Building from within has always been the Pirates’ mantra. That’s been no more evident than this season from Gerrit Cole’s electrifying debut, Jordy Mercer’s offensive boost at short, and a solid spot start by Brandon Cumpton.
So which Pirates’ are sailing smoothly through the minor leagues and which are struggling to keep their head above water?
The Good
Vic Black/RP AAA: The closer at Indianapolis, Black sports an excellent 2.62 ERA and 1.04 WHIP in 24 innings of work. According to Pirates Prospects, he possesses a fastball that tops out at 97 and a slider with a lot of movement, Black has struck out 33. He’s kept the ball in the yard too allowing just three home runs in the last 84 innings. He could eventually take the set-up man to closer route or be an extra arm if injuries hit the bullpen.
Nick Kingham/SP AA: The former 4th round pick struck out a whopping 75 in 70 innings of work at high A Bradenton. Six times did he strike out at least seven with a season-high of 13 in late April. Only 21, his fastball sits at 95 and his excellent work earned him a recent call-up to Altoona. Control was an issue in his AA debut with only 54 of 87 pitches being strikes but struck out seven in 5 2/3 scoreless.
Stetson Allie/1B A-: Failing to cut it as a pitcher, the Buccos moved Allie to first base and the results have been encouraging. Allie has shown a ton of power with 17 HRs and 16 doubles to go with a .324/.414/.607 slash. He’s striking out over 32% of the time, but is at least drawing some walks (36).
Josh Bell/OF A-: A highly touted draft pick, Bell is holding his own at West Virginia hitting .289 with eight long balls and 20 RBIs. He’s heated up in June showing off a .367 average with just five strikeouts.
Orlando Castro/SP A-: Castro has been nasty on the mound striking out 63 while walking just six in 74 innings. His ERA is a cool 1.93 and teams are hitting a paltry .236 off of him. He’s gone at least five innings in all but two of his 13 starts.
Tyler Glasnow/SP A-: Staying in West Virginia, Glasnow is having an even better year than Castro. He’s been nearly untouchable with 85 punchouts in 57 innings of work, allowing only 28 hits. However, Glasnow has been beating himself with 36 walks and nine wild pitches. He has a tendency to get hit hard giving up six homers.
The Bad
Brooks Brown/SP AAA: Brown is not touted as much of a prospect and rightfully so. The 28 year old may have a decent 5-2 record but couldn’t be more deceiving. Holding a 5.77 ERA and WHIP just over 1.4, Brown has also allowed nine homers in 53 innings. Combine that with a low K rate (38 punchouts) and he’s nothing more than a warm body.
Alex Dickerson/1B AA: A promising third round pick in 2011, Dickerson has struggled with the Curve hitting just .235 in 191 ABs after hitting .295 in high A Bradenton last season. He’s also struck out in over a quarter of his at bats. All is not lost with him though as he’s flashed power boasting 16 doubles and five home runs.
Nate Baker/RP AA: Baker has struggled mightily since his call-up to Altoona. His ERA is in the stratosphere at 11.76 and has issued 21 walks to just 17 strikeouts in just over 20 innings of work.
Photo Credit: Flickr.com/daveynin
