2014 Minor League Keeper Thoughts: Pittsburgh Pirates

The prospect staff here at Fake Teams will be taking an in-depth look at each major league organization, including our top 10 fantasy prospects, an overview of the organization's minor league system as a whole and potential opportunities for playing time in 2014. Our goal is to provide you with more information as you prepare for minor league drafts for dynasty and keeper leagues, as well as look at players that could potentially be worth watching during the spring, as they could be in line to potentially help your fantasy team. We will be reviewing two teams per week until we are through all 30 teams, and you can see the schedule of when your favorite team will be reviewed below.

System Schedule

AL East	AL Central	AL West	NL East	NL Central	NL West
Baltimore	Chicago	Houston	Atlanta	Chicago	Arizona (1/9)
Boston	Cleveland	Los Angeles	Miami	Cincinnati	Colorado (1/13)
New York	Detroit	Oakland	New York	Milwaukee	Los Angeles (1/16)
Tampa Bay	Kansas City	Seattle	Philadelphia	Pittsburgh (Today)	San Diego (1/20)
Toronto	Minnesota	Texas	Washington	St. Louis (1/6)	San Francisco (1/23)

Organizational Overview
By Jason Hunt(@jasonsbaseball)

Pirates' fans saw the 2013 team deliver on the promises of management, as the team won one of the wild cards, and was able to win their way into the Division Series. Unfortunately, they ran into the eventual National League champion St. Louis Cardinals on the way through, losing in 5 games in that round.

Expectations will be higher in 2014, and the team is built to help deliver on those expectations. The team is led by reigning NL MVP Andrew McCutchen, along with a number of other homegrown talents like Neil Walker, Pedro Alvarez and Gerrit Cole. Astute signings like Russell Martin and Francisco Liriano have worked out well for the team, as they provided excellent production for a team which has to be mindful of their payroll budget.

The farm system remains a source of strength for the organization, and they were able to use it to acquire talent as they felt was necessary in 2013 while still keeping their core of top young prospects together. We will likely see both Gregory Polanco and Jameson Taillon at some point in the 2014 season, and have top talents Josh Bell, Tyler Glasnow, and Alen Hanson all coming down the line to either fill openings in the future or use as trade chips for another playoff run.

Long-term, the organization is in very good shape, with an abundance of talent at both the major and minor league levels to draw from. The playoff run in 2013 appears to have energized the fan base, which should help the team on the financial side as they strive for additional playoff appearances over the next few seasons.

2013 Graduates

The following players have surpassed their rookie maximums of 130 AB, 50 IP, or 45 days of service time prior to September 1st of this year.

Jordy Mercer (at bats), Gerrit Cole (innings), Justin Wilson (innings), Bryan Morris (innings)

Major League Opportunities in 2014
By Jason Hunt(@jasonsbaseball)

The team that made the playoffs in 2013 actually does not have a ton of places where upgrades would make sense, as many of the key players remain under contract for the 2014 season as well. Russell Martin is under contract through the 2014 season, and newly acquired Chris Stewart will be the backup while Tony Sanchez remains at AAA for depth. The team will go with Gaby Sanchez at first base if the season started today, but could see playing time taken by either Andrew Lambo or Travis Snider. The rest of the infield is pretty set also, with Neil Walker, Jordy Mercer, and Pedro Alvarez starting around the horn.

In the outfield, Andrew McCutchen and Starling Marte are locked into center and left field, respectively, which could leave right field as an opening for top prospect Gregory Polanco to move into should Jose Tabata fail to keep the job long-term.

The rotation will feel the gap that A.J. Burnett has left, regardless of whether he chooses to retire or sign elsewhere. The Pirates have already signed Edinson Volquez to a one year, $5 million contract in the hopes that he will be as successful a reclamation project as Francisco Liriano was in 2013. If he isn't, look for either top prospect Jameson Taillon or former Tigers' prospect Andy Oliver as options to step in. The bullpen remains strong as well, led by Jason Grilli and Mark Melancon, who give the Pirates a strong 1-2 punch to close out games.

Top 10 Fantasy Prospects
By Matt Mattingly(@mattmattingly81)

Our top 10 fantasy prospect rankings are based upon standard 5x5 fantasy baseball leagues, with a balancing of ceiling and present value. While we are having discussions regarding these lists as a collective group, the top 10 fantasy prospect rankings are finalized by the writer listed above. Players are no longer considered prospects once they exceed either 130 at bats, 50 innings pitched, or 45 days of service time in the Majors prior to September 1st.

#1 Gregory Polanco (OF)
FANTASY STATISTICS (ALL LEVELS)
AVG	R	HR	RBI	SB
0.285	66	12	71	38
SECONDARY STATISTICS
PA	OBP%	SLG%	BB%	K%
536	0.356	0.434	9.7%	13.6%
OTHER INFORMATION
AGE ON 1/1/2014	B/T	ROSTER STATUS		LEVELS
22	L/L	On 40 Man Roster (3 Options Remaining)		A+, AA, AAA

Gregory Polanco is the top hitting prospect in one of the best farm systems currently in baseball. He was signed as a non-drafted free agent out of the Dominican Republic in 2009. Throughout his career in the minors, Polanco has shown a nice mix of power and speed that should translate to the majors, and could become a very valuable fantasy contributor in the near future.

While playing in the Dominican Summer League in 2009, the left-handed outfielder displayed his gap power while racking up the walks and strikeouts. It wasn't until 2010 while playing in the Gulf Coast League when Polanco started to demonstrate his homerun power while accumulating nice stolen base totals. His strikeout and walk numbers were still unimpressive, which bought him a ticket back to the GCL to start the 2011 season.

Back in the GCL for a 2^nd stint, Polanco demonstrated an improvement with his strike zone judgment, which lead to better strikeout and walk rates. After playing mostly right field up to this point, the Pirates started to shift Polanco between right field and centerfield. The outfield prospect showed he had the chops to play CF while putting his speed and base running abilities on display, going 18-for-18 in SB opportunities. But in 2012, the real breakout came during his stint in the South Atlantic League, where Polanco hit 16 HR's to go with 40 SB's. During the 2012 season, Polanco began to shoot up prospect rankings as he made a name for himself.

This year, Polanco started the season at High-A Bradenton, and was promoted midway through the year to the AA before finishing the season with AAA Indianapolis for the International League playoffs. He combined to hit for a .285 BA, 12 HR's, 71 RBI's, 66 R's, and 38 SB's in 2013. And to top that off, he was swinging a hot bat in the Dominican League this winter.

The organization started to give Polanco starts in RF in the minors for the first time towards the end of August. Many thought this move was made in order to get him ready to bring up to the majors for the Pirates playoff stretch run. But a few days later, the Pirates traded for Marlon Byrd, which allowed them the luxury of not rushing Polanco up. Take it as a good sign that the Pirates think their top prospect is ready for his call to the show. Polanco was added to the 40-man roster in November, and should get his call sometime during the 2014 season. Gregory Polanco could become a top fantasy option, capable of putting up seasons of 15 HR's and 40 SB's in his prime.

Taken in the first round of the 2010 draft between Bryce Harper and Manny Machado, Jameson Taillon could join those players in the Majors this year. During his senior year of high-school, Taillon threw a no-hitter with 19 strikeouts on March 23^rd, 2010, vaulting him onto many lists as a potential top pick, and led to the young hurler being one of the most coveted players in the draft. He fit what the Pirates were looking for, a young controllable arm that could head a rotation in the future. After agreeing to play college ball at Rice, Taillon signed just hours before the deadline with the Pirates, choosing to forgo college and try his hand at professional ball.

Taillon began his minor league career in 2011 with the West Virginia Power in the South Atlantic League. After holding his own with a 3.98 ERA and a K-rate just over 9 per inning, the Pirates felt they could speed up the young right-hander's timetable. In 2012, Taillon took on two levels, spending most of the year in the Florida State league, before being promoted to Double-A to finish the year. He returned to Double-A to start the 2013 season, and after 29 total starts at the level between 2012 and 2013, Taillon made his final 6 starts of 2013 in the Triple-A International League. Taillon has been very consistent while holding his own every step of the way throughout the minors.

While playing in the Arizona Fall League in October, Taillon made just 1 appearance before hanging it up for the rest of the off-season after tweaking his groin. The injury is not considered to be serious or have any long term effects, but will keep Taillon from getting any extra work in this off-season. This could result in more time in the minors before he gets the call to Pittsburgh, but after spending time between Double-A and Triple-A in 2013, Taillon should be ready for his shot in the big league rotation soon.

Jameson Taillon has a high ceiling and draws comparisons to teammate Gerritt Cole. These two young hurlers could form a cost controlled 1-2 front of the rotation punch that could become the envy of the National League. Jameson should return to Triple-A to begin the 2014 season, and could make his debut as soon as an opportunity presents itself in Pittsburgh. Taillon could end up a very nice #2 SP to own in fantasy leagues in just a few years.

#3 Tyler Glasnow (RHP)
FANTASY STATISTICS (ALL LEVELS)
W	SV	ERA	WHIP	K
9	0	2.19	1.04	164
SECONDARY STATISTICS
IP	HR/9	GO/AO	BB%	K%
111.1	0.73	1.17	13.5%	36.3%
OTHER INFORMATION
AGE ON 1/1/2014	B/T	ROSTER STATUS		LEVELS
20	L/R	Not On 40 Man Roster (Protect After 2015 Season)		A

Tyler Glasnow might be the biggest riser in this organization over the course of the 2013 season. This tall, lanky right-handed pitcher measures in at 6' foot 7" inches tall and wears a size 17 shoe. After entering the 2013 season as a decent pitching prospect that couldn't be found on any top rankings lists, that won't be the case again in 2014. Glasnow burst onto the fantasy scene by racking up 164 strikeouts in 111.3 innings pitched in the SAL League during the 2013 season. I found myself continuously checking the box scores to see how many K's he would put up after each start. He also held opponents to an unbelievable .142 batting average against on the year.

To start his career, Glasnow made just 12 appearances during the 2012 season, but put up very nice numbers in his short stint. Although Glasnow had a K-rate over 9 per inning while keep his ERA below 2, he wasn't able to accumulate the innings to make a case for himself as a top prospect. But that changed in 2013, as he accumulated one of the best stat lines from any pitcher in the minors. Baseball America had this to say about Glasnow back in August:

The most unhittable pitcher in the minors is Glasnow, and it's not really close. Opponents are hitting .148 against him this year, best in the minors among qualified starters. The next best, Cubs righty C.J. Edwards, holds opponents to a .175 average. Glasnow's 13.5 strikeouts per nine innings also ranks No. 1 among all pro pitchers with at least 50 innings.

If Tyler Glasnow can replicate his early success during the 2014 season, he will continue his ascension to the top of pitching prospect rankings. The future for this young pitcher is promising, and should still receive plenty of time to develop his form in the minors. Once Glasnow makes his way to the big league club, he could provide fantasy managers with a #2 SP capable of racking up the strikeout totals.

#4 Austin Meadows (OF)
FANTASY STATISTICS (ALL LEVELS)
AVG	R	HR	RBI	SB
0.316	37	7	22	3
SECONDARY STATISTICS
PA	OBP%	SLG%	BB%	K%
211	0.424	0.554	13.7%	21.8%
OTHER INFORMATION
AGE ON 1/1/2014	B/T	ROSTER STATUS		LEVELS
18	L/L	Not on 40 Man Roster (Protect After 2017 Season)		Rk, A-

Back in the summer of 2011, Meadows made a name for himself by playing with Team USA in the IBAF World Championship. The Georgia native earned co-MVP honors while putting up a .537 batting average throughout the tournament. Afterward, Meadows continued to play well in high-school, establishing himself as one of the premier prep players in the country and a top 10 draft prospect. The outfielder went into the 2013 draft considered one of the best hitting prospects still in high-school.

The Pirates selected Meadows with the 9th overall pick in the 2013 MLB Player Draft. He was quickly signed and sent to the Gulf Coast League, before ending the year in the short season New York-Penn League. Meadows hit over .300 while demonstrating some power with seven homeruns during his short stint last year. The left handed-hitter is said to have nice bat control, with an above average hit tool, but his best tool might be his speed. If Meadows can continue to add upper-body strength and develop his home-run power, he could become a 5-category contributor for fantasy teams down the line.

Meadows won't turn 19 until May this year, so he will require at least a few years to develop his craft before getting his call to the show, but he has already shown glimpses of what the future might hold. There is still a lot of projection for this young prospect as he continues to develop his tools. The Pirates believe they have another elite talent and excellent outfield prospect in Austin Meadows. With Andrew McCutchen, Starling Marte, and Gregory Polanco already in the system, the Pirates will have the luxury of taking their time with Meadows. If he develops as anticipated, the Pirates could have another top fantasy outfielder in Meadows.

Just a year ago, the debate for this organization's top batting prospect was between Alen Hanson and Gregory Polanco. Well, Polanco breezed through 3 levels of the minors in 2013, and Hanson stalled after being promoted to Double-A midway through the season. It would be high hopes to expect any prospect to match Polanco's torrid 2013 pace, and Hanson saw his prospect stock drop slightly in comparison as he struggled to keep up. Although his 2013 season was less than stellar, Hanson still has the ability to become a valuable fantasy contributor in the future.

After a remarkable 2012 season where Hanson displayed nice power to go with great stolen base potential, the prospect took a step back in 2013. He began the year in High-A Florida State League, and played well until his promotion to Double-A. He struggled to hit after his promotion, looking lost at times. Many believe the jump to Double-A in the minor leagues is the toughest transition for players to make, so Hanson may just require more time to develop and adjust to the talent at this level. The Pirates sent Hanson to the Arizona Fall League where he held his own with some of the best prospects in baseball. He will most likely return to Double-A to hone his craft to start the 2014 season.

Alen Hanson could give fantasy owners a nice power/speed option at one of the middle infield positions. He has been playing shortstop in the minor leagues, but a transition to second base could eventually be in the cards. At just 21 years-old, Hanson could be an adequate replacement for Neil Walker or Jordy Mercer soon. Hanson might already be the most talented shortstop on the 40-man roster. If he can stay at the position, he could develop into a top 10 fantasy shortstop in his prime, capable of stealing anywhere from 25 to 35 bases, while chipping in a handful of homeruns.

Another high-risk, high-reward prospect that is still a ways away from making his MLB debut. McGuire was the 14th overall pick in the 2013 draft. The Pirates have been doing a great job of developing talent lately, and McGuire could continue to make the brain-trust in Pittsburgh look smart. After the draft, he hit the field and accumulated 192 AB's with a .323 batting average. He is only 18 years old, so we will have to wait and see what comes of his power potential. But we already know the batting eye is there. McGuire has a strong frame, so the power could eventually come.

McGuire established himself as a high-level prospect during the fall of 2012 while playing for the U18 USA National team. He hit .400 during the tournament and helped lead the team to win the world championship. This catcher's defense helps to get him ranked so highly on prospect lists, but he can also swing the bat. Scouts believe McGuire could have multiple Gold Gloves in his future. McGuire won't make his way to the majors for a long time as an 18 year-old catching prospect, but he has already shown the aptitude and talent to move quickly. After a quick taste of the New York-Penn League to end the season, McGuire will likely head back there to start the 2014 season. McGuire could become a top 12 fantasy catcher in a future Pirates' lineup that projects to be loaded for some time.

#7 Josh Bell (OF)
FANTASY STATISTICS (ALL LEVELS)
AVG	R	HR	RBI	SB
0.279	75	13	76	1
SECONDARY STATISTICS
PA	OBP%	SLG%	BB%	K%
519	0.353	0.453	10.0%	17.3%
OTHER INFORMATION
AGE ON 1/1/2014	B/T	ROSTER STATUS		LEVELS
21	B/R	Not on 40 Man Roster (Protect After 2015 Season)		A

Viewed widely as a high-first round talent, Bell fell to the 2nd round on what was viewed as a nearly-iron clad agreement to attend the University of Texas. However, the Pirates gave Bell a $5 million bonus right before the deadline, getting him instead of the Longhorns. Bell started to switch hit at the age of five, and was said to show power from both sides of the plate quickly, leading him to be tagged as a "natural switch-hitter."

Already a bit behind his draft class due to his age (he had just turned 19 the day after signing), he tore the meniscus in his left knee while running the bases in April 2012, which ended his professional debut after just 15 games and kept him further behind. Bell returned to the field for his first full professional season in 2013 with a very solid season at the plate. The prospect hit better against lefties during the 2013 season, with a line of .302/.353/.491. Scouts said Bell's batting stance was too "upright" this season from the left side, which lead in part to his platoon splits (.272/.353/.442) against right-handed pitching.

The Pirates are poised to be playoff contenders for the foreseeable future, and with the current stock of outfielders on the roster, our #7 prospect may well end up as trade-bait for the Pirates. The depth of outfield talent in this organization is outlandish, and Bell just adds to it all. Jim Callis of MLB.com believes Bell is close to becoming a top 100 prospect in baseball, which speaks to the depth of quality prospects in this organization. Josh Bell projects to hit for a homerun total in the 20's during his prime in the major leagues. Once the performance catches up with his tool and skill profile, Bell could become a very coveted fantasy prospect. Regardless of whether the switch hitter's future is with the Pirates or another team, fantasy managers have another prospect worth keeping tabs on in Bell.

#8 Luis Heredia (RHP)
FANTASY STATISTICS (ALL LEVELS)
W	SV	ERA	WHIP	K
7	0	3.05	1.37	55
SECONDARY STATISTICS
IP	HR/9	GO/AO	BB%	K%
65	0.69	0.79	13.4%	19.9%
OTHER INFORMATION
AGE ON 1/1/2014	B/T	ROSTER STATUS		LEVELS
19	R/R	Not On 40 Man Roster (Protect After 2014 Season)		A

The Pirates signed this non-drafted free agent out of Mazatlan, Mexico during the summer of 2010, striking a deal with his Mexican League team (of which he received just 25%) for $2.6 million. Heredia kicked off his professional career in 2011 with the GCL Pirates, producing mixed results on the stat sheet in general, but well within reason for a 16 year old. He moved up to the New York-Penn League in 2012, posting a 2.71 ERA in 14 starts, and continued to solidify his prospect value. The main complaint at that point was his strikeout rate, just 15% that season. Heredia was held back in extended spring training to start 2013, but joined Low-A West Virginia in late June. There he continued to demonstrate his command while improving his K-rate in the process.

The right-handed flame-thrower features a fastball that reaches 95 mph consistently, while also throwing a plus curveball and solid changeup as his secondary weapons. Heredia measures in at 6'6" and has a developed frame, weighing in at 205 pounds despite being just 19 years old, and projects to become a quality big league arm. He has progressed quickly as a teenager throughout the minor leagues, but has never accumulated more than 70 innings pitched in a season. He will still need time to develop his arm into a 200 inning major league pitcher, but once he does, Heredia has the potential to become a front-line starter for the Pirates and #3 SP for fantasy teams.

#9 Nick Kingham (RHP)
FANTASY STATISTICS (ALL LEVELS)
W	SV	ERA	WHIP	K
9	0	2.89	1.18	144
SECONDARY STATISTICS
IP	HR/9	GO/AO	BB%	K%
143.1	0.44	0.93	7.4%	24.1%
OTHER INFORMATION
AGE ON 1/1/2014	B/T	ROSTER STATUS		LEVELS
22	R/R	Not On 40 Man Roster (Protect After 2014 Season)		A+, AA

This 22 year-old was a 4^th round selection by the Pirates out of high-school in 2010. As the Pirates usually do, they challenged their young prospect by sending him to the New York-Penn League to make his debut in 2011 as one of the youngest pitchers at the level. Kingham spent all of 2012 in the South Atlantic League, improving his strikeout rates. By 2013, the 6'5" righty was making his way through the High-A Florida State League and into the Double-A Eastern League, recording over a strikeout per inning between the two levels. He was named to the FSL Mid-Season All-Star Team before his promotion to Double-A.

Baseball America recently ranked Kingham the #5 overall prospect in the Pirates system for 2014, noting that he believe he has the best change-up and control in the system, high praise for an organization that also contains Jameson Taillon, Luis Heredia, and Tyler Glasnow. After spending half the season in Double-A, he could return to the level for a quick stint before trying his hand at the top level of the minor leagues. If he continues to make such easy transitions to each level, it won't be long before we see this righty in Pittsburgh, and could slide into the back of the major league rotation sometime during the 2015 season. Nick Kingham could provide fantasy managers with a mid-rotation arm capable of producing decent ratios and nice strikeout totals during his prime.

#10 Harold Ramirez (OF)
FANTASY STATISTICS (ALL LEVELS)
AVG	R	HR	RBI	SB
0.285	42	5	40	23
SECONDARY STATISTICS
PA	OBP%	SLG%	BB%	K%
310	0.354	0.409	7.4%	16.8%
OTHER INFORMATION
AGE ON 1/1/2014	B/T	ROSTER STATUS		LEVELS
19	R/R	Not on 40 Man Roster (Protect After 2015 Season)		A-

This Latin American prospect was signed in 2011 as a non-drafted free agent at the age of 16 years-old. The Pirates sent Ramirez to the Gulf Coast League to start his professional career, but missed the first month of the season with a staph infection. After his return, he split time between the corner outfield spots, while showing the Pirates he could hold his own in the GCL as a 17 year-old. In 2013, Ramirez became one of the top hitters in the New York-Penn League, hitting for decent power while racking up 23 stolen bases in just 71 games.

This outfielder still requires a lot of projection, but has demonstrated the skill set to be an interesting prospect for dynasty leagues and fantasy managers. Ramirez made tremendous strides at the plate with his pitch selection and batting eye, continued improving on the bases, and his power potential is just starting to be displayed through his performance. Baseball America named Ramirez his league's top prospect in 2013, despite a late season fade.We will learn a lot more about this prospect in 2014, as Ramirez is still a few years away from being ready for a shot at the big leagues. He should receive a promotion to full season ball, while continuing to play one of the corner outfield spots in 2014. Fantasy league managers could have a future outfielder capable of putting up well balanced numbers across the board if everything falls into place for Harold Ramirez.

Other Interesting Prospects
By Matt Mattingly (@mattmattingly81)

Barrett Barnes - This outfield prospect was a 1^st round selection with the #45 overall pick in the 2012 MLB Player Draft, but had his initial season cut short after fracturing his ankle. Then in 2013, his season was derailed with repeated injury concerns. First he had back issues, then a repeated hamstring problem. Barnes has the talent to rank higher on prospect lists, but the injury concerns and lack of repetitions will prevent him from joining the ranks for now.

Andrew Oliver - This left-handed pitching prospect was drafted by the Detroit Tigers in 2009. He was unable to cut it after two short chances with the big league club, so he was shipped to Pittsburgh after the 2012 season. In 2013, Oliver struck out 138 batters in just 124.3 innings pitched for the Triple-A Indianapolis Indians. The luster hasn't completely faded from this 26 year-old prospect, and we could see if he has what it takes to contribute to fantasy teams soon.

About the Authors

Jason Hunt is a contributing writer for Fake Teams, specializing in the minor leagues and prospects.
Follow him on Twitter @jasonsbaseball

Brian Creagh is a contributing writer for Fake Teams, specializing in fantasy baseball and the minor leagues.
Follow him on Twitter @BrianCreagh

Matt Mattingly is a contributing writer for Fake Teams, specializing in fantasy baseball and the minor leagues.
Follow him on Twitter @MattMattingly81

Sources

Baseball America
Baseball Prospectus
Baseball Reference
Fangraphs
MLB.com
MILB.com
Bucs Dugout
Bleacher Report
CBS Sportsline
Vimeo
Youtube