Tyler Glasnow throws a gem; Jameson Taillon....?
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Crimson's Ghost
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Tyler Glasnow throws a gem; Jameson Taillon....?
The buzz around the Pirates minor league system tonight was centered around their top prospect, Tyler Glasnow. The 6'8" right handed pitching prospect had a gem of a game for the AA Altoona Curve. Glasnow threw seven complete innings, allowed three hits and no walks, and struck out nine batters. He picked up his fourth win of the season to improve to 4-2 in ten starts with the Curve this season.
Heading into tonight's start, Glasnow had a 2.45 ERA, and a ridiculous .184 batting average against paired with a very strong .95 WHIP (only using his Altoona stats/not his two rehab starts), and both numbers will only look better after tonight's gem. He is also up to 60 strikeouts in 51 innings of work on the season. For your top prospect, it's about as good as it gets after advancing out of A ball.
With the way things are shaping up, seeing Glasnow next season in Pittsburgh is not only not out of the question, but becoming more and more likely. As it stands, AJ Burnett is still retiring, and they'll likely need Glasnow to boost the rotation mid-season, much like Gerrit Cole did by joining the club in June of 2013. With Nick Kingham now on the mend, and Jameson Taillon falling further away from playing in Pittsburgh, it's encouraging for the Pirates to have this kind of prospect on their hands not too far from the big leagues. If you check any publication that ranks prospects, chances are you will see Glasnow among the top 10, and certainly among the best pitchers in the entire minor leagues.
All this had me thinking about the way the baseball draft works and plays out sometimes. You look at a guy like Jameson Taillon. Big 6'6" right handed pitcher from a powerhouse high school in Texas. He had the fastball and the makeup of being a front line MLB starter(still does) and you take him with the second overall pick. And now you look at Tyler Glasnow, 6'8" lanky right hander with projectable skills from the talent-rich state of California, and he turns out to be a fifth round pick. Obviously being able to sign him played a role in that drop to the fifth round, but it just goes to show you that this MLB draft is a total guessing game, especially when you are dealing with high school players.
I'm not saying Taillon will never get to Pittsburgh, and won't be a good pitcher or guaranteeing Glasnow is a sure bet either, but it's just funny the way things work out in certain circumstances. You don't ever expect the fifth round pick will become the star player of the minor league system, and you don't always count a first rounder to go through a ton of injuries, but it happens quite a bit. Each player develops differently no matter their pedigree coming into the professional ranks. It has always been interesting to track all the Pirates' prospects, but the tale of the two top pitchers in the organization has been an interesting one.
Heading into tonight's start, Glasnow had a 2.45 ERA, and a ridiculous .184 batting average against paired with a very strong .95 WHIP (only using his Altoona stats/not his two rehab starts), and both numbers will only look better after tonight's gem. He is also up to 60 strikeouts in 51 innings of work on the season. For your top prospect, it's about as good as it gets after advancing out of A ball.
With the way things are shaping up, seeing Glasnow next season in Pittsburgh is not only not out of the question, but becoming more and more likely. As it stands, AJ Burnett is still retiring, and they'll likely need Glasnow to boost the rotation mid-season, much like Gerrit Cole did by joining the club in June of 2013. With Nick Kingham now on the mend, and Jameson Taillon falling further away from playing in Pittsburgh, it's encouraging for the Pirates to have this kind of prospect on their hands not too far from the big leagues. If you check any publication that ranks prospects, chances are you will see Glasnow among the top 10, and certainly among the best pitchers in the entire minor leagues.
All this had me thinking about the way the baseball draft works and plays out sometimes. You look at a guy like Jameson Taillon. Big 6'6" right handed pitcher from a powerhouse high school in Texas. He had the fastball and the makeup of being a front line MLB starter(still does) and you take him with the second overall pick. And now you look at Tyler Glasnow, 6'8" lanky right hander with projectable skills from the talent-rich state of California, and he turns out to be a fifth round pick. Obviously being able to sign him played a role in that drop to the fifth round, but it just goes to show you that this MLB draft is a total guessing game, especially when you are dealing with high school players.
I'm not saying Taillon will never get to Pittsburgh, and won't be a good pitcher or guaranteeing Glasnow is a sure bet either, but it's just funny the way things work out in certain circumstances. You don't ever expect the fifth round pick will become the star player of the minor league system, and you don't always count a first rounder to go through a ton of injuries, but it happens quite a bit. Each player develops differently no matter their pedigree coming into the professional ranks. It has always been interesting to track all the Pirates' prospects, but the tale of the two top pitchers in the organization has been an interesting one.