Keith Law Not Gushing Over Jameson Taillon

Jameson Taillon is the next big thing for the Pittsburgh Pirates.  As you know, the Pirates right hander is pitching in the Arizona Fall League.  Taillon was the starter for the Scottsdale Scorpions to open the season on Tuesday.

Of course if you know Keith Law, you shouldn’t be surprised.  It’s the same guy that mentioned ‘Pirates are a laughingstock in the industry’ all in the same sentence on his podcast less than a year ago.  The Hoka Hey shit.  All the banter about talent heading to college rather than signing with Pittsburgh seems hilarious after the Bucs drafting two of the most talented players in the top 15 picks.  Players came to Pittsburgh and are still coming to the Bucs.

So anyway, there is nothing here you haven’t read from Law about Taillon.  Law is in Arizona this week for ESPN checking out the most talented of the talented in the AFL.

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Well, it’s nice to know that Taillon threw some changeups.  It’s by far the biggest pitch he needs to learn to trust if he is going to create an impact in the Pirates rotation in 2013.  It sucks Law still thinks the fastball is easy to see.  It will be curious to see if anything is done about that moving forward.

Here was the recap from Taillon’s start on Tuesday:

Jameson Taillon fires a fastball earlier this year for the Altoona Curve

It’s always interesting to think what Pittsburgh Pirates right-hander Jameson Taillon might become. In his Arizona Fall League debut this evening, he got off to a good start.

Taillon is looking to increase his innings count and looking at it, the big right-hander should get six or seven starts. By doing this, and doing it effectively too, Taillon is going to be in a much better place next year. Should the Bucs somehow be playing in October, wouldn’t that be fantastic, Taillon is expected to be a part of the Pirates staff.

What really impresses me about the Pirates this season is the fact that Gerrit Cole has pitched almost non-stop, but his stressful innings have been controlled. You know the Pirates rule, never more than 30 in an inning. It’s an interesting take on the recent problem that has impacted  power pitchers in the big leagues–staying away from Dr. Andrews.

We would have to think Cole and Taillon avoiding Tommy John over the course of their Pirates career would be nothing short of a miracle, but it seems the Bucs have a quiet confidence about their analytics on the situation.

It’s hard for me to believe that the Pirates would even flirt with their two studs should there be any concern whatsoever.

Looking at Taillon’s line tonight, it’s hard not to smile and even if it’s just for a moment, dream about next October.

"Taillon’s (#Pirates) final line: 2.0 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 3 SO. Stephen Piscotty (#STLCards) has 2 SBs, scored on E. 1-1 in 3rd. #AFL13"

— Arizona Fall League (@MLBazFallLeague) October 9, 2013