Today, MLB Pipeline released their midseason top 100 MiLB and top 30 Pittsburgh Pirates prospects lists.
The Pittsburgh Pirates were once again well represented with six on the list. Tyler Glasnow was the team’s highest rated at number 10. Jameson Taillon, who has proven he has recovered quite nicely from two injury-plagued years, ranked 30th.
Be sure to check out the full revised top 100 and top 30 lists.
Austin Meadows (12), Josh Bell (29), and Kevin Newman (53) were all expected to rank in or near the top half of the list after stellar first half performances. The lone surprise is Mitch Keller cracking the top 100 list at 89. Keller has had a strong year, so far, for the West Virginia Power, but his placement ahead of Chad Kuhl, among others, who has been arguably the best pitcher in the International League this season, seems to be a bit surprising.
Among the Pirates’ top 30 list, Glasnow, Meadows, Bell, Taillon, Newman, and Keller expectedly make up the top six, and Ke’Bryan Hayes, Reese McGuire, Harold Ramirez, and Kuhl round out the top 10.
Cole Tucker has fallen incrementally since being drafted in the first round in 2014. He debuted at the nine spot, fell to 10 last year, and, once again, fallen to 11 today. Twenty-second overall pick Will Craig made his ranking debut at number 12. Both rankings are peculiar given Tucker being surpassed by Newman and limited by injuries, while Craig has been pathetic in the field and at the plate for the West Virginia Black Bears.
Despite spending much of the season rehabbing, Elias Diaz and Nick Kingham came in at 13 and 14, respectively. MLB Pipeline clearly values the upside of some players more highly than others given that some who have barely taken the field and other who have barely done anything when given the opportunity rank ahead of those making huge leaps forward in their development.
Steven Brault was regarded as a throwaway piece in the deal which sent Travis Snider to the Orioles in exchange for Brault and Stephen Tarpley. While Tarpley has yet to live up to his upside, Brault had a Glasnow-esque rise through the system until he made his major league debut more than a year ahead of his original projection.
The case could be made for several players as the most obscene inclusion, but Dario Agrazal gets the award after failing to repeat his success in his 2015 breakout campaign with the Black Bears. He has a 4.36 ERA and lack of a clear pitch which would give him enough upside to make it to the majors. His projection is still too uncertain to merit inclusion in this list.
The most glaring omission is Trevor Williams. After appearing at number 20 in 2015, Williams has posted a 3.13 ERA in 13 starts this season with Indianapolis. He looks to factor into the team’s pitching staff down the stretch or as a trade chip at the deadline, yet his exclusion does nothing to help his trade value at the most inopportune time.
MLB Pipeline should not be so susceptible to a recency effect, but they should also not be limited to the primacy effect seen with some players. The upside of a player changes with development, both for the good and the bad. In any case, no matter how you paint it, the Pirates will still have plenty of minor league depth for years to come.
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