Pittsburgh Pirates Top 5 Prospects From A Decade Ago: How They Did, Where They Ended Up

Number 4 – Pitcher Tim Alderson

You may not be familiar with Tim Alderson, but you have probably heard of Freddy Sanchez. Alderson was the guy who was sent from the Giants to the Pirates for the All-Star infielder in 2009. At the time, it looked like a great trade for the Bucs. Alderson was the 22nd overall pick in the 2007 draft, and was doing great at Double-A, having a 3.47 ERA, 3.48 FIP, and 1.24 WHIP.

But after the trade, the right hander faltered. It’s almost like Alderson lost the ability to pitch well. In 2010, the former prospect’s ERA soared to 6.03, and gave up 11.2 hits per 9 on average. While Alderson’s numbers would come down from that in following seasons, his ERA was still above 4 in both 2011 and 2012.

Eventually, Alderson became a full-time bullpen arm. In 2013, he seemed to have found his niche, pitching in 22 games and 42 innings while posting a 2.79 ERA, 3.66 FIP, and 1.19 WHIP at Tirple-A. But by then, his status as a future star had worn off.

Alderson was traded by the Pirates to the Orioles in July 2013 for corner utility man Russ Canzler. After 2013, Alderson bounced around with the A’s, Nationals, and even an indy league club, but hasn’t pitched in a pro game since 2016, or any MLB game in his career. Canzler never played a game for the Pirates at the MLB level.