PITTSBURGH — The future continues to look bright for the Pittsburgh Pirates. Jonathan Mayo of MLB.com revealed his Top 100 prospects list on Wednesday and four Buccos made the cut. They included right-handers Jameson Taillon (Ranked No. 8), Gerrit Cole (No. 11), and outfielders Starling Marte (No. 40) and Josh Bell (No. 69).
Only one other club, the Baltimore Orioles, have two prospects in the Top 11. Both Taillon and Cole were taken in the first-round of the draft, Taillon in 2010 (2nd overall) and Cole in 2011 (1st overall). And only five other clubs have more prospects in the Top 100 than the Pirates, who have four.
The Top 50 prospects were discussed on MLB Network and here are some notes about Taillon, Cole and Marte.
Taillon, 20, continues to be compared to Red Sox pitcher Josh Beckett. He is expected to be a front of the rotation starter for the Pirates. Dan Hart said Taillon has very clean mechanics, his fastball is plus and that his breaking ball is currently his best pitch. “The Pirates really took their time, as they should, with a young kid here. They limited his innings, they didn’t push him, just getting him used to the rigors of professional baseball. This kid has a very bright future. He’s got a good head on his shoulders.”
Taillon posted a 3.98 ERA over 23 starts for Low-A West Virginia Power in 2011. He struck out 97 batters over 92.2 innings. Taillon is expected to start the season at High-A Bradenton.
Cole, 21, has the makings to be a 200-plus innings starter in the big leagues. Mayo said his biggest problem is that he has the tendency to over throw, referring to his outing in the Rising Stars game where he was pulled after just 0.2 of an inning. “You saw in the Arizona Fall League, the Rising Stars showcase, he went out and tried to throw the ball through the roof, and he was bad. His other outings, he was calmer, he was maintaining his stuff, and he’s unhittable when he does that. I think the Pirates will continue to work with him on that very thing. As long as he doesn’t overthrow and open up, that stuff is unbelievably good.”
Cole, who’s fastball reaches triple digits, is considered a future ace for the Pirates. Cole made his professional debut in the Arizona Fall League where he went 2-0 with a 3.00 ERA over five starts. Cole allowed five earned runs on 10 hits over 15.0 innings with four walks and 16 strikeouts for the Mesa Solar Sox. Cole, along with Taillon, is expected to start the season at High-A Bradenton. The 1-2 duo makes for an exciting rotation to keep an eye on.
Marte, 23, was compared to outfielder Austin Jackson of the Detroit Tigers and is said to have “the complete package. Mayo said, “The Pirates think that there’s a lot more there. Especially if he can improve his plate discipline. He does not walk, but makes good consistent contact. He runs well, and is a plus defender in center field. You know when you’re talking about a guy who potentially move Andrew McCutchen to a corner, who is an unbelievable defensive center fielder, you know how good he is defensively. I would love to see this guy get a shot at the outfield this year. I don’t think it’s going to happen. It doesn’t hurt to let him get some Triple-A time, maybe work on his pitch selection a little bit. But I think you’re going to see him in Pittsburgh before this years over.”
Marte walked just 22 times over 536 at-bats during the 2011 season at Double-A Altoona. However, Marte had his best year professionally with the Curve where he hit for .332 clip, with 91 runs, 38 doubles, 12 homers, 50 RBI and 24 stolen bases. Marte became the first player in the clubs 13-year history to capture the batting title. He was also was named the Eastern League Player-of-the-Month and was named the League’s Rookie-of-the-year. Marte also set a new single-season club record with 178 hits.
Bell, 19, was drafted in the 2nd round of the 2011 draft out of Dallas Jesuit (Texas) High School. He has not made his professional debut yet, but he did however, participate in the Fall Instructional League in Bradenton, Fla. Bell hit .548 with 13 home runs, 54 RBI, 54 runs and had a 1.054 slugging percentage at Dallas Jesuit. He struck out just five times in his 139 plate appearances. Bell is expected to the start the 2012 season at Low-A West Virginia.
Photo credit: MiLB
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