10 Observations: Draft pick observations, Jaden Woods, Kervin Pichardo
Murphy 8/12—Got a chance to catch one of the ‘bridge league’ games, where a lot more of the draft picks are playing. One was Eddie Rynders, one of the more intriguing prep players they took. He had one batted ball in the high 90s, but overall, there is not much to go on yet.
He has the kind of frame where you can see the power potential. I really liked his swing, but the frame stood out, and I can see there’s something to work with.
Murphy 8/12—Joe Vogatsky was one of the pitchers I saw, and he has a very funky delivery that should leave little doubt about him being a reliever.
The fastball was 90-93 with 12-15” of horizontal break to it. He also mixed in a breaking ball that got a couple of whiffs.
Murphy 8/13—Lefties are going to have an issue hitting Connor Wietgrefe. He made his pro debut on Tuesday and struck out three lefty hitters in his one inning of work. The fastball got up to 93, which was mixed with a sweepy slider. I’d be interested in the exact release point, but it seemed on the lower three-quarters side. It's not Zander Mueth low, but it's enough to add some deception.
The more I read about him, the more I was intrigued after the pick. It's hard not to be impressed with him mowing down hitters like that in his debut.
Murphy 8/14—Nick Yorke is as close to major league-ready as you can be playing in Triple-A. It’s only been a couple of weeks, but I’m not sure what else I would like to see from him—at least offensively—here in the minors before giving him a shot.
I guess you’d have to find a spot for him to get consistent at-bats. It’s nice to see him getting flexed to the outfield, and I guess another week or so in the minors wouldn’t hurt to get more acclimated there. But I’d want to see him there every day then. Not like Mitch Jebb, who is clearly a better fit for center field but still getting time at shortstop.
If the outfield is Yorke’s best path to the majors, commit to it.
Murphy 8/14—Isaac Mattson has had a sneaky good season in the bullpen for the Indianapolis Indians. If there is a reliever not on the 40-man I think should get a shot, it should be him. He can throw multiple innings and throws in the mid-90s with the fastball.
Murphy 8/14—I’ve seen some outlets give Yordany De Los Santos a below-average defense grade, which sometimes confuses me. He’s looked so smooth at shortstop, the only position that I have seen him look somewhat ‘uncomfortable’ is second base.
He’s made some slick plays at short with Bradenton. It may not be Javier Rivas good yet, but I'm not sure he’s a below-average defender and has to move to third—he’s still grading out well there.
Murphy 8/14—Jaden Woods was one of the players I was most excited to see after the Pirates drafted him in 2023. He looked good in Bradenton at the end of last year and was strong in Greensboro to start this season.
Altoona has been a struggle, at least on the box score. He’s had some big blow-up games so far, but when you watch him, there seems to be so much more there.
The fastball has gotten up to 96, depending on which radar gun you ask, and the slider and even the change-up are showing the ability to get misses.
Murphy 8/15—Khristian Curtis is just returning from the injured list, and you can see a little rust early on. In his latest outing, you can see things starting to click towards the end.
The stuff is good, if he can keep it in the zone, he remains a very interesting name to monitor.
NolaJeffy 8/17 — Kervin Pichardo is interesting, for lack of a better term. At only 22 — 23 in October — the return for Jackson Wolf is one of a few Altoona Curve hitters with an OPS above .700 this season. He has a wRC+ over 100, but it comes with a K% of almost 27% and BB% near 6%. His defensive home is questionable, at best, and likely 2B.
He has carried an OPS over .751 in each of June, July, and so far (not including Sunday) a .901 OPS in August. This past week against Bowie, he went 6 for 21 with a double and triple.
Murphy 8/17—The 2024 draft class hasn’t been very consistent, but they’ve made some big splash plays. Take Will Taylor, who has one hit in his first 10 at-bats, but he made the one count.
Taylor does seem like an intriguing player to follow. He’s shown good patience at the plate, but it will depend on how much he impacts the ball. For someone with a severe knee injury on his medical report, he moved pretty quickly around the bases on a Jhonny Severino double, so that was good to see.
Edit: Ethan Lege had a multi-hit day along with his first career RBI on Sunday.
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The few times I've seen Yorke, he looks clunky at 2b. Lateral movement isn't ideal for 2b.
I'm in on Woods...few times I've seen him, I've been impressed. Once he smooths out the rough edges, he should be a good reliever.
Kervin Pichardo is just one of the many MI's the Pirates have collected and occupy slots at Altoona, Indianapolis, and the Pirates in MLB. On a previous comment I think I counted 10 in all. I tend to like what Pichardo has done so far, but cannot figure out where in the hell this franchise can go with so many MI's at the upper 3 levels, and we just keep adding more. Next time we trade someone for a PTBNL, how about we just find another defensive need?
I like the guys BC has drafted, traded for, or signed as IFA's that are showing very well at the lower three levels and who I would hope have a reasonably achievable path to the majors. The lower group includes Johnson, YDLS, Caro, Severino, and Brannigan who has been on the IL lately. I'd include Javier Rivas, but although he looks the part physically, his ability to make contact for average or power has shown very little improvement at A and he is already in his age 22 season.