Morning Rundown: MiLB Preview - Week Ending 4/7/24
First week of all four full-season clubs in action, by end of the week
Indianapolis Indians: 1-2
Opponent: Memphis (Cardinals)
Team OPS: .827
OPS Rank: 4th of 20
Team ERA: 3.67
ERA Rank: 7th of 20
Quick Overview:
The Indianapolis Indians are the only Pittsburgh Pirates affiliate to have seen action so far, going 1-2 against the Cincinnati Reds Triple-A affiliate Louisville Bats over the weekend.
This week, the Indians will play their first full week against another affiliate of an NL Central foe: the Memphis Redbirds of the St. Louis Cardinals. The Redbirds carry 10 of the Cardinals’ top 30 prospects, as ranked by MLB Pipeline.
Four of the ten were acquired during the 2023 deadline: Cesar Prieto in return for Jack Flaherty, Sem Robberse and Adam Kloffenstein from the Toronto Blue Jays for Jordan Hicks, then Thomas Saggese from the Texas Rangers for Jordan Montgomery. Michael McGreevy was the Cardinal's first-round pick from 2021 (18th overall) out of UC Santa Barbara.
The Redbirds hit a league-leading seven home runs over the weekend, so the Pirates' young arms should face a roster of quality competition.
Thomas Saggese | INF | 4
Baseball America Top 100: #84
Gordon Graceffo | RHP | 8
Jimmy Crooks | C | 11
Sem Robberse | RHP | 12
Michael McGreevy | RHP | 14
Pedro Pages | C | 15
Adam Kloffenstein | RHP | 16
Cesar Prieto | INF | 18
Pete Hansen | LHP | 26
Andre Granillo | RHP | 27
Altoona Curve: 0-0
Opponent: Akron (Guardians)
Team OPS: -
OPS Rank: -
Team ERA: -
ERA Rank: -
Quick Overview:
The Altoona Curve opens up against the Akron Rubberducks this weekend as the sole Pirates affiliate on the road. The big ticket name is the Cleveland Guardians’ top prospect, Chase DeLauter.
He was their first-round selection (16th overall) in 2022 out of James Madison University. Chase has seen a bit of a rise in national rankings while having quite the 2024 spring training, slashing .520/.600/1.040 with four home runs and ten RBI.
The next biggest name is one that should be familiar to Pirates fans, as Kahlil Watson was acquired by the Guardians during the 2023 deadline from the Miami Marlins for Josh Bell. He was in the conversation as a possible choice for the Pirates and their first overall pick in 2021, but he fell to 16th when the Marlins selected him and has had quite a tumultuous professional career thus far.
Chase DeLauter | 1 | OF
Fangraphs Top 100: #28
MLB Top 100: #30
Baseball America Top 100: #29
ESPN Top 100: #41
Kahlil Watson | SS/2B | 15
Petey Halpin | OF | 16
Andrew Walters | RHP | 26
Dayan Frias | 3B | 30
Greensboro Grasshoppers: 0-0
Opponent: Greenville (Red Sox)
Team OPS: -
OPS Rank: -
Team ERA: -
ERA Rank: -
Quick Overview:
The Greensboro Grasshoppers kick off with a weekend home series against the Boston Red Sox's high-A affiliate, Greenville Drive. This list isn’t 100% confirmed, so it could change by Friday.
As it stands, one of the more interesting names is the Red Sox 2022 first-round pick (24th overall) Mikey Romero. His selection has been largely attributed to Pirates' recent front-office hire, Justin Horowitz.
Luis Perales | RHP | 11
Mikey Romero | SS/2B | 13
Allan Castro | OF | 14
David Sandlin | RHP | 16
Yordanny Monegro | RHP | 17
Eddinson Paulino | INF | 24
Bradenton Marauders: 0-0
Opponent: Clearwater (Phillies)
Team OPS: -
OPS Rank: -
Team ERA: -
ERA Rank: -
Quick Overview:
To finish things off, the Bradenton Marauders also begin their season at home with a weekend series against Philadelphia Phillies affiliate the Clearwater Threshers. Just as with the Greensboro series, this list isn’t 100% confirmed yet and is subject to change. Another first-round pick will be in play against a Pirates affiliate, with the Phillies' first-round selection in 2023 (27th overall) Aidan Miller. Miller is a prep-hitting infielder with the potential for plus raw power.
Aidan Miller | 3B/SS | 3
MLB Top 100: #58
William Bergolla | SS/2B | 12
Alex McFarlane | RHP | 15
Emaarion Boyd | OF | 17
Raylin Heredia | OF | 20
Nikau Pouaka-Grego | 2B/3B | 30
5 down. 76 to go.
The Pirates are in first place with the best record in baseball. (I like the way that rolls out.)
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It's a rainy Tuesday here in these overcast mountains of central Pennsylvania. It is so overcast here almost all of the time that children think, when you ask 'em in kindergarten what color the sky is, that the sky is gray. We take it for granted and we curse the heavens. We drive down to the Sheetz and pay $3.71 for a gallon of gas when my Jeep Gladiator with the max tow package only gets 20 miles per gallon on a good day. And I'm sure the Saudis are making a lot of money. But, you know? I bet those guys wish they'd discovered water.
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Thing is we can get kind of down in these hills because the sky is always gray... and winters last six months in a good year. So it is with ambivalence that I look out my picture window on the verdant, wet, grass with songbirds singing in the hedges in the pouring rain.
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The coffee is yet good. The day is early and it has not gone to hell yet. That's a backhanded blessing, to be sure. The house is a mess and the new kitchen floor is half done. The stone patio out back is mostly mud and that goddam stump will not budge out of the center of the project. I have drilled holes in it and filled it with fuel and burned it time and time again... but it is as obstinate as these overcast, rainy skies.
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So it is with modest pleasure that I turn my attention first thing to BucsOnDeck. You know? For some years now, the Pirates have completed this otherwise dreary picture with being an abysmal baseball team and it seems at times that's all we can expect. If it's gonna rain, it's gonna rain. Eeyore and Schleprock have nothing on Pirate fans, ESPECIALLY mountianous, wet, untanned ones.
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But our current team seems keen to have a start just like last year that turned to mud halfway through. Our dour expectations of another losing season seem to have dimmed temporarily as of April Fool's Day. Lest we remember only a year ago when a brief spate of winning made us all drunk with the harlot's tease of ... JOY...
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I forget. We started out a house of fire last season. And here we are again. With pitchers nobody wanted and with first basemen and catchers that couldn't catch and no real defensive outfielders and ... Was that us? Crying like that before the season started?
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We appear now to have a real GM... that is a "Genius Manager."
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These message boards are the glue to a dreary existence. If not for BucsOnDeck, the situation would indeed be dark. That said, what do I see? A ray of light from on high as morning breaks. Is it the sun? And the Pirates are the East? The sky is blue, and golden, and goldarn it it's time to spread some CARROTS ON THE HOUSE!!!!!
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ONE (1) sweet, delicious baby carrot for Brian Reynolds who went 2 for 5 with a double and 3 rbi while extending his on base streak to 33 games (jinx).
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TWO! (2) Two Connor Joe, who led the cavemen from the batrack with a 2 for 4, a run and a double and 2 rbi.
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And THREE! (3) orange divinities for M. Gonzalez for five innings of one run baseball, making the free agent pitcher's market look as absurd as it was expensive this past winter.
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Fresh rutabegas for the rest of the hitters who collected 15 hits and, what?, Five? doubles? I guess if yer not gonna hit 'em over the wall, you can leave dimples in the fence.
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No foolin' on April 2. A ray of hope exists. Can you believe it?!
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"Hey. Dis is ideal. Dry as a bone. What more could a rabbit want?"
-Wabbit
Excellent first story of the day so thank you, im strange, no kidding right🤦♂️. But i dont really pay attention to MiLB, till mid April, im on the wrong blog, right🤣🤣... But can I slip in a favorable comment on the Mlb team? Well here i go, i really think, though we have the usual suspects ripping on him exhaustingly so every day (boring, lol), that Shelton is a quality manager, I love how the team seemingly is 'with' him, fights hard even in down years and down games, not afraid to use analytics (important), and keeps everyone involved/playing...Listen, im not saying Shelton is whomever you fell in love with as a kid as a manager, but he seems worth supporting, until he is not🤷♂️🤷♂️