Future Redbirds

People with small children will recognize the Pirates Who Don’t Do Anything. For the rest of you– just wait, your time will come.

The Pirates farm system is by far from being world beater, but there are some gems left over from Littlefield and Co.

MLB Ready Prospects:

Steven Pearce, 24 year old 1B (4 star prospect)
Brian Bixler, 25 yr. old SS (2 star prospect)

Pearce looks to be pretty darn good. A teammate of Rasmus’s on Team USA, he’s blocked by Andy Adam LaRoche at 1st and will be moved to RF. Pearce smacked 31 homers in 487 at bats between A+, AA and AAA and has a .300 peak translated EqA. Bixler is a player of limited upside, but then again so is Jack Wilson. I’m surprised given the limited SS market this free agency period they haven’t shopped Wilson more aggressively in order to open a spot for Bixler. He doesn’t offer much in terms of hitting for a high average or power, but he is an effective base stealer and is patient at the plate. He also played on Team USA this fall.

Near Ready Prospects:

Andrew McCutchen, 21 year old OF (4 star)
Neil Walker, 22 year old 3B (3.5ish star)
Shelby Ford, 23 year old 2B (2 star)

Just a year ago, McCutchen was considered by many to be a better prospect then Rasmus. Not now. McCutchen hit just .258/.325/.383 line AA. He did improve as the season progressed and was promoted to AAA, where he hit .313/.347/.418. McCutchen oozes with tools, but his power hasn’t come along like the Pirates had liked; neither has his patience. He’s far from a bust, but he’s not looking like the future star that Buc fans were hoping for. He’s still young, and he’s very talented, so maybe he’ll pull it all together. Neil Walker moved from C to 3B and should be able to stick there. He has good plate discipline and should hit for more power down the road. There are some concerns that a he hasn’t fully healed from a torn ligament in his left wrist that he suffered in the AFL in 2005, which may have short circuited that power up until now. He represents a significant upgrade over Jose Bautista. Ford is a switch hitter with so-so pop and plate discipline. He looks more like a future utility infielder then anything else.

Prospects 2 or more years away:

Jamie Romak, 22 year old 2B/OF (3, maybe 4 star)
Brad Lincoln, 22 year old RHP (4 star when healthy)
Daniel Moskos 22 year old LHP (4 (?) star)
Duke Welker 21 year old LHP (2 star)

I like Jamie Romak quite a bit, me being a member of the Three True Outcome Hero cult. He draws bushels of walks and has plus power, but he does frequently whiff. Former first rounder Brad Lincoln has undergone Tommy John surgery, but when he’s healthy he has top of the rotation stuff with his sinker and curveball. Moskos is being tried out as a starter, but his future is in most likely in the bullpen, either as a set up man or closer. He throws 91-95 and has a very good slider. I still don’t get why they drafted Moskos over Matt Wieters, other they were being cheap. Welker was a teammate of Jesse Todd back in Arkansas. He’s a tall glass of water at 6-7 with a lively fastball, but there are real concerns about his health.

Honorable mentions to OF Brad Corley, RHP’s Todd Redmond, Olivo Astacio, Yoslan Herrera, Evan Meek and Patrick Bresnehan.

Bottom line:

Neal Huntington is a smart guy. Other prospective GM’s turned their noses up at a chance at trying to turn around the Pirates, but I think he saw the silver lining in the dark cloud that is baseball in the Steel City. Bryan Smith at BP noted that the Buccos have a solid core of hitting prospects around the diamond. The farm has recently produced a solid core of pitching, with Ian Snell and Tom Gorzelanny at the top, and Zach Duke and Paul Maholm filling out the middle, though they look more like your typical league average inning munchers. Matt Capps has the makings of a solid closer, and he should be joined by Moskos in the pen soon if they decide to shift him back. Huntington undoubtedly learned a ton working alongside Mark Shapiro and Chris Antonetti. I believe he has the smarts to turn the Pirates from a perennial loser to a winner if given the time.

Compared to the Cardinals, the Pirates have them beat in terms of hitting prospects, but are inferior when it comes to pitching prospects. The Cards have more top tier talent and are more solid through and through.

–Baseball America Top 10 Pirate Prospects
–First Inning Pirates Top Prospect Depth Chart
–Wait ‘Til Next Year-Your 2010 Pittsburgh Pirates by Bryan Smith, Baseball Prospectus
–Bucco Blog Top Ten Prospects

Yar Mateys! Read this post rendered in Pirate Speak!