2018 Pittsburgh Pirates Top 10 Prospects Chat

Dustin Dopirak: Hey everybody. Let’s get this thing started. Just to set a preface, this top 10 list is part of the Top 30 list that will be included in the prospect handbook, so a lot of the prospects you asked about that missed the list will be on there somewhere. Let’s get to it.

J.P. (Springfield, IL): Thanks for chatting. How far off this list was Conner Uselton? Do you believe the Pirates got a potential steal in him, considering where he landed in the draft?

Dustin Dopirak: He’s not far off. I don’t want to give too much away, but he’s in the top 20. And there’s definitely a chance that he’s a steal. The raw power and the athleticism are definitely both there, and the arm tool is pretty good. He’s going to have to work a lot on his swing, though. A lot of wasted motion in there. Looks good in home run derby because it helps generate some power, but hurts when guys are throwing hard and actually trying to get him out. But yeah, I think they got a little lucky with both Mitchell and Uselton in terms of when they were able to pick them up.

Ryan (Pittsburgh, PA): Was Steven Jennings considered when compiling your top 10? What did you and scouts think of his pro debut - could he be a potential ace?

Dustin Dopirak: He was absolutely considered, also in the top 20 and not far out of the top 10. Obviously, pro debut was pretty good but not spectacular, what with the 1.56 WHIP and all. Gulf Coast League is by definition small sample size, though, so no one’s jumping off the ship because of that. Scouts I talked to really liked his confidence, fearlessness in and around the zone and movement on all his pitches. He has a curveball with a lot of side-to-side movement and a changeup with some dip to it. I heard a Roy Oswalt comp. That being said, the velocity isn’t all that high at the moment — sitting around 90, getting up to maybe 93 — so “ace” isn’t a word I’d throw around quite yet. But he is young and wiry, so maybe some physical development brings it all together and makes for that kind of package. But he definitely has a lot of fans in the organization who think he’s got big-league starter potential.

Frank (Indianapolis, IN): How many of these guys do you believe are worthy of making BA's top 100 list?

Dustin Dopirak: Great question. Tough to tell without knowing what everyone else has, but my off-the-top-of-my-head answer is three, maybe four. Keller and Meadows are still obvious, and I think Baz belongs there even as a new draftee because he’s got terrific stuff even though it’s going to be a while before he’s a major-leaguer. You could argue for KeBryan Hayes, because I think you saw a lot to his game this year that wasn’t there before, but that’s not a slam-dunk argument.

J.P. (Springfield, IL): What was the consensus opinion of Mason Martin, and is he best suited to play 1B, or is he athletic enough to man an outfield position?

Dustin Dopirak: Basically, everyone loves the bat and the bat is going to play. He doesn’t have a ton of athleticism. They’ve checked him out in the outfield a little, but it seems like first base is where he’s going to play. He’s not exactly spectacular there either, though, and he’s going to spend a lot of this offseason learning the basics over there. Basically, at the moment, everything about him defensively is below average. But the bat plays a lot better than you would expect for an 18th round pick, so they feel like they got a steal regardless and they have some time to make him functional. If they could do it with Josh Bell, they can do it with Mason Martin. (OK, maybe that’s not fair to Bell, who is a darn good athlete if not a natural first baseman, but you get my point.)

Grant (NYC): Where is Tristan Gray's natural home, SS or 2B? Will he be one of your 11-20 spots?

Dustin Dopirak: He’s not, but as I look at him I probably should have given him more of a look. Really strong first year in short-season A ball from him. I think you have to give him some time at short just to see if he wows you there, although there’s a little bit of a clog there going through the organization with Newman, Tucker and Alemais in between him and the majors, but that rangy body might be able to stick there and if he can outhit some of those guys he might have a shot.

Frank (Indianapolis, IN): Is Luplow merely a fourth OF, or is there something more to him?

Dustin Dopirak: Right now he’s a fourth outfielder, but that doesn’t mean that’s set in stone. Heck, before this season, no one thought he’d be a major leaguer in 2017, so what does anybody know. He’s never going to play center, but he can play either corner spot. He’s got a good arm, he had some of that power show up at the major-league level and his approach got so much better in a year. Even if you presume McCutchen’s Pirates career ends after this season, he obviously has to compete with Marte, Polanco and Meadows for playing time in the long term and those guys all have spectacular collections of tools. But tools don’t always equal results. Marte obviously had his season derailed by his PED suspension, and for all of his obvious talent, Polanco regressed as a hitter. If everyone reaches their potential, Luplow is the fourth outfielder out of that group, but we can’t say for certain that all three of those guys will, and Luplow will be there if they don’t.

Dave (Steel City, USA): Did Will Craig's stock drop at all for you, and are you confident he'll rebound next year??

Dustin Dopirak: It did drop for me. I don’t want to say he won’t rebound, but I don’t want to be the guy out on the limb saying he will. He’s moved over to first base, and basically that means he has to hit if he wants to make it. There were some good signs for him at high-A Bradenton — 26 doubles for one — but you want more than six home runs in a season from a guy that big who also strikes out 106 times and plays first base. He apparently had some issues with approach this year, got behind on some fastballs he usually wouldn’t and corrected them some, so maybe you see a better season from him in Double-A. He can get the barrel to the ball and he obviously has some power, but it has to show up because he doesn’t have a whole lot of athleticism. I wouldn’t bury him, but especially now that Bell looks pretty solid at first base, I wouldn’t start setting a date on his major-league arrival either.

Paul (Milwaukee, WI): Do you predict Cutch won't be opening 2018 in a Bucs' uniform? Why or why not?

Dustin Dopirak: I’m leaning yes, but it’s not much of a lean. I can very much see the argument for moving him. There are some decent prospects on this list you’re reading, but there’s not of guys you look a in the system — especially among position players — and think those are foundational, middle-of-the-order pieces. And after a 75-win season, this team doesn’t seem all that close to contending. So there’s certainly a lot of sense in moving McCutchen if you can get a big enough package of prospects in return to replenish the system. The counter argument is that this front office is getting bad enough PR as it is and moving its generational player is not going to help its cause. And if they move McCutchen, they could go from not really all that competitive to barely watchable, which hurts the bottom line pretty substantially. So basically, it all comes down to the offer they get. They can’t deal him just to get out of paying that $14 something million. They have to get someone they can build the future around and be able to sell him to a disgruntled fanbase. Otherwise, might as well just ride out the string and let Pittsburgh enjoy McCutchen for one more year.

Martin (Dallas, TX): Which lefty has the higher ceiling for you, Braeden Ogle or Blake Weiman?

Dustin Dopirak: Ogle, just because he has starter stuff. He has three pitches and when he rears back you can see him hit the high 90s. People in the organization are fans of Weiman, and he might rocket through the system, but they see him as a reliever all the way. Which is fine, because the Pirates can use another lefty reliever they can rely on with Watson gone. But he’s going to end up being pretty low ceiling, high floor.

J.P. (Springfield, IL): How bullish are you on Calvin Mitchell's bat? Also, is he strictly a LF going forward?

Dustin Dopirak: Pretty bullish. Obviously, he’s a high school kid so he has a long way to go and he has to react to and counter higher-level pitching than he’s ever seen before. But he’s got a nice smooth swing with pop to it that makes you think Robinson Cano when you watch it. He’ll start as a doubles hitter and the home runs will come. He’s definitely a corner guy with athleticism that’s just OK, and with PNC being the way it is, right field might be his eventual destination. You have to cover a lot of ground to play left field there, so if there’s a better athlete at the time, he might be shifted to right. He’ll definitely be in the corners throughout his minor league career.

Jake (Pittsburgh): What's the word on Travis MacGregor? Projection? Future reliever?

Dustin Dopirak: MacGregor had a pretty brutal year in Bristol with a 7.84 ERA, 1.96 WHIP and .339 opponent’s batting average. He expanded himself a lot in 2017 in terms of innings and had a lot to work on in terms of delivery, so those numbers might ultimately be considered an anomaly, but his second professional season didn’t exactly put him on the fast track.

Karl of Delaware (Georgetown, Delaware): Of the pitchers moving to low A West Virginia Power from the West Virginia Black Bears - who are our favorites?

Dustin Dopirak: I don’t know if he’s got prospect-level stuff, but Scooter Hightower had a pretty phenomenal season with the Black Bears this season (1.94 ERA, 0.98 WHIP, 80 K’s to nine walks). Some of that is a 24-year-old overpowering younger guys, but you’d have to think he could be just as good at low A. Same goes for Adam Oller and to a lesser extent Gavin Wallace. Ike Schlabach, who is 20, was almost as successful and is at least a little more worth watching when it comes to his trajectory. I imagine Blake Weiman, a reliever from Kansas, will also start there, but I imagine he’s going to move quickly up the ranks. As I said before, not a super high ceiling, but a high floor.

Karl of Delaware (Georgetown, Delaware): Name a sleeper from the depths of the Pirate minors (low A or below).

Dustin Dopirak: Blake Weiman probably counts here. Tristan Gray probably counts. I’m not sure if Mason Martin still does considering, but he obviously turned a lot of heads in the GCL. Lolo Sanchez is in our top 10, but he might count because I hadn’t even heard of him before the other guys at BA told me he should really be included in this thing. And Bligh Madris had a pretty impressive year in the New York Penn League for a small school guy. So there are a few names.

karl of Delaware (Georgetown, Delaware): What kind of prospect do you view 1st baseman Albert Baur as? Or don't you consider him a prospect?

Dustin Dopirak: I don’t generally think of a guy who is still in low A ball at 25 as a prospect, but I also don’t generally rule guys out because you never know. He has a decent looking swing and some pop, and he’s at least done enough to earn a look at high-A. He was a 28th round pick, but he keeps hanging around, so maybe the productive year he just had will open some eyes and he’ll get more of a shot going forward. Considering the Pirates’ every-day first baseman is five months younger than he is, that doesn’t make for an easy path for him in that organization, but if he keeps hitting, you never know what could open up for him.

Norm Chouinard (Connecticut): What kept Kevin Kramer off the list?

Dustin Dopirak: Well, when the full To 30 list comes out, you won’t have to go far to find his name. Obviously, we place a pretty heavy weight on potential and what some of these guys can be if everything comes together for them. Guys who could potentially be starting pitchers, middle-of-the-order hitters or play a premium position such as shortstop or center field get some level of preference. But if we were ranking guys based on our level of certainty that they would be major-league players, Kramer would have certainly been in the top 10 if not the top five. I have virtually no doubt that he’ll be a really good singles-and-doubles hitting second baseman in the major leagues with steady hands and decent range. He doesn’t have any tools that scream “superstar potential” but I think he’ll be able to do what he does well for a long time.

Sosipan (Seoul, Korea): Who will get the breakout season in 2017 draftees next year?

Dustin Dopirak: Out of this group, I’ll be really interested to see what Calvin Mitchell and Conner Uselton do with a full season. I think people already believe Baz has a chance to be a star, and possibly Jennings too, but I think Mitchell and Uselton have some great tools and want to see what that looks like in a full season.

Jonathan (Syracuse, NY): Thank you for the chat! Were any other prospects in the same general tier as Sanchez, with a potential case to be made for the back end of the list?

Dustin Dopirak: Jennings was right there and so were Kramer, Luplow and Mitchell, but I’ll be honest, getting Sanchez in the Top 10 had much less to do with me and much more to do with guys at BA who have actually seen him up close and loved what they saw. The Pirates’ organization has had a lot of good players graduate to the majors recently and there aren’t as many huge upside guys left with any developed track record, so that pushed some of the 2017 draftees higher on the list than they might have been otherwise and changed the dynamics of the whole list. But the love for Sanchez came less from what we were hearing and more from what guys saw, which was basically five good tools across the board. Going to be very interested to see how his career plays out.

a.j. (las vegas): What happened to Tyler Glasnow. 2 time minor league pitcher of the year now he can barely stay in the majors?

Dustin Dopirak: Got to see a lot of Tyler Glasnow up close this year, and I’ll say he’s a complicated case. Basically, the issue is he’s a 6-foot-8 baby giraffe of a pitcher with a lot of limbs to coordinate and he’s still having a hard time doing that, especially at the major league level. He got sent back to Triple-A for most of the summer and dominated, then came back up to Pittsburgh in September and still couldn’t get anyone out. He can rear back and hit the upper 90s with the fastball, but can’t always command it. The curveball is a spectacular pitch, but it’s better as a chase pitch, and therefore harder to get to work when he isn’t ahead in counts. At the minor league level, there’s a lot that he can get away with because Triple-A hitters will chase fastballs out of the zone and curveballs that bounce before the plate. Major league hitters don’t do that and he ends up racking up monster pitch counts and falling a part. Basically, kid still has a lot of work to do. I think he gets it together at some point, but no one knows when it will all come together. He might be 28 before it happens. Once it does, watch out, but it’s going to be a brutal process to watch.

Dan (Baltimore): Cole Tucker seems to have sneaky offensive upside. What’s his profile at the pros? Good speed, defense, doubles guy? His teammates really seem to enjoy playing with him

Dustin Dopirak: I think there’s a lot of evolution going on in Tucker’s game, and there could be plenty more to come. Like you said, right now he’s got good speed, he’s really fluid at shortstop and he has gap-to-gap power. He’s still pretty wiry and I think the power will continue to develop. The hit tool has come pretty far already and his walks are picking up. He’s got a much better plan at the plate and he’s much more confident driving the ball now. There is a best-case scenario in which he can be a leadoff hitter as well as an every-day shortstop. He’s a really impressive baserunner and if he can raise the OBP he could fit really well in that spot. Either way, the Pirates have a lot of reason to be happy with his development.

Jacob (Dallas, TX): In my opinion the Pirates are notorious for slow-rolling their SPs through the ranks. Could Keller make his debut in 2018 or is 2019 more likely? With Baez arsenal is there a chance he could be pushed aggressively next year?

Dustin Dopirak: I’d say 2019 is more likely. I imagine he still starts the year in Double-A and gets work in Triple-A. They have such a backlog of Triple-A arms at this point with Kingham, Holmes, Brault and Glasnow all right there. Keller will jump past all of them at some point, but I think they’re going to want to see a little extended dominance at Altoona before they move him to Indy and then about a combined season at Indy before he’s ready to come to Pittsburgh. Wouldn’t rule out 2018 with the right confluence of events, but I’d say 2019 is when you’ll first see him in Pittsburgh. As for Baz, there’s certainly a chance because they really like what they have there, but he is still 18. I’d be surprised if he gets beyond low-A West Virginia.

Bill (Toronto): Braeden Ogle and Max Kranick look like two interesting SP just from scouting the stat line. What have you heard about them?

Dustin Dopirak: Heard a lot of good things and interesting is definitely the term I would use. Kranick missed a lot of the season due to injury, but he was pretty dominant in limited work and has three decent pitches. And Ogle has some really, really lively stuff with a fastball that is sitting around 92 or 93 but can get up to 97 or 98. He might have the best left-handed arm among likely starters in the system (as I think Hearn ends up in the bullpen). So yeah, those guys have some promise.

Bobby (Modesto): How good is Kevin Kramer? Seems like he was having a very solid year in AA before his injury. Noticed he's playing exclusively shortstop in the AFL. He had a great arm before a college injury and I'm wondering if it came back enough for him to stick at SS. Thank you!

Dustin Dopirak: It sounds like he’s going to stick at second base, but he’s getting some work at short because some other guys are hurt and it can’t help to add that to his game since he’s playing in the National League. He doesn’t have a great arm for shortstop at this point, but it’s at least functional there and better than average at second base. As I said before, I’m as certain about Kramer being a major-leaguer in the not-too-distant future as anyone in the system.

Ben (California): I so love these chats. Thanks for doing this one. Were any of Calvin Mitchell, ONeil Cruz, Tristan Gray, and Mason Martin close to making the top 10? Any of them have a chance to be above average offensively at their respective positions?

Dustin Dopirak: Gray probably should have been higher and earned more consideration than I gave him. Mitchell, Cruz and Martin are all in the top 30. And all of them have a chance to be better than average offensively at their respective positions. Cruz has a ton of raw potential, but it is very much raw. Mitchell and Martin are obviously high school bats, but they are very mature for their age with good power, instincts, feel for the barrel and the zone. It will be several years before any of those guys get a major-league at-bat, but I see middle-of-the-order potential for Mitchell and Martin especially. Cruz is going to take a lot of development, but the power is real if he gets it together.

Jimmy (Washington): Mason Martin had a solid debut. Does he have the offensive chops to make it at 1B?

Dustin Dopirak: Very early to tell, obviously, but if the bat keeps playing like it did in a limited period this year, absolutely. They got a lot more out of him than they were expecting with that pick. He’s below average defensively at this point, so the bat has to play, but again, offensively he’s ahead of schedule. We’re still talking about a high school kid, so a long way still to go for him.

Spanky (Harrisonburg, Va): What was Lee Bujakowski's walk-up music?

Dustin Dopirak: Why Sweetness by Jimmy Eat World, of course. Hey Damon.

Greg (Cincy): Any notable catchers in this system ? Why or why not ?

Dustin Dopirak: Jin de-Jhiang is probably the most notable at Double-A, but there’s not a ton there right now. Elias Diaz graduated and he was by far the best catcher in the system. Expect to see him splitting time with Francisco Cervell this season with Pittsburgh. Jason Delay, a 2017 draft pick, will probably move through the ranks pretty fast because there isn’t a ton there ahead of him. Christian Kelley was in high-A Bradenton and he might move fast too just because of his defense. Hasn’t been a high-priority for a while and it might have to be, but Diaz looks like a guy they can rely on at the major-league level for a while, and Jason Stallings is at least a functional backup.

Jared (OH): Which Pirates prospect do you think is the most "woke"?

Dustin Dopirak: Ha! That’s tough because the Pirates themselves were pretty woke this year. The Venezuelan guys — Francisco Cervelli, Felipe Rivero, Jose Osuna — were all very involved in vocally opposing the regime there. Josh Harrison and Josh Bell are both really socially conscious. I presume Andrew McCutchen is too, even though he’s not too big on those discussions. Jameson Taillon, Trevor Williams and Steven Brault all have a little bit of wokeness to them also. I’ll investigate this one at some point and get back to you.

AJ (Orange County): Thanks for the time to chat with us. Pirates seem to always liked O'Neil Cruz and finally gotten him through the Tony Watson trade. Jin-De Jhang, 2016 AFL participant and invited to 2017 spring training. Can you tell us more about them and their chance to be relevant big leaguers or more?

Dustin Dopirak: Sure. Cruz is one of those guys that is such a wild card. He’s from the Dominican and it was his first full year in the states this year. The infield arm and the power are both eye-popping. He can shorten up with the bat as well, but he’s still developing an approach and he struck out 132 times this year. The speed is good as well. Basically, all of the natural tools are tremendous. It’s just a question of honing them. He could wash out if he doesn’t get all of his limbs in concert, but if he does, he can be special. Jhiang’s decent across the board, decent power, hit tool, arm and receiving ability, but didn’t blow anyone away in Double-A this year. There’s a chance he ends up a major-league catcher if for no other reason than there won’t be a lot in his way if Chris Stewart and Francisco Cervelli retire in the not too distant future, but I don’t think anyone’s counting down the days for that. But i think he can be a functional major leaguer.

Jud (Pittsburgh): Are any of the Pirates not on the top 100 list close to breaking into it?

Dustin Dopirak: I think Ke’Bryan Hayes could get in there. Maybe Cole Tucker if he has some breaks. Anyone else needs to add some track record, but there was a lot of promise in this 2017 class so those guys can shoot up the ranks fairly quickly.

Dr (Md): Is there any chance O’Neil Cruz can stay in the IF? Seems too big to be anything other than 1B/OF. Any chance of a mound conversion a la similarly huge Jairo Beras? Full season in Low A on the horizon?

Dustin Dopirak: I don’t see a mound conversion just because they want to see the bat play out. He’s at third base now, and I think they’re OK with leaving him there for a while just because the arm is so good. Think his days as a shortstop are over, but the height can play well at third if he’s just diving side to side. He can convert to outfield at some point, but I don’t think hope has been given up on the infield at all.

AJ (Orange County): Who is your pick for breakout prospect in 2018?

Dustin Dopirak: I guess I’m going to go with Lolo Sanchez. Don’t think there are too many who know his name yet and if he can have a big season at, say, West Virginia, a lot more people around the system will know his name.

AJ (Orange County): Jordan Luplow and Kevin Kramer (when healthy) enjoyed a good minor league campaign this year. How close are they to making the list and what do they have to work on?

Dustin Dopirak: They’re right there, and like I said with Kramer, if this were about who is most likely to be major leaguers, they would be much higher on the list. Luplow had a terrific season, but I still view him as a fourth outfielder for now. If the power keeps playing like it did this year, though, maybe he eclipses all of those expectations. Kramer looks like an every-day second baseman who can hit about .280 with a lot of singles and doubles and do that for a long time, creeping up to .300 a couple of times. Neither one of those guys are fast enough to hit leadoff and I don’t look at them and think major-league middle-of-the-order hitter either, so they’re in the top 20 but not the top 10. However, I think both of them will be very good at being who they are.

Izzy (Va): I guess the scouts that thought Will Craig's power wouldn't translate to wood bats were right. Ceiling? A below average starting 1B? Did the Pirates go to much on the stats and ignored the scouts? Thx!

Dustin Dopirak: I don’t know enough about the thought process that led to him being taken No. 1 to divine their thinking, and I could see how you could take a guy like him based on track record. But yeah, he hasn’t had the greatest start. Maybe the power shows up this year or next year, but it’s certainly a problem that he’s already been converted to first, because I don’t see him beating out Bell at any point and I don’t even know if I see him beating out Osuna. Power sometimes develops slowly, and maybe he gets it all figured out and hits so much they can’t keep him down, but that’s not what’s showing up at this point. Again, I’m not burying the guy, but he hasn’t had a great start.

John (NJ): No love for Conner Uselton? How close was he to making the top 10? Thanks for the chat!

Dustin Dopirak: There was some love. LIke I said, he was in the top 20, and I could probably have moved a lot of guys around after Luis Escobar at No. 7, but I feel pretty solid about those guys. But yeah, really good athlete with some pop in the bat, needs to work on the swing to get rid of some motion, and we have to see what he looks like as a pro because he barely played before his hamstring injury.

Greg (Cincy): So who outside top 10 profiles as a future closer?

Dustin Dopirak: I think Hearn inside the top 10 has a shot at that just because of his level of raw velocity. Yeudy Garcia could also be that guy. His numbers got massively better at Altoona once he was shifted out of the rotation and into the bullpen. Also, Neverauskas and Santana still qualify as prospects for this. Not sure that either one of them ends up a closer, but they could be important pieces of the back end of the bullpen ahead of Rivero in the coming years.

David (Pittsburgh): Any reason why Newman's ranked higher than Tucker is?

Dustin Dopirak: That was a close one that I could easily be argued out of. Newman’s just a little further along and has a lot of track record as a hitter. Close call.

David (Pittsburgh): Where would Holmes rank? Kingham's fastball looks bad after TJS and Holmes' stuff looks great.

Dustin Dopirak: Holmes is top 20. Kingham gets the edge for me because of control, but Holmes’ stuff is obviously just as good. Will be interesting to see those two guys battle it out, but it’s hard to tell when one of them will get a real opportunity. I think Trevor Williams really helped himself this year, and I think for as all over the place as Chad Kuhl was, you found out a lot about his weaponry and what he’s really dealing with. The next opening might come if Ivan Nova washes out, which started to look like it might happen. So yeah, I wouldn’t be shocked to see Holmes pass Kingham up at some point.

Roger H. (Oklahoma City, OK): What have you heard about Braeden Ogle? If his command improves could he be a 3-4 starting rotation guy?

Dustin Dopirak: I wouldn’t rule out anything for Ogle at this point. Obviously, a long way between him and a major-league debut and he’s got nothing other than two years of rookie ball under his belt, but there’s a ton of potential there. We’ll see how it plays in a full season, but I could absolutely see him in a rotation 3-5 years from now.

James (NYC): Why would you project Newman at SS and Tucker at 2B when Tucker's a better defender?

Dustin Dopirak: Not gonna lie, I actually had Adam Frazier at second base. The full-time guys have oversight. (As well they should, they’ve forgotten more about baseball than I’ll ever know.) We’ll see what happens there. I’d agree that Tucker is the better defender, but he also has some versatility that could work. And you could work Kramer in there. Going to be pretty jammed up in the middle infield, actually, so it’s going to be interesting to see who comes out of that mess.

AJ (Orange County): 2016 first rounder Will Craig didn't make the list. How far off was he and can you elaborate on his progress and outlook? Thanks.

Dustin Dopirak: He’s in the top 30, but he absolutely dipped some. He moved over to first base from third, which costs him in these rankings, and six home runs in a full season of High-A ball against 106 strikeouts doesn’t look great for an every day first baseman hoping to get by on power. The 26 doubles suggest there’s still some power potential there and no reason to run him off, but he would have had a much clearer path to the majors if he were competing with KeBryan Hayes to be the replacement for David Freese (and Jung Ho Kang, sort of) than trying to eventually challenge Josh Bell. But bottom line, a power hitter needs more power and the fact that he has a good arm tool doesn’t matter that much when that arm is playing first base. There are only so many 3-6-3 double plays to be made.

Austin (Pittsburgh): What impact can Kevin Newman and Will Craig play for the Pirates? They have fallen big time down the list.

Dustin Dopirak: Craig has. I still think Newman can make an impact just because he’s hit everywhere he’s been forever. The problem with Newman is he’s not a power hitter. He’s steady at short but not spectacular because he’s a little bit stiff. He’s a good athlete, but not a fluid one. He can be a traditional two-hole hitter and a solid shortstop, but that’s not lighting the world on fire. As for Craig, as previously mentioned, he’s got to change his trajectory a lot to find himself on the roster let alone in the starting lineup.

Austin (Pittsburgh): Who is the breakout prospect to watch?

Dustin Dopirak: There could be a whole lot of them. But basically, I’d fix my eye on the top 2017 picks — Baz, jennings, Mitchell and Uselton — as well as LoLo Sanchez in 2018 to see where those guys go. Braeden Ogle is another guy. The rest of them, you pretty much already know, but those would be the guys I’d want to check out in 2018.

Tom (Portland, OR): What are the chances the Pirates try to unload Marte, shift Bell to the outfield and give Osuna a long look at first?

Dustin Dopirak: Pretty much none. The Pirates spent a lot of time working with Bell to make him a functional first baseman. They’re not going to flip the script on him again. Marte is under contract (potentially) through 2021 and for all of his flaws as a hitter, he’s still got a ton of speed and is the best left fielder in the game. It’s a shame for Osuna because he’s a terrific first baseman and better there than Bell, and they’re going to try to force feed him third base to see if it works, but I have no idea if it will take. He might be the odd man out long term, but they’ll get as much value out of him as a bench bat and utility man as they can.

Dan (Augusta, ME): Steven Jennings didn't exactly set the world on fire in the GCL. Just typical HS pitcher adjustment or was his stuff down?

Dustin Dopirak: Based on what I can tell, HS pitcher adjustment. Organization is happy with his stuff, but GCL is a small sample size. You’ll get a much better idea of what he can really do this year.

Paul (Harrisburg): Did Deon Stafford surprise anyone? Did he make the top 30? Thanks!

Dustin Dopirak: He didn’t make the top 30, but I imagine he did surprise some people. He had a good strong finish to the season at the plate, and that gives him some opportunity to move up in an organization that doesn’t have a ton of catching talent.

Jay (Philadelphia): I'm a bit surprised righty Clay Holmes didn't make the list. Was he close?

Dustin Dopirak: He was. There are a bunch of high-ceiling guys in between he and Kingham on the list, but he could easily surpass a lot of them, catch enough breaks and end up in the major-league rotation. The walk numbers are still a little too high, but he’s got a mid 90s fastball with two breaking pitches that play off each other well. If he gets control of it all, with his frame, he can be in a major-league rotation.

Flash (Pittsburgh): Any hope that Clayton Holmes improves his control enough to be a starter?

Dustin Dopirak: There’s definitely hope. But he’s never gone a full minor-league season without at least 59 walks, so that’s a concern. Just needs to be able to throw the breaking ball for a strike more consistently.

DH (Pittsburgh): Over/under - Cole Tucker averages 20 sb in his 5 peak years?

Dustin Dopirak: Hmm…. that’s a really good figure. I don’t know if he has 30 SB speed, so this really seems about right.

DH (Pittsburgh): You have Newman listed as the future SS and Tucker at 2b. How close is that? 80-20, or 51-49?

Dustin Dopirak: I’d say it’s 51-49 at best. But I noted earlier, I was thinking Frazier at 2B. It’s going to be very interesting to see the infield situation shakeout. Could easily be Kramer at 2B and Newman at SS. Newman and Tucker could play the middle together, Frazier could still be there. Really hard to tell.

Jaden (Ukiah, Ca): I like Kevin Kramers profile and think he should get a little more love than he does as he put up solid numbers in AA this year. Could he be a potential utility type player or do you think there may even be more there as possibly a starting 2B?

Dustin Dopirak: I think there’s potential there for him to be the every day second baseman just because he’s so steady at the plate and in the field. Again, when you throw him with the other potential players there, a lot of things can happen. There’s going to be a Newman-Tucker battle at short at some point, and Adam Frazier is still going to be in the mix to play somewhere in there for a while. But I think of Kramer as more of an every-day guy than I think utility.

Paul (Erie): Adrian Valerio was promoted to full-season ball and unexpectedly flashed HR power. It's intriguing, as he's a switch-hitter with a reputation as being a top defender at SS. What are scouts, managers and execs saying about this guy?

Dustin Dopirak: His defense is still ahead of his offense, but the fact that the offense is starting to come around is obviously encouraging. He’s got good agility and range and enough arm to play the position. Again, SS is pretty clogged up with Newman, Tucker and Alemais ahead of him (to say nothing of Mercer) but Valerio definitely helped himself this year.

Todd (Tampa): I have seen Braeden Ogle several times and have been very impressed. His fastball is in the 94 to 97 range. How much consideration did he get for your top 10? Also, do you think Oneil Cruz will move to third base this year?

Dustin Dopirak: He got a little and he is in the top 30. He didn’t have as high of a profile coming in as Baz and Jennings, so I want to see more before putting him in that stratosphere, but he can obviously work his way up and his stuff suggests that he’s very much capable of doing so. Cruz was playing mostly third base before the Dodgers traded him and played almost exclusively third for the Pirates, so that’s where I think he’ll stay.

Lando (Cloud City, Bespin): Nick Kingham has the size, and hopefully he is healthy now. What do you need to see from him in 2018 to put him in the rotation?

Dustin Dopirak: The tough part for Kingham is he has to beat out other pitchers his age who have outpitched him to this point. Nova bottomed out in the second half, so he might be on his way out, but if he gets it back together, Cole stays steady, Taillon is still Taillon and Williams and Kuhl make the strides you expect, Kingham is going to have a hard time getting in there. If Nova fades out and there’s a spot to be had at some point, Kingham has to still beat out Glasnow, Brault and Holmes, and Glasnow is such a wildcard at this point it’s difficult to tell how hard that will be. But I’d say the basic thing is, keep the walks low as they are, keep the groundball rate high, minimize hard contact and at some point, he’ll get a shot.

Jake (New York): Can Mitch Keller succeed as a 2 pitch pitcher if he continues to rarely use his CH and it doesn't improve?

Dustin Dopirak: He can be some level of successful with the fastball and the curveball because those are both plus pitches, but the Pirates absolutely consider the changeup to be critical to his development. The plan is very much for it to improve and that’s something he’ll work on a lot in Double-A and (presumably) Triple-A this season.

Brian (Detroit): Where does this system rank, upper half or lower half? Seems a little weak. Am I right?

Dustin Dopirak: I’m not in on that one, but it’s probably lower half. Big reason is a lot of their high draft picks (Cole, Taillon, Bell, etc.) are major-leaguers now and the minor league system is mostly populated with players who were taken after the franchise started to take a turn for the better and drafted a little lower. Again, very interested to see how the 2017 draft class changes that long term, but there was a bit of a drought in there.

Tim (Nashville): Is Mitch Keller the top pitching prospect in baseball? Top ten overall?

Dustin Dopirak: He’s definitely going to be in the discussion. Not sure who all graduated, but Alex Reyes could still be ranked higher and one or two others. But Keller should be right there.

AJ (Orange County): What is your take on Austin Meadows now - still and elite prospect?

Dustin Dopirak: Eh, close to it. Obviously, injuries didn’t help this season and he wasn’t great when he was healthy, but if he comes back to Indy in 2018 injury free, with a little pressure off and a little more comfort at the Triple-A level, you’ll see much better numbers from him and that will get him back in the picture. Still like the swing, the power and the overall athleticism and still think he’s part of the Pirates’ outfield of the future.

Barnold (Dunedin): Was Steven Brault ineligible? Does he have enough talent to sustain an MLB starting job, or is he destined for long relief?

Dustin Dopirak: He is ineligible. Too many major-league innings. It’s going to be close. I like a lot of his stuff and don’t think it’s at all impossible for him to maintain a No. 4 or No. 5 spot in a rotation, but I think he also needs a break, which he didn’t really get with the Pirates this season. He doesn’t have a ton of velocity, but he can use several pitches and has good control, and at some point, the Pirates need to get a lefty in the rotation. So he’s at least going to get another chance to win a spot in spring training and I would think he will start the year in the bullpen if he doesn’t get it. If the Pirates are a little less lucky when it comes to pitching injuries this season, more could be asked of him.

JD (New York): Will Oneil Cruz end up in right field? Am I nuts for getting a Gregory Polanco vibe when watching him play?

Dustin Dopirak: It’s not out of the question. As of now, i think they’re going to give him the opportunity to play third, but that might be Hayes’ spot long term and might force him to move. I don’t think you’re nuts for the Polanco thing at all. Big long levers and pop in the bat. I might be with you a lot more if he puts some weight on, because Polonco is a pretty strong guy. But no, it’s not the least bit crazy.

Dustin Dopirak: Going to go ahead and call this one. Thanks so much for all the questions. Really enjoyed this and appreciate you all reading.