Pittsburgh Pirates Top 30 Prospects: Ranking 12-7

Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports /
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Mandatory Credit: Butch Dill-USA TODAY Sports /

The Pittsburgh Pirates have options when it comes to starting pitching depth.  We’ve seen Steven Brault already make his Major League debut.  He is in current competition for the Pirates five-spot in the rotation, and if he is sent back to Indianapolis he will be the first one to see action.  Nick Kingham would already be in Pittsburgh if it were not for Tommy John.  He has the potential to be a solid number three starter mixing his fastball, changeup, and curve.

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Taylor Hearn throws gas with a solid slider.  He misses bats, but also has control issues.  Unless he starts pounding the zone and develops a third pitch, he will end up in the pen.  His value in the pen has the potential to be high.  He can become a fireman type reliever, and do what Andrew Miller did for the Indians in the 2016 postseason.

Elias Diaz is a backup catcher, and will serve as the team’s third catcher and will start for Indianapolis. His bat lacks, but his defense remains solid.  If Cervelli or Stewart go down, Diaz will be up.  Between Brault, Kingham, and Diaz, Diaz has the potential to impact the team the least, but he might be more important than those two.

Cole Tucker and Ke’Bryan Hayes are former first round picks.  Tucker was coming off an injury and Hayes got injured.  Their offense suffered last season as a result.  But Tucker provides speed and defense, and if the bat develops could become an average starter.  Hayes has a better bat than Tucker and will develop more power.  He has the defense to stay at third and should become a regular for the Pirates.

Next: Pirates Still on Quintana

Next Up

Our final installment will be prospects 6-1. These are the high-end prospects who have the highest ceilings. Nick will have them covered in the coming days. The list should be no shock, as everybody is familiar with the remaining players.

Previous Prospect Rankings

30-25 Prospects 

24-19 Prospects 

18-13 Prospects