The Pirates are spending money......on the draft. But hey it is something! Right? Well anyways, the Pirates Minor League system has never been anything to write home about. Littlefield set them so far back, and Huntington is doing a nice job of stockpiling talent to bring it back. He might as well keep the overslot method of paying young High School kids and getting them into the system early. The talent is adding up, and the players are in the system 3-4 more years than they would be. This year showed that if this thing is done right, Pittsburgh can only go up. The young players now are getting extensions, and the minor league system is getting better. The plan is in place, now we all get to see if it plays out as planned.
And here is my Top 10 Pirates prospects.
1.
Jameson Taillon. 19. RHP. West Virginia Power(Low-A) Season Stats-2-3 4.52 ERA 80K-17BB.
Projected Level '12-High A Bradenten
Projected Year of Arrival-2015, 2014 at earliest.
Jameson Taillon is in his first professional season. He has had mixed success, and is not getting a serious work load. Taillon rarely pitches past 5 innings. His K-BB rate is solid, but he has given up 9 Home Runs in just under 80 innings. His Fastball is upper 90's and is an ideal front line starter, and a potential ace in a few shorts years. He is 19 and a just a year removed from high school, his high ERA does not seem to bother the organization as he will likely move to High A ball next season.
2.
Gerrit Cole. 20. RHP. Not Assigned. Season Stats (college). 6-8 3.31 119K-24 BB.
Projected Level '12-High A Bradenten
Projected Year of Arrival-2014.
Gerrit Cole is not far behind Taillon, if he even is at all. His upside is unbelievable, and also could be a future ace. His Fastball is upper 90's, among other plus pitches. His college stats are a little alarming though. There is no doubt that this guy is a future top of the line starter, but the fact his college ERA was the highest in the UCLA rotation is troubling. Obviously the Pittsburgh front office felt that this was not a big problem down the line. He should start in High A next year, and if he advances quick enough, he could be in Altoona for a few months next year.
3.
Starling Marte. 22. CF. Altoona Curve. Season Stats -.328 11HR 47 RBI 21SB
Projected Level '12-AAA, MLB by midseason.
Projected Year of Arrival-2012 very likely. 2013 for sure.
Starling Marte is an exceptional talent that has very high value for the Pirates. With the recent extension of Jose Tabata, they simply are stating that at least 2 spots in the Outfield are filled at least through the 2015 season. So where does Marte fit in? His power numbers have gotten better through the years, but isn't your typical corner outfield prospect. There are some that believe he has enough athleticism to unseat McCutchen in Center. Either way, he will start next season in AAA as a 23 year old. He has a chance of being moved to bring in a power bat or a starting pitcher, but him with McCutchen and Tabata will provide the most athletic and exciting outfield in the league by far. The future is bright for Starling Marte.
4.
Luis Heredia. 17. RHP. Gulf Coast Pirates. Season Stats- 1-1 4.28 ERA 22K-19BB 27 IP.
Projected Level '12-GCL Pirates/Short Season A State College.
Projected Year of Arrival-2016
This may be the most intriguing prospect the Pirates have had in a while. He just turned 17 years old last week, and he throws 95 with his fastball. You do not run into kids that can throw that hard, this young, too often. That is why the Pirates spent a large amount to bring him into the system. The big thing with Heredia is to not rush him. He should still be in high school this year, so the big thing is to not overwork him. He will spend a few years in the minors, but will still be really young upon making it to the majors. I know the Pirates would love to see him turn into a Felix Hernandez, a very prominent Latin pitcher that has been outstanding for Seattle. If the Pirates get anything close to what he is, this kid will be worth every single penny.
5.
Josh Bell. 19. RF/LF. Not Assigned. Season Stats (high school)- .552 14 HR 48 BB's 19 SB's.
Projected Level '12-Low-A West Virginia.
Projected Year of Arrival-2015.
Josh Bell has the role of being the highest paid rookie drafted outside the first round ever. The Pirates dished out 5 million dollars for this guy's bonus to lure him away from the University of Texas. Bell is rated very highly, and if it had not been for him saying he was 100% committed to going to Texas, he easily would have been a top 15 pick. The risk is high giving a second round pick this much money, but the consensus is that he is going to be a solid hitter and will be the prized position player in the Pirates system. He is a switch hitter, and has drawn comparisons to Jason Heyward. Heyward made it through the minors rather quickly, it would be huge if Bell is as advanced as he was. Either way, his career will be followed closely.
6.
Stetson Allie. 20. RHP. State College Spikes Season Stats- 0-2 7.33 ERA 25K-25BB. 23 IP.
Projected Level '12-Low A West Virginia.
Projected Year of Arrival-2015.
Stetson Allie is also an overslot second round selection with first round ability. He was lured away from his North Carolina commitment with a large signing bonus, and for good reason. Allie is a known flame thrower, reaching 100 on occasion with his fastball. He is having a rough go at it during his first professional season and it is obvious he is not nearly as far along as Jameson Taillon. His command is not there yet, and he is still in the minors to develop off pitches. This should only be his freshmen season at North Carolina, so he is ahead of the game in that regard. He is being tried as a starter, but with his hard fastball its easy to see why some people believe he will be a closer at some point. His development will take longer than Taillon and Cole, but he has the same strong arm as they do.
7.
Colton Cain. 20. LHP. West Virginia Power. Season Stats- 6-8 3.64 ERA 81K-31BB.106 IP.
Projected Level '12-High A Bradenten.
Projected Year of Arrival-2015
Colton Cain has been having a very successful season in Low A ball this year. His ERA is solid, and he has responded rather well to his workload. His last five appearances have been out of the bullpen, showing the organization is trying to lessen the amount of innings he throws this season. He throws low 90's and has a nice curveball and changeup to go with it. He is the best lefty in the system at the lower levels, and ideally would fit in with the four hard throwing righties higher on the list. He should progressively move up the latter assuming no injuries. He should fare well in Bradenten next season.
8.
Robbie Grossman. 21. CF. Bradenten Marauders. Season Stats- .291 12 HR 53 RBI 100BB 113 Runs.
Projected Level '12-AA Altoona.
Projected Year of Arrival-2014.
Grossman is having an exceptional season, and is quietly turning into a very solid prospect. His season in which he was walked 100 times and scored 100 runs is the first of its kind in the minors since 2004, when Nick Swisher did it. The knock on Grossman is that he strikes out a lot, but the on base production is great. He still finds himself low man on the totem pole of Pirates outfielders. Marte seems the next in line to emerage at the big league level, and former prospects/minor leaguers, Alex Presley and Gorkys Hernandez will still be ahead of him. But as long as he continues to develop as a hitter, it will be a good problem to have.
9.
Tony Sanchez. 23. C. Altoona Curve. Season Stats-.235 4 HR 41 RBI
Projected Level '12-Altoona
Projected year of Arrival-2013
Tony Sanchez has not looked like the number four overall pick this season. Not by a long shot. After batting over .300 his first two professional seasons, Sanchez has seemingly hit a wall this year. He has never played this long of a season, but his struggles have been evident all year long. He only has 17 extra base hits this season. Still, Sanchez is the top rated catcher in the system, and it would be foolish to write him off entirely. I do not think he is ever going to be a Joe Maurer, batting champion type catcher, but he certainly can be more than just a serviceable guy as well. The Pirates need him to show he can hit better, because it looks like he may have to repeat in Altoona next year, and that is not a good thing. Doumit and Snyder are not getting any younger. Sanchez needs to be ready to go sooner rather than later.
10.
Matt Curry. 23. 1B. Altoona Curve. Season Stats(A/AA combined)-.290 14 HR 70RBI .490 Slugg.
Projected Level '12-AA Altoona.
Projected Year of Arrival-2014.
Matt Curry has been very impressive this year in his first full professional season. The Pirates boldly moved him to Altoona after a hot start in A ball. He started slowly in AA, but recently has shown signs of life. He is a doubles machine, and has solid power. He comes from a top notch college program in TCU. He will likely begin in Altoona next season, and will be more acquainted to AA pitching. He has the ability to move up to AAA next season, provide it that he hits. I think he may be a solid pro at some point, but he also has signs of turning into a Steve Pearce. And by that I mean, an undersized First Basemen from a good college team that hits extremely well in the minors, but struggles in the majors. I certainly hope that isn't the case, but right now he is the best first base prospect in the system.
This List leaves out some solid players, and borderline prospects....
in AAA Rudy Owens,Jeff Locke, Matt Hague, and Gorkys Hernandez are all capable prospects and may see time during September call ups. The Bucs also have more overslot HS pitchers with power arms in the lower ends of A, and Alex Dickerson, the third round pick of the Bucs may be a better First Basemen than Curry down the line.
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