Pittsburgh Pirates General Manager Neal Huntington saw the vision that he has had since 2010 come to fruition this past weekend.
The Pittsburgh Pirates’ starting rotation for this past weekend was anchored by three young arms that Huntington expects to be around a long time. While there will be bumps in the road, big things are expected by the Three Rivers.
Gerrit Cole, Tyler Glasnow, and Jameson Taillon all started over the weekend against the Philadelphia Phillies. While all three had pitched in the majors, it was the first time that all three pitched on successive days.
Huntington planned this back in 2010 when he drafted Taillon as the second pick in the 2010 MLB draft. The following year with the # 1 draft pick, Huntington selected Cole out of UCLA. The same year, Tyler Glasnow was available in the fifth round and was swiped up right out of high school.
[perfectpullquote align=”full” cite=”” link=”” color=”#000000″ class=”” size=””]Once off the disabled list, it is expected that Glasnow will continue to stay with the Bucs for the rest of 2016 and beyond.[/perfectpullquote]The Cole Train
With these three prospects, Huntington expected all of them to develop through the farm system and make them the anchor for the parent club for years to come. Gerrit Cole has been the ace of the staff since 2013 and is tremendous for the Pirates.
He continues to improve every year and becomes more difficult to hit. At the age of 25, he has compiled a 45-26 record with a .634 winning percentage. His ERA is a shade over three (3.06) with nearly a 4:1 ratio strikeouts to walks. He has struggled this year with a 5-6 record but much is attributed to injuries this season.
Taillon’s Remarkable Return
Jameson Taillon has made seven starts during his young career and certainly hasn’t disappointed. With a 2-1 record, including four no decisions, coupled with an ERA of 3.83, he is certainly raising eyebrows. His strikeout to walk ratio is over 6:1, which has experts praising the young pitchers talents. Those numbers are not a surprise to Huntington as during his stints in the minors, Taillon was known to have pinpoint control and success limiting the number of base runners. He has allowed 43 hits and five walks in 40 innings of work. The expectation is the numbers will improve as Taillon gains more experience. his future is bright.
[perfectpullquote align=”right” cite=”” link=”” color=”#000000″ class=”” size=””]Cole continues to improve every year and becomes more difficult to hit[/perfectpullquote]The Time is Glasnow
Tyler Glasnow was recently put on the 15 day dl due to shoulder discomfort, so the hope is it’s only a minor issue. He made his second start over the weekend against the Phillies (his first was against the Cardinals). He has a 0-1 record in only 8 1/3 innings work, but some very positive results. His major issue in the minors was control, but in his two starts he has only issued two walks, so let’s hope the trend continues for the young 22 year old from Santa Clarita, CA. Once off the disabled list, it is expected that Glasnow will continue to stay with the Bucs for the rest of 2016 and beyond.
While it is still early to predict, the Bucs have the potential to have three of the best pitchers in the game for years to come and Neal Huntington should be smiling as his plan of drafting top talent pitchers is working. The Pittsburgh Pirates have struggled this year, but that does not deter from the grand plan of having horses to take the Pirates to the top.
Featured Image Credit – Flickr Creative Commons
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