Post draft top Pirate prospects.

                       The 2013 draft was an important event for the Pirates organization, simply because they added two first round picks. The two players technically have not signed, so you have to be mindful of that, because we all know what happened with Mark Appel last season. Also, another significant event would be the promotion of Gerrit Cole. I would still label Cole as a prospect, because there is no guarantee he will remian with the big club for good. Although, you would obvioulsy hope he can assert himself as a dominant major league pitcher. I will not include him in the list, just announcing he is still a "prospect" as of now.



1. Jameson Taillon 21yo RHP AA Altoona
Stats - 3-5 3.11 ERA 71 K's 27 BB 66.2 IP


Taillon is now the next in line to be called to the majors. He is having a productive campaign in AA to date, and has really done well with his strikeout numbers. His command has been on par for the most part, but it can still be better. Taillon is just like Cole, he is a power right hander with an electric fastball. Taillon is a former number two overall pick, but he came from high school. His development has taken time, but he is still just 21. I expect to see Taillon finish this season in AAA, even if it is just for a couple starts. He should start next year in AAA regardless, with a good chance to be in Pittsburgh by next June.


2. Gregory Polanco 21yo OF High-A Bradenton
Stats - .313 6 HR  30 RBI  23 SB 66 Hits

Polanco is the crown jewel of position players in the organization. He is also one of many talented young outfielders in the bottom levels of the farm sysem. Polanco could be the right fielder of the future with his 6-4 frame, and could make some significant jumps soon. He should be approaching AA, after doing exceptionally well in two levels of class A the past two seasons. It is believed his power will grow with age, and could be a solid bat in the middle of an order.


3. Luis Heredia 18yo RHP Extended Spring Training
Stats- N/A

 Heredia is an exciting player that is being who is being brought along slowly. He was signed out of Mexico as a 16 year old, and has all the tools to be a front end of the rotation guy. He pitched in short season last year, and it would be ideal if he made it to low-A this season. I do not see a big rush with this kid, especially with some of the depth that has been devloping elsewhere in the system. In a few years, his debut could be bigger than Cole's or Taillon's. Heredia has that kind of promise.

4. Alen Hanson 20yo SS High-A Bradenton
Stats - .278  3 HR  24 RBI  14 SB 62 Hits

Hanson is a very important player to the Pittsburgh organization. They have really struggled drafting and developing a middle infielder from within, and it really shows. AA and AAA are littered with plenty of guys that do not appear to be anything more than career minor leaguers and MLB bench players. Enter: Hanson. The 20 year old has great athleticism and showed some promise offensively last season. Like many young infeilders, defense is not all the way there yet. He has high expectations, and you have to hope he can pull through.

5. Stetson Allie 22yo 1B Low-A West Virginia
Stats - .322  16 HR  55 RBI  73 Hits

The Pirates drafted Stetson Allie as a pitcher that boasted an 101 MPH Fastball. So naturally, Allie has developed into one of the best power hitters in the minors. Allie has his some mammoth bombs this season, that have caught a lot of people's attention. Is he for real? It sure would be nice is he is. Allie has a long way to go, but he is having the best season of any minor league hitter for the Pirates. It is still hard to project his promotions at this point.

6. Austin Meadows 18yo OF Unsigned
Stats - N/A

It could be premature to put Meadows here, but I really think the Pirates drafted a big time player. Any draftee is hard to predict, but Meadows was the 5th best player in the entire draft. He fell to Pittsburgh at number 9, and the Pirates must persuade him away from his Clemson commitment. I do not think it will be a big deal, and he will join a talented group of young outfielders. Meadows has been compared to Cincinnati Reds star, Jay Bruce. He has a big, strong frame that can add power as he gets older. It will be at likely be 3-4 years until we see Meadows, unless he pulls a Mike Trout acceleration through the farm system.

7. Josh Bell 20yo RF Low-A West Virginia
Stats - .277  8 HR   45 RBI   65 Hits

Bell is another special outfielder in Class A. The Pirates took him in the second round of the 2011 draft, although most deemed him not draftable due to his strong commitment to Texas. A huge signing bonus played a role in luring a first round type talent to Pittsburgh. He missed large parts of last season with an injury, so he is repeating in West Virginia. He is still striking out a bit, but it appears Bell is going to be a power hitter in his career. He is a switch hitter, but more power comes when he hits as a lefty. I could see him moving up a class this year, but I could also see Huntington wanting him to get a full year in low-A.

8. Tyler Glasnow 19yo RHP Low-A West Virginia
Stats - 3-1    2.92 ERA    80 K   35 BB   52.1 IP

Glasnow is having an outstanding season. 80 strikeouts in 52 innings is pretty ridiculous. He is not really pitching anymore than 5 innings a start, so its evident the Pirates are letting him develop slowly. He had 11 starts last season, and this will be his first full professional season. Glasnow was a highly thought of prospect, and Pittsburgh used their 4th round selection in 2011 on him. He is a big, lanky pitcher that sticks out at 6-7. He has been pretty overpowering, simply by looking at his strikeout rate. It will be a while before we see Glasnow.

9. Reese McGuire 18yo C Unsigned
Stats - N/A

The Pirates had two top draft picks, and McGuire was their second selection at pick 14. McGuire is regarded as one of the better defensive catchers in recent memory. That alone should make McGuire have a bright future ahead. His bat obviously needs work, but that will be worked on in the minors. He has already declared that he will go with Pittsburgh over college baseball. Hopefully his deal can be worked out soon, and make his way to short season ball this year.

10. Barrett Barnes 21yo OF Low-A West Virginia
Stats - .200   3 RBI   3 Stolen Bases

It is obvious by his stats that Barnes has been hurt this season. Barnes just returned this week with two stints on the disabled list already. He is essentially last year's top draft pick with Appel not signing. He has some athletic ability, and looks to be a centerfielder down the line. He is in a log jam of excellent outfield prospects in the lower levels, that could potentially mean that one could be a piece in a deal at the deadline, if they need to make a move.

Pirates land two high school bats in 2013 draft.

                               The Pittsburgh Pirates were able to add two quality pieces into the organization tonight as they drafted twice in the first 14 picks in the draft. That was due to the Pirates failing to sign Mark Appel in last year's draft. The Pirates were compensated with the 9th pick, as Appel's gamble paid off as he was selected first this time around.  With their first selection, the Bucs chose Austin Meadows of Georgia. A few picks later the Pirates took Washington state catcher, Reese McGuire.  The Pirates seemingly have loaded up in pitching in recent drafts, but clearly offense was the priority in 20123 We now know the names, but its time to take a look into the picks a little further.

Austin Meadows 6-3 215 CF Grayson, Georgia.

 

 

 The Pirates made Meadows their first pick, and it seems like a very good one. The name Jay Bruce comes up when scouts look for a player to compare to Meadows. If the Pirates can find that kind of player with the 9th pick, it was well worth the Mark Appel gamble of last season. Meadows is a left handed batter, and should figure prominently into the future at PNC Park. He played exceptionally well in the IBAF tournament two summers ago for USA, by hitting .537 with 28 RBI. Meadows is regarded as a very good athlete, and was one of the higher rated ones in the draft. He can certainly hit, and could add some power down the line. For the most part he looks like he can play center field, but after doing some reading, some think a move to the corner could happen.  Meadows has a Clemson verbal commitment, but the Pirates should not have trouble signing him. Meadows also joins a very good crop of young outfielders on the farm. Yes, McCutchen and Marte are with the big club, but in the lower levels there are names like Gregory Polanco, Josh Bell, and Barrett Barnes that will be competing for jobs down the line.  It is a good problem to have.

 

 

 

Reese McGuire 6-1 190 C Kentwood, Washington.

 

Most, it not all, major mock draft experts had the Pirates linked to this kid at some point. Many thought McGuire's name would be called in the 9 spot, but luckily for the Pirates, he fell to 14. McGuire had a strong showing this Fall with the U18 USA Team, and ultimately rose as the top catching prospect just this Spring. His defense is highly regarded, and it will be his bat that needs developed. From what I have read, he can run, he has an arm, and is strong behind the plate. He has all the tools to be a polished major league catcher. He is also a left handed bat that should work well at PNC Park. The Pirates should have little trouble prying him away from his San Diego commitment.

 

 



 

 

I'll be sure to update if the Pirates make any exciting moves as the weekend goes on. 



So many kinds of fans.

                        Twitter is a weird place, but also a funny one. If you like sports, then you follow sports related people on there. It is a good way to watch a game, by getting thousands of opinions and comments from hundreds of different people on your feed. You also get to see breaking news unfold, again with up to the second opinions from sports writers, bloggers, tv personalities, or just common fans. You also get to learn quite a bit about certain people, and what they like to do. Let's learn about the different kind of fans.


Pitt fans - We ( I say we because I am one) are a strange bunch. We basically assume the worst at all times, because that is the kind of streak we are on. Between failed recruiting fiascos, coaching changes, and transfers.....Its been a hell of a ride lately. Not to mention having a basketball team be a dominant regular season program, but flop in March does not help spirits. Having a football team that can't live up to expectations, just causes mass hysteria every Fall. We as a whole are a mess.

Penguin fans - Pens fans are weird, because there are different kinds of them. Some like to point out

they watched them before Sidney Crosby, and they won't let you forget it. Some like to think they are "tough" because they watch Hockey, and Hockey players are tough, so that in turn makes them "tough". Some like to think they know more about hockey than the players and coaches themselves, and are not afraid to tweet the world hopelessly about it. Also, most if not all, ride the tide. If the Pens are on a 17 game winning streak phrases like "best team ever come out" but if they are losing "Fire Bylsma" and "Trade Malkin" also are said. And that basically goes from game to game.

Pirate fans - Pirate fans are goofy, and it probably comes from being terrible for many years. The team can be 15 games over, but people are constantly in panic mode. They like to come up with little twitter expressions and use them constantly.  #Tootblan #Hurdled #raiseit #Free(insert minor leaguer doing well) #WeirdBaseball #JerryMealsSaysItsSafe and too many more to mention. Case and point, if things are going right, Bucco fans just assume they will go wrong in a matter of games.

Steeler fans - Steeler fans are some sick people. They routinely forget that other things exist other than the Steelers. These are the people that are too old for Twitter asking the writers, "Do u think the Stillers will be able to run the ball n'at enough dis year?" They also like to brag about 6 Super Bowl rings, and will never let you forget that. They always like the backup quarterback, and will commonly refer to anyone on Baltimore a bitch, despite the Steelers playing the same way. They also believe "The Rooney's won't draft guys with character issues, we're too good for that." Or they like to bash a free agent like James Harrison for not resigning for less money. Like its some crazy notion that a player would rather play somewhere other than Pittsburgh? Are you serious? Really? I dare you to tell him that to his face.

Penn State fans - You are, we get it. Stop saying it.

Notre Dame fans - Are you Irish? Maybe. Are you Catholic? Maybe. Did you or your family go to Notre Dame? Nope.  You fit the criteria.

People that root against Pittsburgh teams just to be different fans - You guys are the worst. You really are. You revel in all of your friend's heartaches and just cause problems. Just stop it.

LeBron James fans - I can't stand you guys either. Everyone that doesn't like LeBron is a hater. Cool dude.

Soccer fans - Sorry, I just feel bad for you.

Hockey fans - "Hockey players are so tough, screw basketball"  No, screw you.

Basketball fans - I don't have a favorite team. I just float around to my favorite player, than act like its my favorite team.

Smart guy fan - I beat my opinions to death, and if you argue against me, I know more than you. So don't do it.

Twitter coach fan - I know what they did wrong, I would have done it this way. Call me Captain Hindsight.

Mention and criticize professional athlete fan - Its one thing to be upset with a player, mentioning him?  Really? You just ate a bag of potato chips and watched the game on your couch.  relax.

Ask for a retweet fan - I'm a grown man asking another grown man for a retweet on twitter.

Mention college athlete/recruit fan - Its just weird.

Call out bandwagon fan - Must prove over and over again that you grew up watching this team, and everyone else sucks.

Casual fan -  "Oh the game is on, cool i'll watch it."

Always going to the game fan - Just twitpicing away your awesome seats, while we are all at home or in a bar.


I think that covers most of it. A good number of those describe myself, so don't feel bad. Stay calm and Tweet on.