Keith Law Has Three Pirates in His Mid-Season Top 50

Posted by on July 12, 2012 | 4 Comments

Keith Law has released his mid-season top 50 prospect list for ESPN Insider subscribers. The list features three Pittsburgh Pirates prospects: Gerrit Cole, Jameson Taillon, and Alen Hanson.

Cole is the top prospect for the Pirates, coming in at number seven overall. He’s up three spots from his pre-season ranking at number ten. Law mentions that “there’s no starter in the minors with a better pure repertoire”.

Taillon was ranked tenth, up from his pre-season spot at 15th. Law had been critical in the past of how the Pirates used Taillon, suggesting that he should have had a heavier workload. He noted that Taillon has faced the lineup a third time in 11 of his last 12 starts.

The final prospect on the list is Alen Hanson, who comes in at number 48. Law has been one of the most outspoken people who says Hanson can stick at shortstop. This is the second time Hanson has been named a top 50 prospect, after being named the #40 prospect by Baseball America last week.

Starling Marte didn’t make the list, although that’s not a big surprise. Law has been lower on Marte than other outlets, citing his plate patience as a concern.

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About Tim Williams

Tim is the owner and editor in chief of Pirates Prospects. He started the site in January 2009, and turned it into his full time job during the 2011 season. Prior to starting Pirates Prospects, Tim worked with AccuScore.com, providing MLB, NHL, and NFL coverage to various national media outlets, including ESPN Insider, USA Today, Yahoo Sports, and the Wall Street Journal. He also writes the annual Prospect Guide, which is sold through the site. Tim moved to Bradenton in 2013, and will be providing live coverage all year of the Bradenton Marauders, GCL Pirates, instructs, mini camp, Spring Training, and lunches at Mixon's Fruit Farms.
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4 Responses

  1. Lee Young
    July 12, 2012 at 3:31 pm

    And I have been with Law every step of the way on Marte. I hope we are both wrong.

  2. Nate
    July 12, 2012 at 6:30 pm

    I just hope that the Pirates faithful will be patient with Marte when he gets called up. If/when he does come up this year, I’m keeping my expectations very low.

  3. st1300b
    July 12, 2012 at 10:23 pm

    I’m definately not with Law or Lee on Marte, I think his potential is just as high as Cutch. Whether he gets there or not I don’t know but the upside is there.

  4. tom homolek
    July 13, 2012 at 8:49 am

    I would be shocked if Marte turned out to be anywhere near Cutch. I think he will be decent, maybe Xavier Nady good, not Cutch good. Without the injuries, that is pretty good.