Battling Bucs : Minors Review - Left Handed Pitchers

Top 3 Prospects
1. Blake Taylor: The Pirates top 3 left handed pitching prospects are so close that it is like splitting hairs to rank them but Taylor gets my nod as the top prospect due to his higher ceiling. Taylor was drafted this past year by the Pirates in the second round and signed for a good bit under slot even though the second round is right about where he was expected to be selected. Taylor’s arsenal includes a low 90s fastball, a good curve and a changeup which like most high school pitchers needs a lot of work. Taylor is quite a young player even for a high school draftee as he didn’t turn 18 until two months after being drafted so the Pirates are most likely counting on him adding some velocity as he matures. Taylor saw some action in rookie ball last season and held himself well. As I mentioned Taylor has a good bit of upside and has the ceiling of a very good number two pitcher. Considering his young age and the work he needs to put in Taylor will likely pitch the 2014 season in short season ball.
2. Joely Rodriguez: Originally signed out of the Dominican Republic in 2009 Rodriguez is also the Pirates second best international pitching prospect behind only Luis Heredia. Rodriguez was added to the 40 man roster this offseason so the Pirates clearly see value in him. Rodriguez has a pretty standard arsenal for a left handed pitcher including a low 90s fastball, a slider and a change. Rodriguez spent his first professional season in the DSL and his next 3 in rookie or short season ball. Early on he had trouble with his control but he made significant improvements in that area as the years went on. Rodriguez by no means pitched badly his first 4 years but it wasn’t really until this last season that he established himself as a legitimate prospect. In 2013 Rodriguez started at in A ball and dominated the level posting a 1.01 ERA over his last 9 starts and showing the ability to miss some bats something he had done little of previously. The Pirates promoted him to A+ and he continued to pitch well though his strike out rate did drop a little. If Rodriguez sticks in the rotation he has the upside of a solid middle of the rotation arm but he could also be a strong back end reliever should the Pirates opt to go that route. Most likely Rodriguez will start the 2014 season in AA and if all goes well he has an outside shot of being called up in September to serve as an extra lefty in the bullpen.
3. Cody Dickson: Dickson is sort of a combination of the two pitchers above him. He has a bit more upside than Rodriguez and is a little more polished than Taylor. He was drafted by the Pirates in the 4^th round of this past draft out of Sam Houston state. His arsenal is similar to that of Taylor’s but a little more polished as he has a low 90s fastball, a good curve and an average change up. Dickson had the potential to be a 2^nd or 3^rd round draft pick but he slipped a little bit because of control problems he displayed during his last college season that had him out of the rotation at one point. He had a strong pro debut last year in A- showing good strike out stuff and while his command wasn’t the sharpest it was at least passable. Dickson has been a fairly popular pick to really take a step forward this year as a prospect so we will see how things progress as if he improves his command he could become a borderline #2 starter./ strong number 3 starter. The Pirates could send Dickson to A ball but the Pirates often send their advanced college players to A+ so I expect him to begin the year there.
Major League Depth
The three pitchers in this category and Daniel Schlereth (who no longer qualifies as a prospect) are competing to be the third left handed relief option for the Pirates. Obviously none of them are likely to start the season in the majors so they would be serving this role from AAA.
Andy Oliver: Oliver was acquired by the Pirates before the start of the 2013 season in exchange for catcher Ramon Cabrera. He has tremendous stuff including a mid 90s fastball that can touch the upper 90s but he has no real sense of control. When he was originally drafted by the Tigers he was considered a top prospect largely because of his great stuff but the Tigers like they do with a lot of their top prospects rushed him to the majors as he made his first appearance in June of his first professional season. His first taste of the major leagues didn’t go well and he spent the reminder of that season and nearly all of the next two in AAA trying to improve his control. After the 2012 season the Pirates decided to trade him to the Pirates who took a crack at working their magic on him. At first things looked promising as through six starts his walk rate was down to around 55 BB/9 but then the bottom fell out and while he put up decent results (4.05 ERA, .214 AVG) and showed great swing and miss stuff (10.0 K/9) he had absolutely no control finishing the year at 8.1 BB/9. Oliver is out of options and has somehow survived this long on the 40 man roster but his time is certainly almost up but I have little doubt he’ll make it through waivers.
Adam Wilk: Wilk is essentially the complete opposite of Oliver. He gets by with a high 80s fastball and solid secondary pitches including a change, curve and slider. He doesn’t generate many strike outs but has excellent command of his pitches. In a bit of an odd twist Wilk like Oliver was a 2009 draft selection of the Tigers. He put up good numbers reaching the big leagues in May of 2011 but his short stint there didn’t go well and he was sent back to AAA. More of the same happened in 2012 as he pitched well in AAA got called up for a few spots start and got hammered. After the season the Tigers released him and Wilk signed with a Korean team. His numbers in Korea were not too good and his season ended when he suffered a shoulder injury. The Pirates signed him to a minor league contract this offseason and will likely send him to AAA to begin the year.
Yao-Hsun Yang: Yang is part of an expanding effort by the Pirates to make inroad into the Taiwan baseball market. The Pirates signed Yang this past offseason but at 31 years old he isn’t your typical prospect. Yang has competed in the 2006 and 2013 World Baseball Classics and has played in Japan making him a popular player in Taiwan which should help the Pirates brand spread. Yang used to throw in the mid 90s but is now most often in the low 90s and he compliments that with a solid slider along with a curve and change which are less good. The Pirates invited him to camp but he obviously won’t make the major league team though if he pitches well in AAA he could be a depth option later on.
Mid Level Wildcards
The following players face a critical year in 2014. They really haven’t established themselves as prospects yet but can’t completely be written off yet either. The upcoming season is likely their last chance to show they are more than organizational guys.
Zack Dodson: Dodson was a member of the large 2009 prep pitcher class selected by the Pirates. At this point all of them have either moved on to another franchise, retired or transitioned into an organizational role, all of them that is except Dodson. Dodson remains the last hope for that group and it is his being left handed that has most likely spared him from suffering the same fate but his time is running out. Dodson has the usual repertoire of a left handed pitcher including a low 90s fastball, good curve and developing change. Dodson pitched one inning in 2009 making 2010 his first true taste of pro ball. The season went fairly well as he held his own and showed improvement as the year went along. The following year he went to A ball and got off to a good start before breaking his hand. He would pitch again but clearly wasn’t back to himself yet. His 2012 season ended up as a disaster as the Pirates sent him back to A ball only for him to struggle mightily and then eventually be suspended. Once he was eligible to play in 2013 Dodson went to A+ and took a small step forward from the previous season. Time is quickly running out for Dodson and coupled with the lack of options for the AA rotation I’m guessing Dodson will be pushed there and given one last chance to prove himself.
Orlando Castro: The Pirates signed Castro out of Honduras in 2009. Castro spent his first pro season in the VSL before moving to the states. In his first three seasons he pitched well but never really established himself. Last season that changed as he made it impossible to ignore him with his ridiculous performance in A ball. In his first 6 starts spanning 34 innings, Castro walked only one guy. His control remained out of this world as in 13 games at the level he posted a walk rate of just 0.7 BB/9. His other numbers were great as well as his ERA was under 2. The Pirates promoted him to A+ and things didn’t go nearly as well as he was taken out of the rotation after only four starts. Castro only gets his fastball up into the high 80s but he has good breaking stuff and while that stuff will work in the lower levels it typically fails as a pitcher climbs. Castro will likely begin 2014 in A+ and will have to prove he can be an exception to that rule.
Nathan Baker: The Pirates drafted Baker in the 5^th round of the 2009 draft out of the University of Mississippi. At this point he is a long shot to have any MLB impact but he at least helped the Pirates kind of get an MLB depth starter as the Pirates drafted his teammate Phil Irwin later in the same draft. It can’t be proven but it makes sense the Pirates scouts were there watching Baker when they also noticed Irwin. As for Baker himself he comes with the usual assortment of pitches, fastball, slider and change. Baker pitched a handful of innings in 2009 but his real debut came in 2010. The Pirates started him at A ball and he fared well earning a promotion to A+. There he seemed to stall as the Pirates kept him there a year and half despite his numbers being decent. He opened 2012 in AA and has remained there the last two years getting hit around pretty hard. Baker is no longer a starting pitching candidate but his stuff is good enough and he has shown enough improvement that he could still turn into a decent reliever. He’ll likely start the season back at AA with one final chance to prove himself.
Low Level Projects
The following players are some of the more interesting left handed pitchers the Pirates have at the lowest levels of their minor league system.
Dalton Friend: Friend probably really doesn’t fit in here but then again it is difficult to say just where he belongs. The Pirates drafted him in the 12^th round of the 2012 draft and despite being selected so low he appeared to have a fair amount of promise as he has shown the ability to get his fastball into the mid 90s and has a good curve to compliment it. He was a strike out machine in college and Baseball America had him rated the 328^th best player in the draft and he looked like he had the makings of a very solid back of the bullpen prospect. The Pirates started him in short season ball and after a terrible first outing in which he allowed 6 runs without recording an out he was terrific the rest of the season. Going into the 2013 season some thought the Pirates may push him to A+ but he ended up missing the entire season with an undisclosed injury which has really set him back. If Friend is healthy he’ll likely get a less aggressive placement starting out in A ball.
Jose Batista: Admittedly I don’t know much about him but the Pirates really seem to like Batista. They gave him a 120K signing bonus in 2013 and he went on to have a very strong debut in the DSL and is now already in the states. He has decent size for a left handed pitcher and his arsenal includes a low 90s fastball and a slider.
Hector Garcia: Garcia is in the same vein as Batista. I don’t know much about him but the Pirates gave him a significant signing bonus last year (190 K) and after one strong season in the DSL have opted to bring him stateside. His arsenal is a bit different as his fastball currently only occasionally touches the low 90s and he has a curve instead of a slider. At just 6’ 0” he is also a smaller than Batista.
Cesilio Pimentel: Pimentel is in a similar mold to the two players above just a bit farther along. He was signed in 2011 for a significant bonus of 140K. During his first professional season in the DSL he pitched well recording a lot of strike outs. The Pirates had him repeat the level in 2012 and he pitched well again though his strike outs were down. Last season the Pirates brought him stateside and he had a solid year showing better swing and miss stuff than he did the previous year. As for his arsenal it includes a fastball that sits around 90 and a good slider.
Mervin Del Rosario: Rosario is similar to Pimentel except he didn’t come with the significant signing bonus. He spent 2011 and 2012 in the DSL and put up solid numbers. He appears to have slightly better control than Pimentel but doesn’t possess the strike out stuff. He made his US debut last year and despite an awful 5.87 ERA actually pitched rather well. Both Rosario and Pimentel figure to pitch for either the short season team or for the new advanced rookie team.
Bonus
Wei-Chung Wang: During this offseason the Brewers selected Wang during the Rule V draft. Wang was only eligible because his original deal for 350K was voided because he needed Tommy John surgery and a new deal was worked out with him. Due to the surgery Wang missed the 2012 season and made his debut last season in rookie ball. He was old for the level but still had a good season flashing a mid 90s fastball and excellent control. In additional to his fastball he has a curve and a changeup that have the potential to develop into solid major league pitches. Wang would appear to be a long shot to stick in the majors all year which is what he would have to do for the Brewers to keep him but as a left handed pitcher with good stuff the possibility can’t be entirely dismissed. Fully developed Wang has the ceiling of a solid mid rotation arm. If he is returned to the Pirates Wang will likely be sent to A ball and if he handles that well sent to A+ so the Pirates can see if they want to add him prior to next year’s Rule V draft.