Battling Bucs : Top 30 Prospects

1. Austin Meadows - In prospect terms he is both a high end and safe talent. He could develop into a 4+ WAR talent and be one of the top 20 or so outfielders in the game but at the very least it would be a disappointment if he didn't become at least an average starting outfielder. Meadows could be up as early as this season should he be needed to fill in for an injury or a McCutchen trade.
2. Tyler Glasnow - I like to say Glasnow doesn't truly have an upside as if he is able to work out all his issues he could become one of the best pitchers in the game but realistically we are looking at someone who will likely be highly inconsistent but who is still talented enough to be a solid #2 starter despite those struggles. At minimum he looks like he could be a force out of the bullpen.
3. Mitch Keller - Very polished pitcher for his age and one who appears safe for what he is but pitchers who have yet to play above A ball are an inherently risky group. He doesn't have the same ceiling as Glasnow but could develop into an underrated ace but at the same time he is far enough away that even becoming a solid #3 starter would be a good outcome.
4. Josh Bell - The bat is too good for him not to have some sort of career as a major league player but the glove and how much his raw power transfers to game power will be the deciding factors on whether his long term role is an above average starter or a bench player and part time DH.
5. Kevin Newman - Another player who looks very safe as it’s tough to imagine Newman not at least becoming a useful utility player in the majors but he has the hitting skills and plays defense well enough that he could easily be the Pirates long term solution at the shortstop position.
6. Ke'Bryan Hayes - Still very young and far away from, the majors the big question surrounding Hayes is how much power he'll hit for as he matures. It appears he has put aside some early conditioning worries so it seems likely he'll stick at 3B. He has an advanced approach at the plate right now for his age so if he can keep that up and add some power he could become a very good starting 3B.
7. Cole Tucker - A bit like Hayes, Tucker is a player far away from the majors who it all comes down how he performs as he matures. Tucker has a big frame for a shortstop (6' 3") so if he is able to add power while sticking at the shortstop position he could become a star but at the very least he is going to have to do one of the two to make it as a big leaguer.
8. Taylor Hearn - Left handed pitcher with a big fastball but also significant control issues. Hearn is your classic high risk high reward player who could develop into anything from a top of the rotation starter, to a strong bullpen arm to a depth piece or he could bust and never make it past AA. I think he has shown enough with his control to this point that it is likely he'll become a useful big leaguer in some way.
9. Nick Kingham - Kind of the forgotten man Kingham was once considered one of the Pirates better prospects after missing most of 2015 with Tommy John surgery and spending last year rehabbing Kingham has gotten lost in the shuffle. Kingham still has his mid-90s fastball and a beautiful curve and has the build of a guy you could see throwing 200 innings and being a middle of a rotation workhorse for years.
10. Will Craig - Last year's first round pick who was met with some derision as he has shown issues hitting with wood bats and doesn't have much defensive value. Craig knows how to hit but will have to prove he can hit for power with wooden bats as he moves up the levels. He is a 3B now and may get to the majors as that position but long term he is going to have to move off of it (likely to 1B but RF is a possibility too).
11. Gage Hinsz - Outshined last year by the previously mentioned Keller, Hinsz had something of a breakout year himself. He is not nearly as polished as Keller but then again his high school didn't even have a baseball team so that is to be expected. Hinsz is a high risk arm but fits the tall projectable pitcher mold the Pirates love. It’s too early to say much definitively but he looks like he could turn into a mid rotation starter.
12. Steve Brault - Another prospect who falls on the safe end of the spectrum Brault has already pitched in the majors and looks like he could be a solid back end starter or at worst a depth starter or left handed middle reliever. Brault didn't look great last year in the majors but held his own and there are some rumblings he was dealing with some minor injuries. As an added bonus he is a very good hitter for a pitcher.
13. Clay Holmes - Another guy who like Kingham has short of been forgotten. After finishing 2013 very strong Holmes was a popular pick for a breakout prospect but Tommy John surgery cost him all of 2014 and the Pirates brought him along very slowly in 2015. Last year he didn't have great results in AA but that was a very aggressive push for him and the Pirates saw enough to add him to the roster. He has the upside of a 3/4 starter but at minimum he is a heavy enough groundball pitcher that he could fill the Jared Hughes role.
14. Luis Escobar - In the same vein as Hinsz Escobar is a right handed pitcher far away from the majors who has shown some good things but is still quite risky. Escobar got on to the prospect radar with a very good showing in rookie ball in 2015 and followed that up with a great showing in the New York Penn League last year. He throws in the mid 90s with a pair of decent secondary pitches. With a good showing in full season ball Escobar could easily vault into the top 10.
15. Elias Diaz - Signed all the way back in 2008 Diaz has been in the system longer than any other prospect. He didn't breakout as a prospect until 2014 but has already had his share of up and downs. He had been fairly healthy in his career but an injury plagues 2016 has really hurt his stock and labeled him as injury prone. Diaz is a strong defensive catcher who can hit a little bit and how much he hits will decide whether he will become a starting catcher or a backup regardless Diaz is one of the safer bets on this list to enjoy a long major league career thanks solely to his glove.
16. Alen Hanson - After a big breakout season in A ball back in 2012 Hanson quickly shot up prospect lists and was viewed as a potential superstar shortstop. He was a long ways from the majors though and as often happens the shine has started to fade and now his upside appears to be an average starter at 2B. Hanson is out of options this year so the Pirates are going to try him as a utility player off the bench. Hanson doesn't have a lot of upside anymore but he is still just 24 years old and is a relatively safe bet to have some sort of major league career as at least a bench player.
17. Trevor Williams - Acquired as compensation for the Marlins signing away Jim Benedict Williams was a solid get for the Pirates as usually prospects given for front office hires aren't significant. Williams provided one of the Pirates few standout moments last upon celebrating his first career win with his father. He has the upside of a back of the rotation starter but due to the Pirates depth will likely spend the next year or two serving as a depth option before transitioning to the bullpen.
18. Braeden Ogle – One of four prep pitchers drafted and signed during the 2016 draft Ogle is the most polished of the group and as an added bonus is the only left hander. He is too far away to even try to guess what he may become but what puts him above the other projectable arms for me is that one he is left handed and two he has already shown the ability to reach the mid 90s. Like nearly all prep arms he is a project but a fairly advanced one with a good deal of upside.
19. Edgar Santana – Signed when he was almost 22 years old Santana garnered no interest upon signing but after reaching the states in 2015 he rocketed through the levels playing in AAA by the end of last season. He is purely a reliever but one with back end potential possessing a fastball that sits mid 90s with the ability to touch 98 and a good slider to compliment it. He finally ran into some trouble when he reached AAA but Santana looks like he could be a back end option in the next year or two and could contribute in the majors as early as the middle of this season.
20. Kevin Kramer – My surprise top 20 player Kramer is the only one in the top 20 who I haven’t seen anyone else put in yet this year. He is in a lot of ways a more subdued version of Kevin Newman in that his strength is the ability to make quality contact and hit the ball all over the field. He has mainly played 2B since being drafted but that may be because of Newman. One thing he does have over Newman is a bit of power. Overall he is most likely a utility player and if he can handle shortstop he could be a valuable one but I also think he has a chance to surprise and could turn into a Kolten Wong like starter at 2B.
21. Dovydas Neverauskas – Signed all the way back in 2009 the Pirates tried hard to develop Neverauskas as a starter but it didn’t work. When they finally sent him to the bullpen in 2015 he showed just enough for them to give him a push to AA in 2016 and that is where he took off. He was dominant coming out of the pen touching 99 and showing improved command. The Pirates promoted him to AAA and he continued to pitch well. He seemed to be in line for a September call up before a suspension for a bar fight ended his season. Like Santana Neverauskas is a potential back end reliever and should be one of the first guys up when the bullpen needs a fresh arm.
22. Travis MacGregor – Taken in the second round of this past draft MacGregor was initially viewed as something of an overdraft but lately there seems to be a bit of support for him as he has cracked John Sickles, Keith Law and Eric Longenhagen top 20 prospect lists. He is like pretty much all prep arms drafted by the Pirates a tall pitcher with a projectable frame. He currently throws 93-94 and unlike most high school arms already has a decent change up. His breaking pitch needs some work and his command is about average for a prep arm. He is another project with some decent upside.
23. Max Kranick – I could essentially just repeat what I wrote for MacGregor here as Kranick is yet another prep arm from the 2016 draft class. Drafted in the 11^th round he was the backup plan for Nick Lodolo. He has probably the best debut of the bunch but that isn’t surprising as he appears to have the best control at the moment. He is another lottery ticket on which the Pirates could hit it big or he might never make it out of short season ball but hey it is fun to dream.
24. Jordan Luplow – I’m probably a bit higher on Luplow than the general consensus but aside from being a slow starter Luplow has been impressive thus far in his minor league career. Luplow is a corner outfielder whom the Pirates tried at 3B in 2015 and though from my limited observations the experiment went ok he was back in LF last year. Luplow is a good disciplined hitter who has a bit of pop in his bat. Long term he projects as a 4^th outfielder or perhaps a corner utility guy (if the Pirates given him another shot at 3B) but I see him as someone who could surprise and be an average regular.
25. Max Moroff – A very unexciting prospect Moroff makes the list purely based on his high floor. Already having received a cup of coffee in the majors Moroff looks like a future utility infielder and since he can handle shortstop that makes him a valuable player. Offensively he profiles as a very a patient hitter one willing to take a walk but also one that can be too patient leading to a high number of strike outs. He does have a little bit of power and can run some (though he needs to get better at stealing bases). Overall he does a little bit of everything but isn’t exceptional at anything which usually describes a solid depth or bench guy.
26. Yeudy Garcia – If I was certain that Garcia didn’t have shoulder issues he would likely rank a couple spots higher on this list but as it is he went to Pittsburgh after last season to be examined and nothing has been heard since. Garcia had a breakout year in 2015 seemingly coming out of nowhere and pitching lights out in A ball. He touched the upper 90s and missed a lot of bats while keeping his walks under control. Last year unfortunately was a step back as he still posted good results but his velocity was down, his control was worse and he seemed to have trouble putting hitters away leading to higher pitch counts and shorter appearances. Garcia has the arm to be a very good starter or at least a back end option for the bullpen but his potential shoulder injury is worrisome as is last year’s drop in velocity.
27. Jose Osuna – A cult favorite there is a segment of the Pirates fan base that is really high on Osuna. Osuna was one of the big 4 international bats to breakout in A ball in 2012 but he had by far the smallest breakout of the group. After that year he continued to move along slowly hitting well but as a 1B who can kind of play the OF well wasn’t good enough. At midseason last year, after a decent showing in AA, the Pirates promoted him to AAA and he mashed putting up impressive numbers and earning a 40 man spot this offseason. Long term Osuna is a bench 1B/OF who if he can continue hitting lefties as well as he did in AAA could be the small side of a platoon.
28. Connor Joe – Some say Joe has the best looking right handed swing in the Pirates system and it is for essentially that reason he squeaks into my top 30. Drafted as an outfielder and announced he would play some catcher Joe spent 2015 as a 1B and last year as a 3B meaning he doesn’t really have a position at the moment. Along with a nice swing Joe also has fairly good plate discipline and at least moderate power potential. The bat is interesting enough that if he can manage to settle down defensively somewhere other than 1B he could become a decent starting option.
29. Stephen Alemais – The best defensive player in the Pirates minor league system if Alemais is going to make it as a major leaguer it will be because of his glove. Drafted in the third round of last year’s draft Alemais has already made a handful of great plays that have made their rounds online. Of course the bat is an issue or otherwise he wouldn’t have lasted until the third round but going into their junior season there was the thought he would break out enough to be a first round talent so there is some potential there. Due to his strong defense at short Alemais doesn’t have to hit much in order to be a starting option in the majors but at the very least his glove appears good enough that it may carry him to the majors on its own in a bench or depth role.
30. Pablo Reyes – Signed at age 18 for just 90K Reyes has yet to have that big breakout season that it takes to get less heralded player truly on the prospect map but he has been solid at every stop showing good speed and surprising power for a player his size. He is poor defensively at shortstop and hasn’t played there consistently in a while but is a good defender at 2B which has been his regular position the last few years. He has been blocked lately by Kramer and Newman but has still produced well when given a chance. He is a bit off the radar at the moment but he does a bit of everything which is the kind of player I love so I think he could end up a surprise starter in the majors.