The Pittsburgh Pirates Shortstop of the Future Or Just Another Premium Prospect Heartbreaker?

Prospect lists are always a nice way to pass these long, dark days of January in the East. It’s even better to review the Top Shortstops in Major League Baseball and see a young Pittsburgh Pirates player in the top ten.

Jonathan Mayo has put together the list for 2013 and Alen Hanson checked in at number eight.   What is really interesting about the article is checking out the top ranked shortstops as ranked by Mayo over the past two seasons.  [chart below]

Does anything stand out to you?  A number of the top shortstops have moved to other positions.  Shortstop isn’t for just anyone, it’s a position that will eat most players alive.

The question we have is can Hanson stick at short?  It’s just another reason to be pumped about the 2013 season.  Should Hanson’s athleticism allow him to have another big season like his .309/.381/.528 line with  35 bags stolen in 124 games AND his defense improves over the 40 errors last season, the Bucs could actually have one of the games brightest prospects.

It concerned me that Hanson didn’t receive much playing time this winter at short.  Nevertheless, keep an eye on Hanson.   We believe he will be moving up this list as players above him peel off.   But more importantly, if he can stick at the premium position of shortstop, and start pushing his way through the Pirates system, holy shit will that be something to cheer about.

As we read through the article it is cool to note the following.  Although we have no idea who “many” refers to,  Mayo wrote the following about Hanson..

"Despite some struggles defensively, many believe he’ll develop into a decent defensive shortstop, with a worst-case scenario being that he moves to second, a position he’s played in the past."

Seriously, it would be nice to know who this person “many” is that he references.  Manny Ramirez?  Was there a typo?     How cool is it to hide behind words like ‘many’ believe….blah blah blah.

Anyway, it’s hard for me to see it, we think Hanson needs some serious work.   Where the hell is Perry Hill when we need him?  Oh yeh, nevermind.

Of course I’m not a scout, I just pretend to be one on the internet.  We will keep an eye on Hanson in 2013, nothing would make me happier than to eat my words.

Top 10 shortstop prospects from 2012 and 2011

Full article at MLB