Five Prospects to Watch in 2014

by Brandon Posa

For as long as I can remember, there has been nothing more exciting to me than following the PIrates minor league system. As much as I thoroughly enjoy watching the big club night after night, there are some times where I find myself actually enjoying checking up on how the young guys on the farm are doing. Tim William's Pirates Prospects literally became like a dream come true, as it got even easier to find up-to-date statistics and reports on both the big-time players and the depth options alike.

Even though at any given time throughout the season and the winter, it would be easy for someone like me to put together a current Top-10 list of Buccos prospects, I still get excited like it's Christmas when the big outlets produce their "official" lists after the New Year. It's very exciting to me to see how the national pundits view the system, who they believe is on the cusp of breaking out, and who fans in Pittsburgh should be prepared to see that summer.

Now make no mistake: it's just as exciting, to me, to follow Gregory Polanco's wonderful rise through the system, as it was hoping that Yoslan Herrera would somehow make it to the big leagues and be, oh, a potential number 3 starter in the rotation (sounds like someone from the 2002 draft). Just below, Jon wrote about how Gerrit Cole is "primed" to build off of his success rookie campaign and continue developing into the ace that Pirates fans dreamt of when he was drafted first overall in 2011. This summer, expectations are all around that Polanco and right-hander Jameson Taillon will be graduating to Pittsburgh sometime after June 1. There is reason to be excited, but not just because of the big names that are thrown around all the time. How about the guys in the lower levels that aren't discussed much beyond the diehard fans? Based upon my own opinions, as well as the reports that come from a variety of sources, here is my Top 5 list of prospects that I am most excited to follow this year:



1) Harold Ramirez, OF
Ramirez was signed back in 2011 out of Colombia, with the expectation that he could potentially not only hit for average and power in the big leagues, but have the range to stick in centerfield. The praise the Pirates threw his way at just age 16 has slowly produced results, hitting for a .285 average for Jamestown last season in A- at just 18 years old. He most likely will begin the season with West Virginia, which is also where 2013 #1 pick Austin Meadows is destined to go, so Ramirez will probably find himself playing the corners for the next few seasons. If he can learn to tame his swing, which scouts agree could pose a problem once he reaches AA, the Pirates could have another outfielder knocking on the door in just a few seasons. He's very young still, so his ceiling is still very high and we could see another potential Starling Marte on our hands.

2) Blake Taylor, LHP
Taylor was drafted in the second round in 2013 with their usual gameplan in mind: draft a projectable prep pitcher, drill fastball comand in the lower levels, and hope the arm stays healthy and growth is made. The one difference that Taylor brings is that he is a lefty in a system that is mostly built around the tall, projectable right-handers, a la Tyler Glasnow. Taylor posted some very solid numbers during his time in the GCL, so if he is able to follow the Pirates Fastball Academy and succeed, the Bucs could have found a middle-of-the-rotation lefty that would be suited well for PNC Park.

3) Nick Kingham, RHP
Kingham is definitely not an under-the-radar prospect, as he has gotten plenty of national attention in the prospect rankings this winter. With that, I think that Kingham could become a fan-favorite at PNC Park, due to his potential as the Pirates designated "workhorse," with the potential to log 200 innings a year. He would be a great complement to a rotation that could feature Gerrit Cole, Jameson Taillon, Charlie Morton, and Tyler Glasnow over the next few seasons. If Kingham has a successful season at AAA, look for him to be a September callup in the Pirates push for Buctober.

4) Reese McGuire, C
Similarly to Kingham, McGuire is definitely not under-the-radar as a first round pick and considered one of the best catching prospects in the game all ready. The exciting thing about McGuire is that the Pirates may have found the rare catcher that can be above-average on both sides of the ball, with the likes not seen around here since Jason Kendall. It will be very interesting to follow McGuire's career path, with an estimate arrival to the big leagues of late-2017 at the earliest.

5) Michael De La Cruz, OF
De La Cruz is built around the same mold as a Ramirez, Marte, or Polanco: a raw, projectable outfielder that could become a potential five-tool player in Pittsburgh. The crazy thing about De La Cruz is that not only is he just 17 years old, he has yet to even play a professional inning in the United States. De La Cruz will most likely begin the year with the GCL Pirates, and hopefully in a few years we will be talking about De La Cruz as another top outfielder for the Bucs.

Everyone knows Polanco. Everyone knows Taillon. Everyone knows Meadows, Josh Bell, and Alen Hanson. Or, in reality, everyone knows that they should know these guys. It's also important to look deeper than just the top ten, because not every impact major leaguer was drafted in the first round. Depth carries a franchise, and the Pirates are slowly becoming a poster-child for that.