The Pirates first round pick in the 2010 draft, right-hander Jameson Taillon, recently finished up his first season in professional ball.
The 19-year-old right-hander went 2-3 with a 3.98 ERA in 23 starts (92.2 innings) for the Low-A West Virginia Power.
“It was a little different then I expected,” Taillon said on his first year in the minors. “But overall it was a successful first year. I came out, finished strong, learned a lot. I thought it was a great way to end the season. I got some learning curves about midway through. I’m glad I got to learn what I did early in my career as opposed to having to do it later.”
In Taillon’s last two starts for the Power, he tossed a combined 8.0 scoreless innings which included just two walks and 12 strikeouts.
The season, however, didn’t come without learning from his mistakes.
“The hitters you face one through nine are all so good,” Taillon said. “I wouldn’t say I let up on certain guys but I’m a pretty prideful guy when I pitch, so I had to learn to put my pride aside because I throw hard and whatnot. If I fell behind in counts I got a little thing where I groove a 2-0 fastball. I kind of learned that the hard way that they get hit no matter how had you throw if it’s a hitters count. I just learned how to compete better, throw more effective balls.”
Taillon, who was ranked as the Pirates No.1 overall prospect by Baseball America prior to the 2011 season, is currently at Pirate City in Bradenton, Fla., for the Fall Instructional League. The season will end for him after two weeks on Saturday, but Taillon is taking advantage of the one-on-one sessions to continue to get better.
“The elite prospects are here, younger guys that need extra work,” Taillon said. “It’s really good to get in here, come in with the right attitude because you get a ton of one-on-one time with guys that are making decisions of where to put you, guys that can really help you take a jump forward in your career. It’s been good, just taking advantage of it everyday, of all the resources we have here.”
Photo credit: MILB
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