The Pirates had to win one of their last two games against the Cardinals to advance to the NLCS. Instead, the Pittsburgh bats went cold and the Cardinals mustered just enough hits to take the last two games of the series and advance.
It’s not hard to be proud of this team, despite falling short of a World Series title. Not after watching twenty straight seasons that were pretty much over by August. This was fun, to say the least.
And yet, this is just the beginning.
Not only do the Pirates boast one of the best Major League clubs in the National League, they also possess one of the best minor league systems . Baseball Prospectus ranked the Pirates as the #6 farm system in the league at the beginning of the year. That was well before Tyler Glasnow and Nick Kingham had breakout seasons and the acquisitions of Austin Meadows and Reese McGuire in the first round of the 2013 draft. While Gerrit Cole did graduate to the majors, the Pirates have a deep pipeline of talent, specifically outfielders and pitchers.
The 2014 pitching staff will definitely feature Francisco Liriano, Gerrit Cole and Charlie Morton. AJ Burnett might return for one more season. That leaves the fifth spot up for grabs between Jameson Taillon, Brian Cumpton, Jeff Locke, and Kris Johnson. History suggests Taillon will start in AAA however, barring injuries or a terrible start, Taillon should arrive in Pittsburgh by next June.
Also arriving later in the year will be Gregory Polanco, the top position player in the system. The just-turned 22 year old outfielder is a projected five-tool player with advanced plate discipline. He will need to hit AAA pitching before receiving a call up to the majors so he probably wont arrive until September.
What does all this mean?
Well, the 2014 season might look similar to 2013 only with slightly better pitching. The Pirates will still need a first baseman and corner outfielder to play alongside Andrew McCutchen and Starling Marte. Whether Neal Huntington adds those pieces in December or July is up in the air at this point.
Regardless, the Pirates certainly shouldn’t regress. Pedro Alvarez has hit 30+ home runs in back to back seasons, Andrew McCutchen proved last season wasn’t a fluke, Starling Marte took big steps forward from his rookie season last year, and Gerrit Cole went from rookie to star in less than four months. While the Pirates will likely be unable to sign long-term extensions to all of these players, none of the aforementioned will be up for free agency until at least 2018.
Five year window? Not so fast.
The Pirates have six top 100 prospects. That doesn’t include players like Josh Bell and Nick Kingham who are expected to eventually make an impact at the Major League level. That’s quite a difference from relying on Steve Pearce and Brad Eldred.
Cole and Taillon could form the top 1-2 punch in all of baseball by 2015 or 2016. By then, the Pirates might be making room for Tyler Glasnow, a right-handed pitcher who stands at 6’8 and throws in the mid-90s with a devastating curveball. That’s certainly better than depending on Jeff Locke.
Obviously, nothing is guaranteed in sports, let alone baseball. But the core players who turned this franchise around aren’t going anywhere and there are reinforcements on the way. Some prospects may rise and some may fall but the overall direction of the organization is straight up and the sky is the limit.
Photo courtesy of ESPN
