2016 is shaping up to be a different sort of season for the Pittsburgh Pirates, one that will heavily focus on the impact of multiple high-ceiling prospects.
An article recently written by John Perotto for the Beaver County Times made me wonder how the 2016 season will go for the Pirates. In his article, Perotto notes that, according to team sources, the Pirates’ plan is to “retrench” in 2016, then expect to contend once again in 2017 and beyond. This certainly makes sense considering the recent moves by the Pirates, getting rid of Pedro Alvarez, Neil Walker, and Charlie Morton, while only bringing in Jon Niese and Juan Nicasio. They have also seen Joakim Soria sign elsewhere and Aramis Ramirez officially retire. They’ve lost a lot of offensive production from last season, dumped payroll, and haven’t made any significant additions (yet).
This doesn’t mean that the Pirates are done adding to the team this offseason, nor does it mean that the team won’t be good next year. But from the looks of everything, it certainly seems that the Pirates are banking on a number of factors if they are to contend next season. One of these factors will be the impact of a number of high-potential prospects that should hit the majors next season.
Tyler Glasnow, Josh Bell, Jameson Taillon, and Alen Hanson could, and should, hit the major leagues next year. All four are top 100 prospects in most MLB prospect rankings and while most, if not all of them won’t spend the entire season at the major league level, all should be with the team by mid-summer and will use this season as a time to learn and acclimate themselves to the majors.
It’s important to note that most rookies struggle in their first season. Gregory Polanco batted .235 in 2014 and was benched for Travis Snider later in the season. Clayton Kershaw and Mike Trout both struggled when they first hit the majors, but both have clearly developed into superstars. Keep that in mind when these players make the jump: it takes time. Glasnow most likely won’t be striking out batters left and right, and Bell won’t be crushing balls out of the park on a weekly basis. But that doesn’t mean this season won’t be exciting.
In fact, it should be quite the opposite. The Pirates have a real chance to return to dominance in 2017, at a level they haven’t dominated before, and 2016 is the team building to that. In 2017, they could have a rotation that includes Gerrit Cole, Francisco Liriano, Tyler Glasnow, and Jameson Taillon, four potential top of the rotation starters if each pitches to his potential. Imagine an infield of Jung Ho Kang, Jordy Mercer, Alen Hanson, and Josh Bell. Only Mercer seems to be the weak link here if each player plays to his potential. That would mean Josh Harrison would return to a utility role, where I personally think he fits best. Having a dynamic utility player is a luxury not many teams have, but one the Pirates could in the coming years.
Oh, and let’s not forget the outfield of Starling Marte, Andrew McCutchen, and Gregory Polanco. By that time, Marte could reach superstar status, and Polanco has all the talent in the world to fill out that dynamic trio.
In 2016, we’ll get to see what Glasnow, Taillon, Bell, and Hanson bring to the table. We get to see the excitement of young talent that not many teams across baseball have. Will all four of these players fulfill their potential? That would be highly unlikely; the vast majority of prospects don’t pan out. The Pirates are certainly putting a lot of stock in the success of their prospects, which is risky. But even if only one or two delivers, and the other two are average, the Pirates could be scary good in 2017 and beyond.
What’s even more exciting is that with all of these young players on the team, imagine the amount of money the Pirates will have to play with in the coming years. In 2017, the Pirates could have only two players making more than $10 million annually (McCutchen and Liriano), along with a have a vast number of players on rookie contracts (Glasnow, Taillon, Bell, Hanson, Nick Kingham, Polanco, etc.). Marte and Kang are signed to team-friendly contracts, arguably two of the best bargains in all of baseball, and Polanco could be signed to one by then if he and the team can strike a deal in the near future. Mercer, Cole, Jared Hughes, and Tony Watson would be in their arbitration years. Niese and Michael Morse could also both be gone, saving upwards of $15 million.
While the Pirates could very well not win 90 games in 2016, or even make the playoffs, fans should not give up hope. In fact, fans should gain hope and braces themselves for another potential three-plus year run of postseason appearances. The Pirates, after all, may just be retrenching themselves, and I’m excited for what the future may hold for this franchise.
Thank you for checking out Pirates Breakdown! Please follow us on twitter and jump into the hot stove conversation with us!
Add The Sports Daily to your Google News Feed!
