In this job, there are very few nights during the season where I’m not following some level of baseball. In fact, I usually have to make a big plan in order to step away from the game and watch something non-baseball related. One of the things guaranteed to give me a night off is the release of a Marvel Comics movie.
Last year, I took a day off to go see Age of Ultron for the very first show. The theater in Bradenton has assigned seating, and I picked out a group of seats for me and my friends, strategically leaving one spot open between us and the group next to us.
We got into the theater, and I was ready to settle down for a night away from baseball. We walked up to the seats, and I noticed someone sitting in the seat I left empty. And the person who happened to choose that one seat in the theater right next to me was none other than Jameson Taillon. So much for trying to escape the game.
It was only fitting that this happened, as it set the tone for the summer, with me being everywhere Taillon was — on the mound, that is. I was at his rehab outings, talking to him on a weekly basis for the latest update, breaking down his mechanical adjustments, how he was recovering from his injuries, and so on.
That’s not too different from the rest of Taillon’s career. I followed him on this site as a draft prospect months before he was even drafted by the Pirates, and followed him closely since day one in the system. I was there for his pro debut, saw him a few times in Bradenton in 2012, covered his Double-A debut later that year, and have covered him live as recently as a few weeks ago.
With any prospect, the coverage only gets stronger the longer they are in the system. You get a chance to build on previous conversations and dig deeper into their game, and I can’t think of any prospect’s game that I’ve covered more closely than Taillon over the years. He definitely makes it easy, giving thoughtful and knowledgeable responses, even to amateur interviewers (which definitely described me back in 2010 and 2011).
Taillon makes his MLB debut tonight, after being sidelined for two years with Tommy John surgery and hernia surgery. I can tell you one thing: Nothing in the world could keep me from watching this start tonight, even if it was an opportunity to see Guardians of the Galaxy 2 a year before its release.
To get you prepared for the start, I’ve broken down Taillon’s pitches and his key adjustments over the years, combining about six years of coverage to give you The Book on Jameson Taillon.
Let The Age of Taillon begin.
The Fastball
Back in 2011, during Taillon’s pro debut in West Virginia, I talked with a scout who said he wouldn’t be surprised if Taillon never got to a point where he could throw his fastball down in the zone. Taillon always had the ability to sit 94-96 MPH, touching as high as 99 with the pitch. However, his drop and drive delivery led to the ball being flat and up in the zone, making him very hittable, despite the stuff.
Over the years, Taillon has reduced the drop in his delivery, and the result is that he can now actually pitch with a downward plane on his fastball, making it that much more effective. I detailed the changes in his delivery over the years in an article last year, and that’s still relevant now, as it showed how he turned into the polished pitching prospect he is today. The fastball is now thrown with little effort, still has the same velocity, and works down in the zone. He will still have a few flat fastballs, as the drop and drive will always be part of his delivery. However, he won’t get hit around a lot like he used to when he entered pro ball.
Along with the four seam fastball, Taillon also throws a two-seamer. This is more of a situational pitch, aimed at getting quick ground ball outs when he’s struggling and has runners on base. He developed it once he reached Double-A, and he can use the pitch now, although it’s not a pitch he’ll use as often as his other three.
The Curveball
Taillon’s biggest weapon, ever since he entered the pros, has been his curveball. It’s a power curve, or a slurve, being thrown in the low-to-mid 80s, with some sharp tilt. He can throw the pitch for strikes, and use it as a strikeout pitch, including the ability for a front door curveball that gets right-handers to back away from the plate before it drops in for a strike on the corner. The curveball is a plus pitch, and the best curve in the Pirates’ system.
The Changeup
Taillon entered pro ball with a plus fastball and a plus curveball. That means he didn’t have much of a need for a third pitch before entering pro ball. A big focus in his early seasons was on the fastball command, and changing his mechanics. But he also needed to work on the changeup. It got to the point in Bradenton in 2012 where he was challenged to throw 20 per game, just to get him using the pitch. He continued using it in Altoona, and really started getting comfortable with the offering. It’s now a pitch he can turn to if the curveball is off one night.
“I definitely consider it a weapon now,” Taillon told Pirates Prospects a few weeks ago. “It’s not just something I’m developing or working on, it’s something I’m using to get out of situations with a runner on, big situation, or behind to a big hitter.”
The changeup won’t be a plus pitch like his other two offerings, but it’s good enough to give Taillon that classic three pitch mix that will make him successful in the big leagues.
The Improved Mechanics
I mentioned it above, but Taillon has come a long way with his mechanics. If there’s any article you should read on Taillon, it would be my article from last year on those changes. I referenced the scout who said he might never throw at the knees not because it was a bad prediction, but to show how hopeless that project looked at the time. The flat fastballs were the big thing that could have held Taillon back from reaching his upside. Now that his mechanical adjustments are in order, failing to reach his upside is less of a concern.
What is Taillon’s Upside?
The Pirates are about to have one of the best young rotations in baseball if Taillon and Tyler Glasnow reach their upsides. Taillon projects as a top of the rotation guy, probably falling in behind Glasnow and Gerrit Cole in the long run. He does come with less risk than Glasnow, with a better chance that he could reach his upside. He also looks like the more likely rotation option to have immediate success in the way that Cole did for his debut in 2013.
Summary
The Pirates haven’t committed on Taillon being up for good, but he should be. He’s not a guy who has things that need to be worked on at the Triple-A level, with most of his work going forward capable of being done at the MLB level. He’s got the new mechanics down, the fastball has good movement, and while the curveball deals with the occasional inconsistencies, he has a changeup to back up that pitch. He’s learned how to pitch and get guys out, and now we’ll see how that, plus his stuff, carries over to the majors. He’s got a chance to be a top of the rotation pitcher in the long-term, with a shot of helping and upgrading the Pirates’ rotation in the short-term.
