past week to .325 while collecting seven hits, two walks, and one RBI. Josh now has a five-game hitting streak.

INF Adam Frazier managed nine hits, one stolen base, and two walks. He is now hitting .357.

2B Max Moroff saw his average dip slightly to .313. He collected five hits, three RBIs, one walk, and a stolen base.

OF Stetson Allie had just one hit and two walks and saw his average drop to .206. He also struck out six times.

C Jacob Stallings had five hits and a walk while raising his average to .309.

INF Gift Ngoepe had six hits, four RBIs, and one walk and is now batting .260.

INF Jose Osuna had four hits and one walk and is batting .307.

RHP Jason Creasy continues to lead the team with eight wins. He had a no decision this week.

RHP Chad Kuhl also had a no decision this week. He leads the team with 56 Ks.

Injury report:

RHP Tyler Glasnow finished up his two rehab assignments with the West Virginia Black Bears and has rejoined the Curve.

A look at next week:

The Curve are finishing up their series at the Harrisburg Senators on Monday. Then, they will head to Trenton for a four-game series against the Thunder. They finish up the week by returning home for a Saturday through Monday series with the Harrisburg Senators.

We now heat up as we head south for a look at the Advanced A Bradenton Marauders.

Next: Fly South to Bradenton

Oct 15, 2013; Detroit, MI, USA; The lights are out during a power outage during game three of the American League Championship Series baseball game between the Detroit Tigers and the Boston Red Sox at Comerica Park. Mandatory Credit: Tim Fuller-USA TODAY Sports

Class-A West Virginia Power

The West Virginia Power went 4-0 over the last week. They completed a four-game sweep of the Greensboro Grasshoppers by a combined score of 26-10.

As they begin the second half of the season, the standings are reset. The Hickory Crawdads were the first half division winner. The second half division winner will face the Crawdads in the playoffs. If the Crawdads win the second half, then the team with the second best overall record will advance to face the Crawdads. More information on the playoff procedures can be found here. We will provide you the second half standings along with the overall standings in parenthesis.

South Atlantic League North Division standings: 

West Virginia Power – 4-0 (41-32)

Lakewood BlueClaws – 3-1 (36-36)

Delmarva Shorebirds – 2-1 (35-36)

Hagerstown Suns – 1-2 (36-35)

Hickory Crawdads – 1-3 (45-27)

Kannapolis Intimidators – 1-3 (36-37)

Greensboro Grasshoppers – 0-4 (29-44)

Players that stood out:

OF Michael Suchy raised his average to .267 while collecting six hits, three RBIs, four walks, and a stolen base.

INF Jerrick Suiter raised his average to .316 while collecting five hits, two RBIs, and a walk. He also struck out five times.

OF Elvis Escobar kept his average steady at .293. He had four hits and two RBIs.

SS Cole Tucker has a twelve-game hitting streak. He also raised his average to .285 while collecting four hits, two RBIs and one walk.

INF Connor Joe saw his average climb slightly to .241 after collecting three hits, two RBIs and two walks.

INF Chase Simpson had two hits, two walks and three RBIs. He also struck out four times and is now batting .251.

INF Jordan Luplow saw his average drop to .226 after collecting just one hit, one RBI, and one walk while striking out three times.

RHP Austin Coley leads the team with nine wins and 65 strikeouts.

RHP Nick Neumann leads the team with eleven saves on the season.

A look at next week:

The Power will finish up their five-game series with the Greensboro Grasshoppers on Monday. Then, they will head to Kannapolis for a four-game series with the Intimidators. Finally, the Power return home on Saturday to start a four-game series with the Delmarva Shorebirds.

Next, we look at the newest member of the farm system with the Short-Season A West Virginia Black Bears.

Next: West Virginia Black Bears

Cooper, the proud mascot of the West Virginia Black Bears

Short-Season A West Virginia Black Bears

The West Virginia Black Bears finished the week by going 2-4. They suffered a three-game sweep at the hands of the first place and undefeated Crosscutters in Williamsport. Then, they took the first two games in Auburn before being rained out in the series finale against the Doubledays. They wrapped up the week with a loss to the Hudson Valley Renegades.

New York-Penn League Pinckney:

Williamsport Crosscutters – 9-0

Auburn Doubledays – 5-4

State College Spikes – 4-5

West Virginia Black Bears – 4-5

Mahoning Valley Scrappers – 3-6

Batavia Muckdogs – 1-8

Players that stood out:

C Daniel Arribas is currently hitting .360 with an OPS of 1.088. He has nine hits, including a home run, a triple, and two doubles. He also has six RBIs, four walks, and five strikeouts.

OF Ty Moore is currently hitting .313 with an OPS of.951. He has ten hits, including a home run, a triple, and three doubles. He also has eleven RBIs, four walks, and six strikeouts.

OF Logan Hill is currently hitting .303 with an OPS of .849. He has ten hits, including a home run and two doubles. He also has eight RBIs, three walks, and nine strikeouts.

1B Albert Baur is currently hitting .273. He has six hits, including three doubles. He also has one RBI, one walk, and five strikeouts.

OF Maximo Rivera is currently hitting .250 with three hits, one RBI, six walks, and three strikeouts.

3B Kevin Kramer is currently hitting .192 with five hits, three RBIs, three walks, and five strikeouts.

SS Kevin Newman is currently hitting .172 with five hits, three walks, and five strikeouts.

2B Mitchell Tolman is currently hitting .182 with four hits, one RBI, seven walks, and four strikeouts.

LHP Hector Garcia, RHP Dario Agrazal, RHP Eric Karch, and RHP Dovydas Neverauskas lead the team with one win a piece. Garcia leads the team with 11 Strikeouts and a 0.00 ERA while pitching eight innings in two games. Agrazal has thrown the most innings with eleven.

RHP JT Brubaker has suffered two losses thus far this season.

Best Ballpark:

The Black Bears home, Monongalia County Ballpark, has won an award in its first season. The park was named the Best Ballpark among Short-Season A parks by Ballpark Digest. For more on the contest, click here.

A Look At Next Week:

The Black Bears continue hosting the Hudson Valley Renegades on Monday and Tuesday. Then, they head to State College for a three-game series with the Spikes. The Black Bears finally return home on Saturday for a three-game series with the Batavia Muckdogs.

Rookie Ball is next with the Bristol Pirates!

Next: Last Stop, Rookie Ball

Feb 13, 2014; Bradenton, FL, USA; A freshly painted logo adorns at wall at Pirate City before the Pittsburgh Pirates first spring training workout. Mandatory Credit: David Manning-USA TODAY Sports

Rookie Bristol Pirates

The Bristol Pirates began their season on June 23rd. They won one and lost two against the Greeneville Astros. Then, they dropped Friday night’s game before winning both games of Sunday’s doubleheader over the Princeton Rays.

Appalachian League West:

Greeneville Astros – 4-2

Bristol Pirates – 3-3

Elizabethton Twins – 3-3

Johnson City Cardinals – 3-3

Kingsport Mets – 3-3

A Look at Next Week:

The Bristol Pirates will head to Elizabethton to take on the Twins in a three-game series. Then, they play a six-game series with the Johnson City Cardinals.

This has been the Pittsburgh Pirates Minor League Report for June 29th. Make sure to check back next Monday for our weekly trip around the Pirates’ minor league system!

Next: What should the Pirates do with Gregory Polanco?