Pedro Alvarez, Jose Tabata, Brad Lincoln Plus NL Central Talk on HotStove.com
By Tom Smith
Hotstove.com is quickly becoming a powerhouse. I think they have been in action about two months, but have been amazingly effective. It’s hard to believe a Mets fan and a Phillie fan made this happen. Go check it out. Interviews, continuous updates, and more than enough information to burn up some time online.
So you are too tired to click? Ok, I understand. Here is what Tom had to say:
"Do you see any of the Pirates top three prospects, Brad Lincoln, Jose Tabata, or Pedro Alvarez, as making an impact at the Major League level this season?Tom Smith, Rum BunterEach makes a huge impact, because they significantlly improve the Pirates roster. After slamming 27 HR’s and producing an OPS of .914 in the minors last season, Pedro Alvarez has already had an impact on the major league club. Alvarez has forced Neil Walker into a mother of all super utility role which will play out well for the former number one pick. When Alvarez does make it to Pittsburgh it allows the Pirates to move LaRoche to 2B where his numbers would play well which hopefully puts Aki Iwamura in another teams uniform. Tabata and Alvarez will increase ticket sales, Alvarez more significantly after jerking a few homers over the Clemente wall. However, as much as we believe Alvarez will be a game changer in the second half of the season, we simply can’t project a significant production impact without so much as an at-bat at the AAA level.Tabata and Brad Lincoln have important skills to develop at the AAA level. Lincoln’s development of his changeup could allow the Pirates to make moves with their pitching staff by midseason, but I would rather see him dominate AAA hitters before being annointed to the rotation. Jose Tabata appears ready to devour AAA pitching after an impressive AFL season. If so, Tabata should make it to Pittsburgh quickly with the ability to play both corner OF positions and spell Andrew McCutchen. He also is a great upgrade to the roster especially if Ryan Church, well, especially if Church is Church."