Pittsburgh Pirates Black & Gold Game to feature top pitching prospects

On Monday, the Pittsburgh Pirates top pitching prospects will square off in Bradenton for the annual Black & Gold game.

In a battle of current and former top overall pitching prospects, Tyler Glasnow will go toe-to-toe with Jameson Taillon in the annual Black & Gold game on Monday. Each is slated to go two innings in the scheduled 5 1/2 innings game.

#Pirates pitchers Monday scrimmage: Black-Taillon (2ip), Brault (2), Kuhl (2); Gold-Glasnow (2), Holdzkom (1), Williams (2)

— RobBiertempfel (@RobBiertempfel) February 26, 2016

In addition to Taillon, Steven Brault and Chad Kuhl will also pitch two innings each for the black team. John Holdzkom and Trevor Williams will cover the final three innings for the gold squad. For the Pirates, it’s their first chance to get to see live action baseball before starting Grapefruit League action as part of spring training on Tuesday. For many of the fans in attendance, it’s the first opportunity to see how many of the organization’s young, bright stars have progressed from last spring.

For Taillon, it’s not the first time he started the game. In 2013, he opposed Gerrit Cole. Everyone waits with bated breath hoping it will be the last appearance in the prospects scrimmage for both Glasnow and Taillon before they hit the majors.

For many fans, the Black & Gold game marks the true beginning of the season. The anticipation begins to set in as media sites begin to report details from this un-televised game. It certainly has a lot more appeal knowing that no matter what the Pirates will be victorious, unlike previous traditions where a 2009 loss to the Manatee County Community College baseball team marked one of the lowest points in franchise history.

On Monday, the future arrives. Stay tuned to Pirates Breakdown for coverage of the game and updates, including lineups that may be disclosed later.

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