After being demoted to Indianapolis, Tyler Glasnow went on an absolute tear through the International League. Now back with Pittsburgh, Glasnow’s well documented issues came back to haunt him in his first September start. The team might as well continue to give him regular starts during the last month of the season since the playoffs are out of reach at this point.
Tyler Glasnow is one of the most divisive prospects that the Pittsburgh Pirates have had for a long time. At one time the big hard throwing righty was considered to be someone who could hold down a top of the rotation spot for the Pirates. However, his performance at the big league level in 2016 and this year has not been what fans or management imagined. His track record in the minor leagues compared to what he has done while with the parent club are night and day.
Glasnow really looked like he turned a corner after his demotion to Indianapolis earlier this season. He was a dominant force in the Indianapolis rotation, racking up 140 strikeouts in just 93.1 innings. With an ERA of 1.93 and a FIP of 2.23, Glasnow appeared to have figured out what was plaguing him on the mound. While he averaged 3.09 walks per nine innings with Indianapolis this year, that was a step in the right direction given that he was at 4.80 while with the Pirates this season.
However, it was more of the same from Glasnow this past Wednesday. He lasted just two and two third innings and gave up five runs (all earned) on four hits and six walks. He struck out just three batters and gave up a home run. Clearly, the progress that he showed during his stint in Triple-A did not join him in his first start back with the big club.
But given that the Pirates are not going to make the playoffs this year (apologies if you are just finding this out now), there are pros and cons to continuing to give him starts during the final weeks of the season.
Pro – Why Not?
If the Pirates continue to deploy Glasnow as a starter during September, they really do not have anything else to lose (other than ballgames if he implodes on the mound). The team’s record sits at 68-79, so they might as well use the remaining games to see what they have in their younger players. Glasnow has shown the ability to be a dominating pitcher in the minors and since the remaining games don’t have any effect of whether or not they make the postseason the team might as well give Glasnow more exposure to major league hitters.
Pro – The MILB season is over, at least for Indianapolis
With the Indianapolis Indians being eliminated from postseason play, it makes sense to have those players closest to being MLB ready join the Pirates, and Glasnow is certainly one of them. Even for those folks who do not think Glasnow is ready, it’s not like facing off against other minor leaguers is an option. The team has an opportunity to give him some innings in games that really do not matter, so they might as well give him some more exposure.
Pro – Rotation competition is about to get fierce
Heading into 2016, Glasnow was one of the most anticipated additions to the rotation. However, when the team reports to spring training in 2018, there is going to be more competition for the rotation. Besides the pitchers who made up the rotation this year, Glasnow will have to compete with the likes of Nick Kingham , Clay Holmes and even perhaps Tyler Eppler. Factor in Mitch Keller who could be in Pittsburgh at some point next season, and it is easy to see that Glasnow could run out of opportunities to impress management. The next few weeks are as good of a time as any to see if Glasnow will sink or swim.
Con – Could hurt his trade value, whatever is left of it
Many fans were hoping last offseason that Glasnow could be used as part of a trade package to bring in a starting pitcher like Jose Quintana While this never came to fruition, either because management balked at the idea of including him or because other possible trade partners were not interested, we will never know. But it is getting to the point that Glasnow cannot continue to get by based on his success in the minors or potential in the majors. But exposing him MLB hitters this September, they are running to risk of lowering his trade value either further (that is, if he even has any trade value left).
Con – Repeated failures could be weighing on him mentally
One has to wonder how the lack of success at the big league level is weighing on Glasnow. It has to be maddening to reach such high levels of success in the minors only to be repeatedly torched by hitters each time he is promoted. Because of this, it is fair to wonder how this affects him when he is on the mound. It has to creep into his mind, especially when the opposition is stringing consecutive hits together. However, even though ballplayers are human, at the end of the day the team needs to know what exactly they have in Glasnow.
Conclusion
The door is not closed by any means on Glasnow. He has electric stuff, the question is whether he can gain control of it and get major league hitters out. Unfortunately for the Pirates, their hopes of making the playoffs this year are gone. But fortunately for Glasnow, the team’s lack of success this year may have bought him a few more weeks to audition for a role with the team in 2018. His performance as the 2017 season winds down could have a huge effect on his status with the team going forward.
Add The Sports Daily to your Google News Feed!
