A few prospects...

[Illinest]

AAA:
Tony Sanchez has started slow. Not really a surprise is it?
Starling Marte has been having a pretty good June. He's still 23 years old, so he could stay in AAA all year then come up sometime in 2013 at a good age. Might be better if we let him have that full experience.
Jeff Karstens is our only hope now that Correia is starting to collapse and Morton got shut down for the year. He's doing alright in his rehab but it's going slow.


AA:
Robbie Grossman was a bad boy. He was suspended for a week. He did come back with a pretty good game and it's not a terrible thing to struggle when you first get sent to AA but I think it's about time for him to adjust.
Tim Alderson He's pitching fairly well as a starter but he isn't exactly killing it. I wonder if he's having velocity problems or fatigue problems since he wasn't starting when the season began?


High A:
Alex Dickerson is finally hitting but his struggles early in the year have dampened much of my enthusiasm. If he rakes for the rest of the year then most of my interest will be restored.
Jameson Taillon Bust. No I'm not serious but his last 6 starts look putrid. He's got an ERA of almost 9 in June and his struggles actually extend back to almost mid-May. I am concerned. He shouldn't be struggling like this. It wasn't that long ago that we were all debating when he'd be promoted.
Gerrit Cole Stud. He was supposedly hitting 101 in his last start, with a 92 mph slider.


Low A:
Hansen and Polanco Doing good.
Willy Garcia As if to spite me - starts tearing it up right after I call him 'completely uninteresting'.


Draftees:
Barnes Tim Williams has got him in the bottom of his top 20.
Mathisen Likewise. I hope that these two can eventually prove that they deserve to be ranked higher.
Appel He knows what the Pirates have to spend on him. If the money isn't enough then he has to know that already. This new draft system is pretty swell after all. The Pirates get to draft whoever they want and get them started in the minors the same year instead of shutting them down until next year. Also get to spend less. What's not to like?

 

[thecrow124]

AAA:
Karstens isn't really a prospect, but in his second rehab start he had a problem with his hip, and was shut down again, he is supposed to start today or tomorrow in Altoona to work back up.
Sanchez just isn't going to hit, not for power or for average, so he is looking more and more like a defensive backup catcher to me.
Marte has only slightly worse numbers than McCutchen had his first time through AAA, I am in now way concerned. I thought he would hit a little better, but he is making a bigger effort to see pitches, so the lower average can be expected.

AA:
The only prospects playing at this level IMO is Brock Holt and Brandon Cumpton, every other prospect is injured. But Holt and Cumpton are what they are.

High A:
Taillon I am not sure what to make of his slide, first tiem through the lineup, in every one of his starts he is dominant, the second time thru, he gets destroyed. Not sure if he is hurting, his K's have been down, or if they just have him start going to one pitch to try to develop it more, like maybe his change-up. It would explain why Cole is still dominating, and Taillon isn't, Cole has a plus change already, and Taillon's is still a work in progress.
Cole has doen nothing but impress me, he has to move up soon probably after this weekend, FSL ASG.
Dickerson still isn't hitting for much power, but I think the FSL in general doesn't allow for the best power numbers, but at least he is hitting.

High A:
Hansen, Polanco, and Garcia are nothing short of awesome.
Osuna is pretty stagnant, I expected more.
Kingham is having the same issue as Taillon, dominates the first tiem thru the line-up then gets killed, which is another reason I believe that the organization has each of them working on adding another pitch, and both are having a little trouble controlling that pitch right now. Both have higher walk numbers and higher HR%. Due to this I am not to disappointed in their numbers.

Draftees:
I am excited about Mathisen and Barnes, but I was also excited about Evan Chambers, who lost prospect status earlier this week.

 

[Illinest]

Great news - Cole has been promoted to AA and will make his debut on the 20th.

Now if you dont mind me griping about the minors - i think its 75% bullshit. Here is what i think.
People who have the talent to be a star are usually physically mature enough at 20 to come to the majors and be a star. Those who have more modest talents fit into a larger portion of the bell curve and so the relative merits of experience begin to outweigh the differences in talent. the crappier you are, the more benefit you'll get out of a protracted progression through the minors.
Now i say this because i believe that standard progressions are often perceived as inviolable - and that deviation from the standard is sometimes wrongly blamed for the failure of a player to perform.

Gerrit Cole is not a typical talent. The fact that he can throw a 101 mph fastball pushes him up the curve. The plus changeup and 92 mph slider push him even further. The fact that he doesnt walk 4 batters per 9 innings takes him up yet again. I believe that Cole could skip straight to the majors and throw these same pitches at major league hitters and theyd have just as much trouble squaring it up as they do with a verlander fastball. If cole topped out at 93 then his ability to command the ball and to hold runners on, disguise the pitch etc... Would be vastly more important to his future. When you can't do the big things you have to be able to do the little things.

Well Cole can do the big things. I expect him to be moved quickly now. If he struggles in AA ill be surprised, but ill admit to it and revise my expectations downward somewhat. I dont expect him to struggle. I think hes got a legitimate chance to earn himself a september call up. Look forward to it.

 

[Etrius24]

I want them to move cole step by step and watch his pitch counts and overall workload... I would be very upset to see him need a tommy John or a Labrum repair..

I have high expectations for Grossman so I am hoping that he starts hitting and showing that he is going to be an all around solid player at the MLB level... 20 homeruns, 20 stolen bases and 100 walks... Playing corner outfield... solid glove... I can live with that....That is what I expect from grossman 2 years from now....

I had hoped Sanchez would hit enough to be a solid everyday MLB catcher.. we know his glovework is solid... and I am not worried abou taillon at all... He is a kid... he has all the talent in the world... kids hit speed bumps...Just monitor his workload... let him mature and get stronger.... He will keep working on mechanics and delivery.. the control will improve and he will get better...

 

[Illinest]

Stetson allie in his first game as a position player - 2 for 3 with a triple and a BB.
Heard mathisen was 3 for 5 with a double.

Well its a nice start anyways.

 

[magnumo]

Stetson allie in his first game as a position player - 2 for 3 with a triple and a BB.
Heard mathisen was 3 for 5 with a double.

Well its a nice start anyways.

Yeah..... nice start indeed for Allie, although he's starting out again at the Rookie level at age 21..... and has a long, LONG way to go to restore anything like the prospect status he enjoyed as a pitcher. My understanding is that the decision was largely his, because he didn't want to pitch any more. So, whatever happens will be totally his responsibility. I hope the kid makes it, but he's now quite a long shot.

Good for Mathisen as well. I'm always gratified when a draftee wants to sign and play quickly after the draft. Apparently, the new CBA rules have helped that situation. Gotta hope that he continues to perform..... since it would be great to have an all-around catching prospect in the system. (Not that high on Sanchez any more, especially his bat.)

I haven't heard a thing about Appel/Boras since a couple of days after the draft. That's a shame. I wouldn't be surprised to see Boras do his normal thing, despite the new rules..... and the outcome won't necessarily be good for Appel. I rarely use the word "hate" regarding any player, team, or other person or entity (in baseball or in life). Hating is rarely productive in any way..... and is often destructive to the "hater." But if I were going to hate ANYONE in the baseball world, it would have to be Boras.

 

[thecrow124]

I don't hate Boras, he does what he does to get his guy the best deal possible, but I honestly don't remember any of his clients not signing. I think Appel is gonna sign, and it will probably be for every single penny we can offer. But in reality, its gonna be a steal for us.

 

[sychmd]

didnt boras have drew that wouldnt sign with the phils a bit back.

 

[thecrow124]

didnt boras have drew that wouldnt sign with the phils a bit back.

You are correct, forgot about that, however if he goes back into next years draft, in order to get more than we can currently offer, he would have to go in the top 4. While it is not out of the realm of possibility, and probably is likely that he could, would the risk outweigh the opportunity he currently has?
Looking at next years draft class, I have every reason to believe that Appel could possibly go #1 even being a college senior. While the draft at the moment seems to be much deeper, it also appear to be lacking in high end top talent. However it is a long long way off.
So what it comes down to is would it be worth the risk of injury, to go back to college, or go to Japan, or play Indy ball, to get an extra $3.5 million. If it were any of us here, I think we would take the money now, but I don't believe any of us are or ever were nearly as talented as Mark Appel.

 

[element1286]

Yea, as long as Boras doesn't convince Appel to pull a JD Drew, then I have no problem with Boras as a whole.

 

[sychmd]

You are correct, forgot about that, however if he goes back into next years draft, in order to get more than we can currently offer, he would have to go in the top 4. While it is not out of the realm of possibility, and probably is likely that he could, would the risk outweigh the opportunity he currently has?
Looking at next years draft class, I have every reason to believe that Appel could possibly go #1 even being a college senior. While the draft at the moment seems to be much deeper, it also appear to be lacking in high end top talent. However it is a long long way off.
So what it comes down to is would it be worth the risk of injury, to go back to college, or go to Japan, or play Indy ball, to get an extra $3.5 million. If it were any of us here, I think we would take the money now, but I don't believe any of us are or ever were nearly as talented as Mark Appel.

not sure about you all, but i am way more talented than appel(at least what i know of him), but not at baseball!

 

[element1286]

Mathisen and Dilson Herrera are extremely interesting in GCL, can't imagine they stay there long, also the Lithuanian kid the Bucs gave a large bonus to is in the GCL again this year......Also, Heredia is pitching for State College, which should be a great test for him playing against a lot of college players.

 

[magnumo]

Appel & Mathisen

If Appel signs, I'm wondering where the Pirates will start him out.

Since they started Taillon at low-A WV in 2011 out of high school, and started Cole at high-A Bradenton in 2012 out of college, where they start Appel should give us a clue as to what they really think of him.

The good news is that, although neither Cole nor Taillon pitched in the minors in their draft years, Appel WILL if he signs. (The earlier signing deadline appears to be one aspect of the new CBA that they got decisively right.) So..... perhaps it WOULDN'T necessarily mean that the team thinks Appel needs more development than Cole if they start him at WV this year to get his feet wet. On the other hand, if they start him at Bradenton, that's gotta be good, right?

The bad news? I remain wary of what Boras may have up his sleeve. Whatever that might be, it's likely to be bad news for the Pirates.

-----------

I have high hopes for Mathisen, not particularly because of Mathisen himself, but rather because the Pirates have such a large future need at catcher..... and catcher is such an important position.

- Barajas will be 37 before the season ends, and likely won't be back anyway.

- McKenry looks like a backup at BEST.

- Fryer has been awful (and his window appears to have closed tightly).

- Sanchez has not been impressive.

- Cabrera is struggling.

- Wieters??? Littlefield's worst and most obvious blunder, and one that I can't get out of my mind. A good defensive catcher with a .783 OPS, who's only 26 (10 years younger than Barajas) and still hasn't entered his arb years, would look pretty good in a Pirate uniform.

Obviously, Mathisen is several years away at best..... but it will be good to have another catcher in the pipeline. I remain hopeful that Sanchez becomes more than a mediocre major league catcher, but his chances of being an above average starter seem to be getting slimmer all the time.

 

[Etrius24]

It is a long way from rookie ball to the majors... It would be nice if the kid keeps hitting and maybe gets to low A this year...I wonder if there are any scouting reports on his bat...

 

[Illinest]

One other prospect who doesn't fit in the Grossman and Marte thread. I noticed that Curry is hitting pretty well in AA, age appropriate and is especially getting hot lately. Could still be an option. At the very least I expect at this point that he'll fit into the 'pearce, hague, clement, moss, etc...' group of interesting AAA bats. Whether he's capable of contributing at the major league level.... another question entirely.

 

[element1286]

This Stefan Welch character has been going nuts at AA.

 

[Darkstone42]

Heredia strong again.

http://www.piratesprospects.com/2012/07/another-strong-start-for-luis-heredia.html?wt=3

5 innings, no walks, 3 hits, 3 strikeouts, no runs, 72 pitches, and an 8:3 ground ball to fly ball ratio.

 

[Darkstone42]

Cole tonight:

5.2 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 5K

Runner on third is his.

98-99 mph fastball in the 9th.

87 pitches, 63 of them strikes.

Taillon:

7 IP 2 H 0 R 2 K 1 BB, 93 pitches, 59 strikes.

 

[Darkstone42]

Justin Wilson is having a nice night, too.

5 IP 1 H 0 R 1 BB 4 K 82 pitches, 54 strikes.

 

[element1286]

Was just going to post about Wilson, could be a nice lefty out of the pen come August/September.