As the Pittsburgh Pirates lurch forward towards the MLB Trade Deadline, who among their top prospect has achieved ‘Untouchable’ status?
With the Major League Baseball Non-Waiver Trade Deadline just days away, fans are sure to see teams part with some of their upper echelon prospects to bring a veteran who will help them with their goal of postseason glory. The management team of the Pittsburgh Pirates have never been proponents of shipping top tier prospects off for rental players that will only be in Pittsburgh for a few months.
Even if this is the year that Neal Huntington and company decide to part with some of their young talent, I believe that the four players below should under no circumstances be involved in a deadline deal.
One caveat before we begin this exercise; Jameson Taillon was not considered because he has clearly established himself as a rotation option for the Pirates and will not be dealt unless someone like Mike Trout is coming back to Pittsburgh. So let’s take a look at the list.
Tyler Glasnow
Draft Position – 5th rd, 152 overall in the 2011 MLB June Amateur Draft
Rise through minor league system: typically reached two minor league levels each year prior to his promotion to the Pirates.
Where is Glasnow now?
Glasnow was placed on the 15 day disabled list after leaving his July 23rd start with discomfort in his right shoulder. In his two starts at the MLB level, Glasnow has compiled an 0-1 record to go along with a 5.40 ERA and a 5/7 BB/KK ratio.
Why is Glasnow untouchable?
Glasnow has dealt with command issues in the minors and those issues continued with Indianapolis this year prior to his promotion. They have also continued during his time with the Pittsburgh Pirates.
While some believe that Glasnow should have been left in the minors to continue to refine his game, there is no doubt that he should be a successful pitcher at the MLB level. Glasnow is untouchable not only because of the immense talent he has, but because the Pirates control him for six years.
He does have aspects of his game that need to be refined such as command and his willingness to throw his changeup, but there is little doubt that his ability and pitch arsenal will make him a top of the rotation pitcher someday. Plus, it’s hard to imagine that any team would be interested in trading for a starting pitcher who is experiencing shoulder issues at the moment.
Hopefully the shoulder issue is just a small bump in the road, because as it stands now he is definitely in the team’s plans to make up a solid core of young starting pitching in 2017.
Our next untouchable could man an important position and be a stalwart in the batting order for years to come.
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