As Pittsburgh Pirates fans may be all too familiar with by now, the lower budget Major League club’s lifeblood is the team’s farm system.
With the MLB All-Star Future’s Game now in the rear view mirror, now is a good time to see how some of the club’s top prospects have been performing this year. Keep in mind pitchers Jameson Taillon and Nick Kingham were omitted due to having both suffered a major injury that cost them most of their seasons.
Tyler Glasnow – The right-handed pitcher was the consensus top prospect for the Pirates coming into the season, and thus far has shown why. Despite missing a month with an ankle injury, the 21-year-old flamethrower is still having a successful year. In nine starts for Double-A Altoona, Glasnow is 3-2 and averaging 10.4 strikeouts per nine innings, while teams are batting just .180 against him. The biggest worry for Glasnow coming into the season was potential control issues; however he is averaging less than three walks per nine innings, the lowest of his career. It would not be a surprise to see Glasnow in Triple-A Indianapolis by year’s end and then with the Pirates at some point in 2016.
Josh Bell – Playing for Altoona, the 22-year-old is in his first full season at first base since after transitioning there from the outfield last fall. A switch hitter with good power potential, Bell has a .312 average and 51 RBIs, but only has five home runs and 13 doubles on the year. He did, however, hit a home run in the MLB All-Star Futures game Sunday. While Bell’s bat appears ready to make the jump to Indianapolis, it is likely that the Pirates want to him refine his defense in Altoona, as he has 13 errors this season. He projects to make the big leagues at some point next season.
Austin Meadows – Despite being one of the youngest players at the High-A level, the 20-year-old Meadows was still named as a Florida State League all-star in June. The 2013 first-round pick is batting .296 with 16 doubles and 14 stolen bases for Bradenton, while only committing two errors in center field. Given Meadows’s youth and the Pirates outfield being set for the foreseeable future, the Pirates can take their time with him.
Reese McGuire -The Pirates other first round selection in 2013, McGuire is having a bit of a down yet still solid year in Bradenton. Drafted as a defensive specialist, McGuire has thrown out a career low 28 percent of base stealers while committing six errors. However, the good news is that the reports of the 20-year-old’s blocking and overall throwing skills have been positive, so his defensive numbers should improve. Offensively, he has a .263 average but his OPS is only .606. Like Meadows, he is one of the youngest players in the FSL, so it would not be a surprise to see him return to Bradenton in 2016.
Alen Hanson – The 22-year-old second baseman is in his first year with Indianapolis, but already looks Major League-ready. He is batting .290 with 11 doubles, eight triples and has swiped 23 bags, but has been caught 10 times. The biggest worry with Hanson is defense, however he has only committed six errors in his first full year at second base, a huge drop from the 29 he has last season at shortstop. It would not be a surprise to see Hanson in the Majors at some point this year, with a future has a possible leadoff hitter.
Cole Tucker – The recently turned 19-year-old shortstop received an aggressive promotion to Class-A West Virginia, and despite being a year removed from high school in a league with many former college players, is having a nice season. He is hitting .292 and stolen 21 bases, and even though he has committed 11 errors, has still shown the range and arm to stick at shortstop. He is likely to remain with the Power all year, and could move up to Bradenton next season.
Elias Diaz – The Pirates’ other representative at the Future’s Game, Diaz is putting together another solid season for Indianapolis. His 28 percent caught stealing rate is the same as McGuire, however Diaz has had half as many chances since he has been splitting time at catcher with Tony Sanchez. The 24-year-old is not hitting as well as he did last season, but still has a respectable .265 average and .700 OPS. Unless a long-term injury happens to Francisco Cervelli, Diaz is likely not going to receive more than a September call-up this year, but could compete for a Major league spot in 2016.
Harold Ramirez – Ramirez missed the first month and a half of the season, but is having as good a year offensively as anyone in the Pirates’ system. The outfielder has a .356 average .879 OPS at Bradenton while committing only two errors in 37 games. He is similar to Jose Tabata in that he has the potential to hit for average and has some speed, but is limited as a power hitter. Ramirez is currently playing for Team Colombia in the Pan-American Games, but could see an eventual promotion to Altoona upon his return. Keep an eye on him as a possible trade chip.
Kevin Newman and Ke’Bryan Hayes – The Pirates two 2015 first round picks are off to opposite starts to their pro careers. Newman has struggled thus far through 14 games with a .185 average and .431 OPS and only two doubles being his only extra base hits for the Low-A West Virginia Black Bears with three errors at shortstop. Hayes, meanwhile, is off to a hot start for the Gulf Coast League Pirates. The 18-year-old third baseman has a .378 average and .961 OPS. It is hard to say right now where they two will end up next year, but it would not be a surprise if both end up with the Class-A West Virginia Power.
