Midseason Prospect Update: Pirates

The Midseason Top 10 Prospect lists are compiled from conversations with front office officials and scouts from all 30 teams. Players who have exhausted prospect eligibility or were in the Major Leagues as of June 22 are not eligible. Draftees from the 2016 draft and July 2, 2016 signees are also not eligible.

SEE ALSO: Midseason Top 100

The Pirates closed the first half by winning 12 of their final 16 games, a run that included taking five of seven from the National League Central-rival Cardinals and Cubs right before the all-star break.

2019 PROJECTED LINEUP

C Francisco Cervelli

1B Josh Bell

2B Alen Hanson

No. 1 Starter Gerrit Cole

No. 2 Starter Tyler Glasnow

No. 3 Starter Mitch Keller

No. 4 Starter Jameson Taillon

No. 5 Starter Steven Brault

Closer Yeudy Garcia

If not for a June swoon that included a 9-19 record and 5.31 ERA, the Pirates would be closer than 7 1/2 games behind the Central-leading Cubs at the break. Pittsburgh’s struggles are easy to diagnose, however, and potentially easy to address through a combination of player promotions and trades.

The Pirates’ pitching staff, owing in part to an injury to ace Gerrit Cole and serious regression from No. 2 Francisco Liriano, ranked last in the NL with 7.1 strikeouts per nine innings and in the bottom-third of the league in WHIP (1.42) and park-adjusted ERA+ (94).

Fortunately, the organization’s Triple-A Indianapolis club opened the year with a prospect-studded rotation, and Pittsburgh called on righthanders Jameson Taillon (five starts), Chad Kuhl (three) and Tyler Glasnow (one) as well as lefty Steven Brault (one) to take rotation turns beginning in June. If the Pirates continue to close ground on the Cubs in the second half, the front office could consider trading for a veteran starter, using one or more of the young arms along with prospects from a stocked farm system.

The Pirates’ offense won’t require the same type of reinforcement. Pittsburgh ranked second in the NL with a .337 on-base percentage and fourth with 4.75 runs per game in the first half, with their only potential trade target being a power threat at first base (John Jaso) or second base (Josh Harrison).

MIDSEASON TOP 10

1. Tyler Glasnow, rhp

While more discerning Triple-A hitters have impacted Glasnow’s shaky control—his walk rate creeped toward 5.0 per nine innings through 137 International League frames—he remains difficult for batters to square up when they do swing. His mid-90s fastball features explosive late life, and he drives the ball down in the zone thanks to his 6-foot-8 statures. His breaking ball also is top-shelf, though below-average athleticism impacts his mechanics, control and ability to hold baserunners.

2. Austin Meadows, of

Meadows led all minor league batters with 25 extra-base hits in June, though he finished the month on the disabled list with a hamstring injury. He continues to hit the ball hard with regularity, while improving his power production and showing the speed to handle center field. He’s improved both his reads off the bat and his arm strength.

3. Josh Bell, 1b

Bell has learned to turn on the ball for power more consistently—he hit seven homers in June, or the same number he hit during the entire 2015 season—though scouts don’t love his swing mechanics. The converted outfielder is a work in progress at first base, which the Pirates will overlook if he produces at the plate.

4. Kevin Newman, ss

The 2015 first-rounder from Arizona hit .355 (with more walks than strikeouts) in the first half, when he missed time with a fractured orbital bone, and advanced to Double-A. While he has limited power and faces a potential switch to second base, Newman should hit enough to be a big league table-setter.

5. Mitch Keller, rhp

A forearm injury cut short his 2015 effort, but Keller has experienced one of the bigger pitching-prospect breakthroughs of 2016. He allowed four homers through 15 starts with nearly 10 times as many strikeouts as walks thanks to a heavy, mid-90s fastball, power breaking ball and fast-developing changeup.

6. Harold Ramirez, of

A line-drive-oriented hitter who has hit .300 at each full-season level, Ramirez possesses raw power but doesn’t homer much. He also runs well enough to play center field but gets thrown out frequently on the bases. He has big upside if he can refine his game.

7. Cole Tucker, ss

The 2014 first-rounder had shoulder surgery in 2015 and missed April this season as a result. The swift switch-hitter has an advanced hitting approach but doesn’t impact the ball too frequently. Scouts think Tucker sticking at shortstop is probable.

8. Steven Brault, lhp

The Orioles drafted Brault out of Division II Regis in Denver but traded him to the Pirates (for Travis Snider) after he mastered Class A in 2014. Brault, who reached the majors in June, throws a low-90s fastball with plus extension from a lower, angled arm slot that creates deception, though it doesn’t hurt that his changeup and slider are above-avearge.

9. Ke’Bryan Hayes, 3b

The Texas prep third baseman and 2015 first-rounder showed off a nice blend of hitting ability, plate discipline, emerging power and some speed in his full-season debut. Hayes doesn’t have a clear separating tool, but his career can develop along several avenues.

10. Reese McGuire, c

A lefthanded-hitting catcher, McGuire almost never strikes out, but he has shown virtually no power in pro ball either. He’s a plus receiver with a quick, accurate arm, and his defensive ability will get him to the majors, possibly in a backup or time-share role.

RISING

The Pirates called up righthander Chad Kuhl as a rotation patch in late June after he shined at Triple-A Indianapolis, where he went 6-2, 3.05 through 14 starts. Kuhl sinks the ball at about 93 mph but lacks a plus second pitch and has had a harder time convincing big league batters to beat his offerings into the ground. Some scouts project him to a high-leverage relief role . . . Reliever Dovydas Neverauskas has a fastball up to 96 mph, and the Lithuanian righthander has reached Triple-A Indianapolis . . . Adam Frazier reached Pittsburgh as a utilityman after hitting .333 in Triple-A. He lacks power but makes plenty of contact and drawing more walks (29) than strikeouts (27) . . . Short-season West Virginia righthander Luis Escobar has plenty of arm strength and can spin a curveball, but throwing quality strikes more consistently will be a primary goal . . . Rookie-level Bristol shortstop Adrian Valerio is a slick-fielding defender who switch-hits and has hit well for a teenager this season.

FALLING

Triple-A Indianapolis right fielder Willy Garcia hit just .265 with three home runs and 30 RBIs through 85 games after hitting 15 or more bombs in each of the past four seasons. He had improved his walk-to-strikeout ratio, but the window may be closing for Garcia, who toils behind a big league outfield of Starling Marte, Andrew McCutchen and Gregory Polanco and stands in the shadow of top outfield prospects Austin Meadows and Harold Ramirez.

HURTING

When the Pirates lost catchers Francisco Cervelli and Chris Stewart to injuries, they had to mine the scrap heap for replacements Erik Kratz (purchased from Angels) and Eric Fryer (waiver claim from Cardinals). This wave of backstop injuries made the Pirates feel the loss of big league-ready catcher Elias Diaz more acutely. He had elbow surgery in May and began a rehab assignment in early July.

GRADUATING

Though he finished the first half on the disabled list with shoulder fatigue, righthander Jameson Taillon had logged 28 big league innings and will exhaust his prospect eligibility with a healthy second half. He showed excellent control (1.6 walks per nine innings) but had not missed as many bats (6.8 strikeouts per nine) in the majors as he did in the minors. Waiver pickup A.J. Schugel has become a reliable middle-relief piece since being claimed in January.

COMING ABOARD (Check Draft Database for all picks)
The Pirates’ first five picks of the 2016 draft. (s—supplemental round)

1. Will Craig, 3b, Wake Forest. Great feel for the strike zone and huge righthanded power highlight Craig’s list of attributes, though he faces a possible move to first base as a pro.

1s. Nick Lodolo, lhp, Damien HS, La Verne, Calif. The lanky, 6-foot-6, prep southpaw creates downhill plane on a present average fastball and can spin a breaking ball, but he was considered a difficult sign.

2. Travis MacGregor, rhp, East Lake HS, Tarpon Springs, Fla. The Florida high school righty experienced a velocity bump to the low 90s this spring and already has advanced feel for a changeup.

3. Stephen Alemais, ss, Tulane. An accomplished defensive shortstop in college, Alemais could be a plus defender in pro ball, though he’s a contact-oriented hitter who doesn’t impact the ball.

4. Braeden Ogle, lhp, Jensen Beach (Fla.) HS. Ogle represents another worthwhile pitching project for the Pirates: the Florida prep lefty pitches in the low 90s with feel to spin the ball and change speeds