It might not have been on the level of Daniel Moskos over Matt Wieters.
Still, the Pittsburgh Pirates drafting pitcher Jameson Taillon over shortstop Manny Machado in the 2010 MLB First-Year Player Draft created a heated dialogue, if not heavy scrutiny.
The debate was understandable.
Baseball America rated Taillon as its second-best prospect, with Machado right after him. At shortstop, the Pirates had the ever-forgettable Ronny Cedeno starting at the time. No one in the system appeared to be a future starting option, as current starter Jordy Mercer had yet to break out.
The pitching depth was even worse.
There were no Gerrit Cole or Tyler Glasnow-type prospects who had ace potential. There was not even a pre-Tommy John Nick Kingham-type who had the upside of a No. 2 starter. Instead, Brad Lincoln was the top pitching prospect and Zach Duke was the team’s ace.
It was easy to make a case for either Machado or Taillon. Yet the selection of Taillon was not universally well-received.
He was just another prep arm who would take at least four years before reaching the majors, if he even made it that far. Meanwhile, Machado might have only taken two or three, and would have given the Pirates a potential future All-Star. Patience is hard to come by when the team was in the midst of its 20th-consecutive losing season.
The two players’ careers were destined to be compared; the future “what if’s” during draft do-overs were likely.
Machado arrived in the Majors as a 20-year-old in 2012 and is now Baltimore’s starting third baseman; Taillon, six years later, is finally set to make his Pirates debut.
He was on track to make it to Pittsburgh in 2014, but Tommy John Surgery held him out for two years.
In the meantime, Machado has twice been named an All-Star — and currently has the most All-Star votes for any AL third baseman — two Gold Gloves and even competed in the Home Run Derby. He already has 83 career home runs, and he’s only 24 years old.
It’s easy to say the Pirates made the wrong move six years ago. In fact, at the moment it is very hard to say otherwise.
Yet the debate is not over.
This is not Moskos vs. Wieters. Regardless of what Wieters would do, Moskos was destined to fail. It was as terrible pick now as it was in 2007. Taillon was a justifiable selection when it was made.
He has the chance to prove it.
Taillon has looked every bit the pitcher he was projected to be this season. He has a 4-2 record with a 2.04 ERA for Triple-A Indianapolis, and arrives as still a top prospect; Moskos was a footnote when he was called-up in 2011.
To his credit, Moskos did have a 2.96 ERA in 31 appearances — all in 2011 out of the bullpen. But he was quietly designated for assignment, and he was never heard from again. Taillon, meanwhile, has a chance to be a shot in the arm to a struggling pitching staff. It seems like he’s been around forever, but Taillon is also still just 24 years old.
It is his time to prove why the Pirates picked him No. 2 overall in 2010.
He has a good chance of doing so.
Photo credit: MLB.com
