On Friday morning, Keith Law posted his list of the top 20 prospects in the game. The Pittsburgh Pirates already had three players represented in his top 100, before adding another three to the list today.
Law has Austin Meadows as the top prospect for the Pirates, ranking him ninth overall on his top 100 list. He’s followed by Josh Bell at #14 and Mitch Keller two spots lower.In his mid-season top 50 prospect rankings, Law had Meadows as the 19th best prospect. He also mentioned that Bell would have made the list, but he wasn’t eligible due to being in the majors at the time. Keller wasn’t among his top 50 mid-season, or his top 100 preseason.
Law has a lot of praise for Meadows, calling him an impact player on both offense and defense. He expects Meadows to move to right field and that’s likely going to happen in the future. The Pirates have had him occasionally play the corner outfield spots despite the fact he is a solid defender in center field. As a right fielder, Law predicts he will hit for power (20-25 homers per year), get on base and be a plus outfielder. He also praises his contact skills and advanced approach at the plate.
Bell also gets the same type of praise at the plate as Meadows, with the potential for the two to be very similar hitters. The lower placement is due to Bell’s lack of speed compared to Meadows and the difference in defense, but Bell gets some extra credit for already performing well at the plate in the majors. Law believes Bell could hit 25 homers a year, while getting on base at a high clip.
Keller was called one of the best pitching prospects in baseball right now. Law says that his floor is now a #3 starter, and he is well within reach of becoming an ace. Law has just three pitchers ahead of Keller in the top 20.
As for the other Pirates in his top 100, Law had Tyler Glasnow ranked 25th and Kevin Newman 33rd yesterday, which was a small slide in the rankings for both players. Ke’Bryan Hayes also made the top 100 for the first time for Law, debuting in the 74th spot. Law also ranked the Pirates as the fourth best farm system last week.
We will get a quick comparison for Law’s list. The top 100 for MLB Pipeline will be announced tomorrow night on MLB Network at 8 PM EST. We will have an article up just before the list is announced, then update it as each Pittsburgh Pirate is announced.
