#1 Prospect - Jameson Taillon

Very few big league clubs have a pitching talent like Gerrit Cole.  The Pirates are lucky to have two guys that can claim that elite status.  The second is my top Pirates prospect, Jameson Taillon.  Ultimately, it's not much of a surprise that Taillon is one of the top prospects in baseball.  His name was firmly placed on the map when the Pirates drafted him #2 overall back in 2010 as a prep pitcher out of the Woodlands High School in Texas, the same school that Kyle Drabek attended.  There wasn't much drama involved in signing Taillon, although he did wait until mid-August to forgo his commitment to Rice and instead take a 6.5 million dollar signing bonus.

#2 Prospect - Gerrit Cole

As bad as the Pirates have been over the past two decades, it's actually shocking they haven't had the first overall pick in the draft more often.  Unfortunately, it means they've missed out on some incredible talent, most notably Stephen Strasburg and Bryce Harper.  I'm not at all bitter though.  Nope, not at all.  That aside, they did have the first overall pick in 2011 and with it they selected my #2 Pirates Prospect, Gerrit Cole.  With the Pirates selecting him actually marked the second time Cole was drafted in the first round of the rule 4 MLB draft.  In 2008, the New York Yankees drafted Cole with the 28th overall pick.  He reportedly turned down four-million dollars and instead elected to attend UCLA.  For Cole, it was a risky maneuver, at least financially, but ultimately it paid off.  The Pirates offered Cole eight-million dollars and this time he didn't turn down the money. 

#3 Prospect - Starling Marte

Talk about bang for your buck.  The Pirates signed Starling Marte - who was originally scouted as a pitcher - out of the Dominican Republic for a scant $85,000 bonus.  The investment turned out to be a great one.  Marte, who stands 6'2, 185 lbs according to fangraphs, oozes tools, highlighted by blazing speed and a strong arm.  Combining those tools with good jumps and reads, Marte is an elite defensive centerfielder.  On the other side of the game, Marte's bat has developed nicely, making him a very good overall prospect. 

#4 Prospect - Luis Heredia

Under Neal Huntington, the Pirates haven't just been committed to adding amateur talent through the draft.  They have also become a bigger player in the international market recently.  It started in 2009 when the Pirates attempted to sign top international prospects SS/3B Miguel Sano.  Unfortunately, they were unsuccessful and he signed with the Twins after significant drama involving Sano's agent.  It was a big blow for the Pirates and their fans, but the front office responded admirably.  The following year, they again attempted to sign the top international prospect on the market.  This time they succeeded and pitcher Luis Heredia became a Pirate.

#5 Prospect - Josh Bell

I'll go ahead and rank Josh Bell at #4.  No, I'm not talking about on my prospect list; he's still #5 on that list. #1 on this mystery list is Andrew McCutchen. #2 is Michael McKenry's 3-run homerun against the Cubs in early July of last year (relive it here). #3 is hometown hero Neil Walker's grandslam on opening day against the Cubs.  The list is the most exciting moments/developments surrounding the Pirates over the past several years, at least to me personally.  McCutchen's development into a superstar and those two homeruns during last year's sensational run (even though that run felt short, come on, it was fun as hell) were something special that has given hope and excitement to Pirates fans.  The drafting and signing of Josh Bell has done the same.

#6 Prospect - Robbie Grossman

Much like my #7 Pirates prospect Tony Sanchez, my #8 prospect Robbie Grossman hangs his hat on being able to get on-base, but more on that later.  Grossman is indicative of a philosophical change that Neal Huntington ushered in concerning the draft.  The outfielder -who signed for exactly one million dollars rather than go to the University of Texas - is the first player the Pirates gave a seven-figure bonus to that was drafted outside of the first round since pitcher Chris Young in 2000.

#7 Prospect - Tony Sanchez

Tony Sanchez, my #7 Pirates prospect, invokes painful memories of another catcher, Matt Wieters.  It's not as simple as they are both catchers or even that both play or played for the Pirates.  In fact, Wieters plays for the Baltimore Orioles, much to the chagrin of Pirates fans.  Wieters was considered a future star as a two-way Catcher coming out of Georgia Tech in 2007.  The Pirates had the opportunity to draft Wieters, but instead drafted pitcher Daniel Moskos, largely due to Wieters price tag.  That gaffe was seemingly the straw that broke the camel's back for general manager Dave Littlefield, who lost his job.

#8 Prospect - Jarek Cunningham

My #8 Pirates prospect, Jarek Cunningham, was part of Neal Huntington's first draft class as the Pirates general manager in 2008.  Cunningham is indicative of a change in the Pirates draft philosophy of paying high school players overslot bonus money in later rounds to improve the infusion of talent into the farm system.  $100,000 bought Cunningham out of his commitment to Arizona State, which was actually a fairly low figure considering prep middle infielder's talent.  Part of the discount was a result of a torn ACL that prevented Cunningham from playing his entire senior season. 

#9 Prospect - Jeff Locke

Another pitcher! Surprise, surprise.  This time it's Jeff Locke, my #9 Pirates Prospect.  Like Kingham was the second youngest player I had profiled up to that point, Locke is the second oldest player currently on my countdown.  Approximately one month younger than Rudy Owens, Locke was not a Pirates draftee.  Formerly part of the Atlanta Braves farm system, the left-handed pitcher was part of the swap that sent Nate McLouth (aka all-star, gold glove winner Nate McLouth) to the Braves in exchange for Charlie Morton, Gorkys Hernandez and Locke.

#10 Prospect - Nick Kingham

My #10 prospect, Nick Kingham, is yet another pitcher.  That's not necessarily a bad thing, as a team can never have enough pitching prospects.  Kingham is another young kid.  In fact, Kingham, who the Pirates picked up in the 2010 draft, is the second youngest player I've profiled, only older than Clay Holmes.  Kingham was the Pirates 4th round pick in 2010 and he ended up receiving the third biggest bonus in the class, although it was only 485,000 dollars.

Buried Treasure Top 20 Prospects

Here is my top 20 Pirates Prospects list for the 2012 season all in one place. So far I have prospects 11-20 finished.  I promise to have my entire top 20 ready for spring training, so check back frequently! Just click the link to go to that player's profile.






01 - Jameson Taillon
02 - Gerrit Cole
03 - Starling Marte
04 - Luis Heredia
05 - Josh Bell
06 - Robbie Grossman
07 - Tony Sanchez
08 - Jarek Cunningham
09 - Jeff Locke
10 - Nick Kingham
11 - Kyle McPherson
12 - Stetson Allie
13 - Alex Dickerson
14 - Colton Cain
15 - Matt Curry
16 - Zack Dodson
17 - Gorkys Hernandez
18 - Rudy Owens
19 - Zack Von Rosenberg
20 - Clay Holmes

#11 Prospect - Kyle McPherson

My #11 Pirates prospect, Kyle McPherson shares certain similarities to my #12 prospect Stetson Allie. Both are right handed pitchers in the Pittsburgh farm system.  From there, they also have their differences.  The buzzword for Allie is ceiling, while the catch-phrase for McPherson is floor. 

McPherson was drafted in the 14th round (428th overall) by the Pirates in 2007 out of the University of Mobile.  At the time, McPherson was intriguing - possessing a solid fastball that sat in the low 90's, passable command, and decent secondaries - but intriguing was the limit.  In his first two full seasons, 2008 and 2009, McPherson did little to change that.  He posted solid ERA's, but McPherson's peripherals were weak.  In 2008, McPherson posted a mediocre 6.6 K/9 although his 0.8 BB/9 demonstrated excellent control as a 20 year old pitching at State College.  McPherson saw his already iffy K/9 dip a bit in 2009, pitching at both State College and West Virginia as a 21 year old, posting a 6.3 K/9, although his 1.2 BB/9 was again impressive.

#12 Prospect - Stetson Allie

Potential, ceiling, flamethrower, "Holy crap he has no idea where his fastball is going."  All are words or phrases almost certainly muttered at one time or another regarding my #12 Pirates prospect, Stetson Allie. The 6'2 or 6'4 (depends on the source), 220 lbs right handed pitcher was the Pirates second round pick in 2010.  Allie was actually Baseball America's #8 draft prospect but fell due to signability concerns.  The Pirates ignored those concerns and took Allie and then paid him 2.25 million dollars to forgo his college commitment to UNC.  

Allie, even at the time of the draft, had incredible pure stuff.  Baseball America said about Allie, "His pure stuff rivals Jameson Taillon's as the best in this draft." Allie's bread and butter is his fastball, that sat in the mid to high 90's as a high school senior and regularly touched triple digits.  He complemented that with a filthy slider that reached the low 90's and has plenty of movement.  Allie rarely used his third pitch - a changeup - in high school, so the Pirates would and will need to develop it for him to be a starter.  Allie also has no stamina problems, as he has a strong, workhorse frame and during high school his stuff held deep into games.  What will hold Allie back, particularly as a starter, is his control and command.  Due to his rawness, Allie was certainly a project coming out of high school, but it's hard to find any pitcher at any level of baseball with the pure stuff possessed by Stetson Allie. 

#13 Prospect - Alex Dickerson

My #13 Pirates prospect, first baseman Alex Dickerson, is my second 2011 draftee so far on the list, and one of four total.  Interestingly, all four major "classes" of players are represented in that group, with two pitchers and hitters, one of each coming from both the high school and college ranks.  Dickerson is the college hitter. 

Dickerson was originally drafted out of high school by the Nationals in the 48th round in 2008. Three years later, in 2011, the Pirates drafted Dickerson out of Indiana University in the 3rd round.  Dickerson chose to forgo his senior season as a Hoosier and signed about a month before the deadline for $380,700, which was close to slot money.  By signing early, Dickerson was able to start his pro career last summer, accumulating 173 plate appearances in 41 games for the State College Spikes.

#14 Prospect - Colton Cain

Colton Cain, my #14 Pirates Prospect was part of the 2009 class that added my #19 prospect, Zach Von Rosenberg, and #16 prospect, Zack Dodson.  The Pirates drafted Cain in the 8th round, and then paid him 1.125 million dollars to break the 8th round bonus record held by the Yankees who signed Dellin Betances in 2006 for 1 million dollars.  Cain, who had been committed to Texas, already stood at 6'3, 225 lbs when he was drafted.  The lefty sat in the low 90's prior to the draft and touched as high as 94 mph with his fastball. In addition, Cain featured a promising curveball that projected as plus at the time and a changeup that needed work.  As an added bonus, Baseball America's #109 rated player in the draft impressed scouts with his ability to hit, which could be a benefit if Cain pitches in the National League.

#15 Prospect - Matt Curry

The Pirates liked Matt Curry, my #15 pirates Prospect, so much they actually drafted him twice.  In 2008, they drafted him as JUCO player out of Howard College, but he elected to go to Texas Christian University instead.  At TCU, Curry had a break out year in 2010, posting a .353/.478/.725 line with 17 HR's and a 54BB:41K rate in 218 AB's.  This lead to the Pirates drafting Curry again, this time in the 16th round. Curry signed fairly quickly, at the end of June, for an unspecified bonus amount. 

This allowed the first baseman to play 58 games in 2010, but curiously the Pirates sent the 21 year-old to short-season State College.  Regardless, Curry responded well, putting up a .299/.421/.477 line bolstered by an excellent 16.3% BB rate and solid 19.6% K rate. It was a positive sign, but Curry should have dominated short-season ball as an advanced college graduate playing against younger competition.

#16 Prospect - Zack Dodson

My #16 Pirates prospect, Zack Dodson was part of the same draft class the added my #19 prospect Zach Von Rosenberg to the Pirates system.  In 2009, the Pirates selected Dodson two rounds ahead of Von Rosenberg, nabbing the lefty pitcher with the 115th overall pick.  The Pirates convinced Dodson to sign rather than attend Baylor with a 600k dollar signing bonus.  

Dodson was not ranked in Baseball America's top 200 draft prospects, but featured a fastball that touched the low 90's and a solid curveball, an intriguing package, especially from the left-side.  Dodson, who stands at 6'2 inches, lacks elite projectability, but at only 180 lbs (according to fangraphs; Pirates Prospects has him at 180 lbs), he does have some room to add muscle.

#17 Prospect - Gorkys Hernandez

Gorkys Hernandez, my # 17 Pirates prospect, is the first on my list to not be drafted by the Pirates.  Gorkys was signed originally by Detroit, and went to the Braves in exchange for Edgar Renteria.  Gorkys excelled in the Braves system as a 20 year old in A+ ball, putting up a .734 OPS.  Those offensive stats meshed well with Gorkys's reputation as one of the best defensive CF's in baseball, giving him significant value as a prospect.  In 2009, Baseball America's #62 preseason prospect packed his bags for Pittsburgh as part of the trade that sent Nate McLouth to the Braves.

#18 Prospect - Rudy Owens

Rudy Owens, my #18 Pirates prospect, stands at 6'3" and weighs 215 pounds.  The Pirates drafted Owens in the 28th round, 830th overall in the 2006 MLB draft. He was committed to Arizona State, but went to Chandler-Gilbert CC and signed with the Pirates just before the draft-and-follow deadline.

Owens throws both a 4-seam and 2-seam fastball.  His 2-seam fastball is his best pitch and sits in the high 80's and low 90's. His 4-seam fastball comes in faster, sitting in the low 90's and touching the mid 90's occasionally. For secondary pitches, Owens throws an excellent changeup and a still developing, but adequate curveball.  Without overpowering stuff, Owens relies on superb command of his pitches, especially his two fastballs. 

#19 Prospect - Zack Von Rosenberg

Zack Von Rosenberg epitomizes the Pirates draft strategy under General Manager Neal Huntington.  My #19 prospect in the Pirates system was drafted in the 6th round, 175th overall.  That draft position was not indicative of his talent.  Ranked as the 41st best prospect in the draft by Baseball America, Von Rosenberg slid to the 6th round due to a strong college commitment to LSU.  However, the Pirates were able to convince Von Rosenberg to turn pro with the exact same 1.2 million dollar bonus that Clay Holmes received.