Pittsburgh Pirates Minors: All Decade Busted Prospect Team

The infield position is an area that Neal Huntington really focused on, especially in the second half of his Pittsburgh Pirates tenure.  However, out of all the picks he had in the 2010s the best infielder he drafted was likely Kevin Newman (Josh Bell was an outfielder at the time of the draft), without much consideration for anyone else.  Here are the top infield prospects that busted.

Catcher: Reese McGuire

First Base: Connor Joe

Second Base: Max Moroff

Third Base: Jung-Ho Kang

Shortstop:  Alen Hanson

In terms of catching prospects, Neal Huntington overall failed to develop a true big league catcher. Although McGuire was a first-round pick, his bat never seemed to develop in the Bucs minors.  The team dealt him away in the famous Francisco Liriano salary dump.  He is doing better for Toronto than he ever did in the Pirates system.

Connor Joe was a surprise draft pick in 2014.  He was not really on any analyst’s radars at the time of the Bucs pick but he still projected to be a solid hitter.  Joe immediately had back problems in the minors and saw his development stall out.  The Bucs traded him for Sean Rodriguez in 2017.

Max Moroff was a 16th round pick, leaving a low ceiling for expectations.  With that being said, it gives him a break calling him a complete bust.  Still, Moroff quickly moved up the Pittsburgh Pirates top prospect lists for his disciplined approach at the plate and ability to play middle infield.  He ended up never producing at the big league level and was traded to the Indians last offseason.

Jung-Ho Kang signed with the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2014 and was prospect eligible. He ranked inside the Bucs top 30 and had a fine first couple years playing for the Bucs.  However, a DUI in his home country of Korea voided his work visa to enter back into the United States.  Between a major knee injury and the DUI charge, Kang missed nearly two years of Major League Baseball activities.  He returned in 2019 to bat .169 in 65 games and ultimately was released.

Alen Hanson was at one point a top 100 prospect, ranking inside Baseball America’s top 100 in 2013 and 2014, and was the potential shortstop of the future.  The bat never developed and he regressed defensively.  As a utility player, Hanson hit .205/.239/.261 in 64 games over two years with the Pirates before being placed on waivers.