2017 Pittsburgh Pirates Top 10 Insider
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Talent Infusion: Draft Report Card
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SEASON IN A SENTENCE: Three years of playoff appearances ended, as injuries, sketchy pitching and an off-year by star Andrew McCutchen dropped the Pirates to their first losing record since 2012.
HIGH POINT: Through the first two months, the Pirates stayed on schedule, with Jeff Locke tossing a three-hit shutout May 30 in a 10-0 win at Miami. The Pirates ended the month 29-22 as emerging star Gregory Polanco homered against the Marlins en route to a 22-homer breakout this season at age 24.
LOW POINT: The Pirates were still in the wild-card hunt in late August when they embarked on a season-long eight-game losing skid. The kickoff came Aug. 29, when the Cubs rallied from a 6-3 deficit with two runs off Neftali Feliz and one off Tony Watson—Mark Melancon’s replacement at closer after a July 30 trade—in the ninth. Locke, shifted to the bullpen, gave up the game-losing run in the 13th inning and the Pirates were on their way to a losing streak that took them under .500.
NOTABLE ROOKIES: The No. 2 overall pick in 2010—between Bryce Harper and Manny Machado—rigthander Jameson Taillon finally got healthy and thrived, making 18 starts in Pittsburgh, posting a 3.38 ERA and showed durability, tossing 165 innings overall including the minors. Versatile Adam Frazier broke though in the first half and hit .301, becoming a valuable reserve who could play virtually any position.
KEY TRANSACTIONS: Pittsburgh’s free-agent moves worked out fine, from David Freese and John Jaso on the corners to picking up Juan Nicasio, who struggled in the rotation but pitched well in relief, leading the team in strikeouts while ranking second in innings pitched. But trading Neil Walker for Jon Niese proved a lose-lose proposition, and trading Mark Melancon to the Nationals made the bullpen less effective.
DOWN ON THE FARM: Top prospects such as Josh Bell and righthander Tyler Glasnow (23 MLB innings) made their big league debuts, with Glasnow dominating the upper minors with an 8-3, 1.87 mark at Triple-A Indianapolis. The club’s 2015 first-round pick Kevin Newman reached Double-A while hitting .320/.389/.426 overall. Newman had started the season at high Class A Bradenton, which won the Florida State League title riding 2014 second-round pick Mitch Keller, who enjoyed a breakthrough season (9-5, 2.35).
OPENING DAY PAYROLL: $103,778,833 (19th)
| BEST TOOLS | |
| Best Hitter for Average | Kevin Newman |
| Best Power Hitter | Eric Wood |
| Best Strike-Zone Discipline | Austin Meadows |
| Fastest Baserunner | Alen Hanson |
| Best Athlete | Austin Meadows |
| Best Fastball | Taylor Hearn |
| Best Curveball | Mitch Keller |
| Best Slider | Edgar Santana |
| Best Changeup | Brandon Waddell |
| Best Control | Nick Kingham |
| Best Defensive Catcher | Elias Diaz |
| Best Defensive Infielder | Gift Ngoepe |
| Best Infield Arm | Alfredo Reyes |
| Best Defensive Outfielder | Casey Hughston |
| Best Outfield Arm | Willy Garcia |
| PROJECTED 2020 LINEUP | |
| Catcher | Elias Diaz |
| First Base | Josh Bell |
| Second Base | Adam Frazier |
| Third Base | Ke’Bryan Hayes |
| Shortstop | Kevin Newman |
| Left Field | Gregory Polanco |
| Center Field | Starling Marte |
| Right Field | Austin Meadows |
| No. 1 Starter | Gerrit Cole |
| No. 2 Starter | Jameson Taillon |
| No. 3 Starter | Mitch Keller |
| No. 4 Starter | Tyler Glasnow |
| No. 5 Starter | Steven Brault |
| Closer | Yeudy Garcia |
| TOP PROSPECTS OF THE DECADE | ||
| Year | Player, Pos. | 2016 Org |
| 2007 | Andrew McCutchen, of | Pirates |
| 2008 | Andrew McCutchen, of | Pirates |
| 2009 | Pedro Alvarez, 3b | Orioles |
| 2010 | Pedro Alvarez, 3b | Orioles |
| 2011 | Jameson Taillon, rhp | Pirates |
| 2012 | Gerrit Cole, rhp | Pirates |
| 2013 | Gerrit Cole, rhp | Pirates |
| 2014 | Gregory Polanco, of | Pirates |
| 2015 | Tyler Glasnow, rhp | Pirates |
| 2016 | Tyler Glasnow, rhp | Pirates |
| TOP DRAFT PICKS OF THE DECADE | ||
| Year | Player, Pos. | 2016 Org |
| 2007 | Daniel Moskos, lhp | Padres |
| 2008 | Pedro Alvarez, 3b | Orioles |
| 2009 | Tony Sanchez, c | Giants |
| 2010 | Jameson Taillon, rhp | Pirates |
| 2011 | Gerrit Cole, rhp | Pirates |
| 2012 | Mark Appel, rhp* | Phillies |
| 2013 | Austin Meadows, of | Pirates |
| 2014 | Cole Tucker, ss | Pirates |
| 2015 | Kevin Newman, ss | Pirates |
| 2016 | Will Craig, 3b | Pirates |
| *Did not sign | ||
| 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 |
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