Pittsburgh Pirates: Prospect Roundup 8/2-8/11

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Pittsburgh Pirates prospects /

Prospects of the Week:

Mitch Keller: 0-0 (1 start), 6 innings pitched, 0 runs, 9 strikeouts, 0 walks

Elias Diaz: 9 for 22 (.409), 4 RBI, 0 walks to 3 strikeouts, 6 games played

Alen Hanson: 11 for 33 9 (.333), 2 RBI, 0 walks to 9 strikeouts, 8 games played

Mitch Keller has been the biggest breakout pitcher for the Pittsburgh Pirates farm system this year. Although it was somewhat expected, I do not think people expected him to perform the way he has this year. The biggest thing is his command at the age of 20. He once again showed great command in his last start by walking zero hitters while striking out 9. Keller is showing that he has strikeout stuff, but also knows how to command it deep into counts. Elias Diaz missed a majority of the season with an elbow injury. He has been back for about a month, between taxi squading with the big league club, rehabbing in the lower minors, and triple-a, it has been hard for him to get consistent at-bats. Now he has been back in Triple-A for thirteen games, and it seems he is starting to get back into baseball shape. He had a big week raising his average nearly .100 points since last week. Alen Hanson has had a big time up and down season at Triple-A. This past week he put together a lot of hits in a lot of at-bats. He is still striking out a lot while not walking. Hanson will never be a disciplined hitter, but if he makes contact with his speed, he can still be a productive player.

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The minor league season is entering its final stretch. With that we have a really good sample size of the prospects numbers and can fully judge how they are performing this year. The big thing to look for now is the level they are playing. We have already seen Taillon reach the majors, Waddell and Newman move up to AA, and Meadows and Osuna move to AAA. We also have seen Josh Bell and Steven Brault reach the majors and be optioned back down. Look for other prospects to start getting moved up from their current level. Players such as outfielder Barrett Barnes, pitcher Mitch Keller, and third baseman Ke’Bryan Hayes likely will be next to move up.

Give comments below about the prospects roundup and your thoughts on how they are performing thus far. You can also ask questions about specific prospects on the prospects roundup if you would like to know more about them.

Pittsburgh Pirates Draft Picks will have their own weekly stat update on Thursdays.

All Stats are Courtesy of Baseball Reference

Stats Based on entering play on the day of the post

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