Tyler Waldron was drafted by the Pittsburgh Pirates in the 5th round of the 2010 draft, signing for a slot-level price of $173,500. He was coming off a junior year in which he put up a 5.90 ERA in 61 innings at Oregon State, with an 8.3 K/9 ratio and a 2.2 BB/9 ratio. Waldron began his professional career with the State College Spikes, and pitched 64.2 innings. In those innings he put up a 3.90 ERA, along with a 5.4 K/9 and a 1.5 BB/9 ratio, mostly working on his fastball command.
For more about Waldron, and all of the prospects in the farm system, check out the Pirates Prospects 2011 Prospect Guide.
I saw Waldron pitch in September against the Auburn Doubledays. He got off to a rough start, allowing a three run first inning, but settled down after that, allowing no runs in the next four innings, and striking out the side in the top of the 4th. Waldron ended up pitching five innings, allowing three runs on six hits, with no walks and four strikeouts. Below is video from the game, with Waldron going up against top Washington Nationals prospects like Carlos Perez and Gustavo Pierre.
