By John Perrotto
January 15, 2013


Baseball America's Top 10 Prospects lists are based on projections of a player's long-term worth after discussions with scouting and player-development personnel. All players who haven't exceeded the major league rookie standards of 130 at-bats or 50 innings pitched (without regard to service time) are eligible. Ages are as of April 1, 2011.

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TOP TEN PROSPECTS

1. Gerrit Cole, rhp 2. Jameson Taillon, rhp 3. Luis Heredia, rhp 4. Gregory Polanco, of 5. Alen Hanson, ss 6. Josh Bell, of 7. Kyle McPherson, rhp 8. Justin Wilson, lhp 9. Barrett Barnes, of 10. Clay Holmes, rhp

BEST TOOLS

Best Hitter for Average Gregory Polanco Best Power Hitter Josh Bell Best Strike Zone Discipline Clint Robinson Fastest Baserunner Harold Ramirez Best Athlete Gregory Polanco Best Fastball Gerrit Cole Best Curveball Jameson Taillon Best Slider Gerrit Cole Best Changeup Nate Baker Best Control Kyle McPherson Best Defensive Catcher Tony Sanchez Best Defensive Infielder Gift Ngoepe Best Infield Arm Kirk Singer Best Defensive OF Gregory Polanco Best Outfield Arm Willy Garcia

PROJECTED 2016 LINEUP

Catcher Russell Martin First Base Alex Dickerson Second Base Neil Walker Third Base Pedro Alvarez Shortstop Alen Hanson Left Field Josh Bell Center Field Andrew McCutchen Right Field Gregory Polanco No. 1 Starter Gerrit Cole No. 2 Starter Jameson Taillon No. 3 Starter Luis Heredia No. 4 Starter James McDonald No. 5 Starter Kyle McPherson Closer Justin Wilson

TOP PROSPECTS OF THE DECADE

Year Player, Pos 2012 Org 2003 John Van Benschoten, rhp Out of baseball 2004 John Van Benschoten, rhp Out of baseball 2005 Zach Duke, lhp Nationals 2006 Neil Walker, c Pirates 2007 Andrew McCutchen, of Pirates 2008 Andrew McCutchen, of Pirates 2009 Pedro Alvarez, 3b Pirates 2010 Pedro Alvarez, 3b Pirates 2011 Jameson Taillon, rhp Pirates 2012 Gerrit Cole, rhp Pirates

TOP DRAFT PICKS OF THE DECADE

Year Player, Pos 2012 Org 2003 Paul Maholm, LHP Braves 2004 Neil Walker, C Pirates 2005 Andrew McCutchen, OF Pirates 2006 Brad Lincoln, RHP Blue Jays 2007 Daniel Moskos, LHP White Sox 2008 Pedro Alvarez, 3B Pirates 2009 Tony Sanchez, C Pirates 2010 Jameson Taillon, RHP Pirates 2011 Gerrit Cole, RHP Pirates 2012 *Mark Appel, RHP Stanford

LARGEST BONUSES IN CLUB HISTORY

Gerrit Cole, 2011 $8,000,000 Jameson Taillon, 2010 $6,500,000 Pedro Alvarez, 2008 $6,000,000 Josh Bell, 2011 $5,000,000 Bryan Bullington, 2002 $4,000,000

PIRATES LINKS

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Halfway through the 2012 season, things were finally looking up for the Pirates. They went into the all-star break in first place in the National League Central and 11 games above .500, and it finally appeared that the longest streak of futility in North American professional sports history would end.

Little went right after that, however.

Pittsburgh beat the Diamondbacks on Aug. 8 to improve to 63-47 and peak at 16 games above .500. But it went just 16-36 the rest of the way to finish at 79-83, its 20th straight losing season. It was a second straight collapse for the Pirates, who have gone a combined 38-77 during the final two months of the last two seasons.

The news wasn't any better on the scouting and player-development fronts, where the organization says it must be strong to be successful. In the draft, Pittsburgh gambled on Stanford righthander Mark Appel, a candidate for the No. 1 pick who slid because of questions about his asking price.

The Pirates took Appel at No. 8 without gauging exactly what his price tag would be. They offered $3.8 million—the most they could without losing future first-round picks under the new draft rules—but never came close to signing him. Pittsburgh will get the ninth overall pick this year as compensation, but the failure to sign Appel was a big hit to the 2012 draft class.

The organization also found itself scorned for its player-development approach. The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review and Yahoo! Sports ran a series of articles revealing that the Pirates were using Navy SEAL training techniques for players during extended spring training and instructional league. Most disturbing were reports that two of their best prospects, righthander Jameson Taillon (knee) and outfielder Gregory Polanco (ankle), sustained minor injuries while participating in the drills.

An e-mail from assistant GM Kyle Stark to members of Pittsburgh's player-development staff also got leaked to the media, featuring statements that could generously be called unconventional. In it, Stark said he wanted to develop players who had the creativity of hippies and the brotherhood of Hell's Angels, and he concluded the e-mail with the phrase, "Hoka Hey," a battle cry used by Sitting Bull. While the spirit of the statement is that if you give a complete effort you can be satisfied no matter the outcome, the literal translation of the phrase is, "It's a good day to die."

The collapse and controversy prompted usually reclusive Pirates owner Bob Nutting to conduct his own inquiry into the state of the baseball operation after the season.

In the end, he decided the team was on the right course and kept the staff in place, though he ordered Stark's military-style training methods to stop.

The news in the minor leagues wasn't all bad, however. Blue-chip pitching prospects Gerrit Cole, Taillon and Luis Heredia took steps forward in their development, while Polanco and shortstop Alen Hanson had breakout seasons in low Class A. The Rookie-level Gulf Coast League team won its first-ever league title in its 42nd year of existence after going 36-24, and Triple-A Indianapolis captured a division title and had the International League's best record at 89-55.

Scouting reports for the Top 10 Prospects  (How to subscribe)

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