Author Archives: WTM
BA Ranks Pirates’ Farm System 13th
In its just-published annual Prospect Handbook, Baseball America ranked the Pirates’ farm system 13th in baseball, up from 19th a year ago. The system no doubt was helped by the… Read more
Minor League Depth — Pitching, Part 3 (Lower Levels)
It’s not easy to project how the Pirates will manage their low level pitching staffs. A lot of factors beyond on-field performance come into play when the team is deciding… Read more
Minor League Depth — Pitching, Part 2 (Upper Level Relievers)
Bullpens don’t work quite the same way in the minors as they do in the majors. Most teams, including the Pirates, prefer to develop their pitching prospects as starters. The… Read more
Report: Pirates Sign Doug Slaten
According to Ken Rosenthal, the Pirates have signed left-handed reliever Doug Slaten to a minor league contract. Terms are not available yet, but it’s likely that Slaten will receive a… Read more
Minor League Depth — Pitching, Part 1 (Upper Level Starters)
For the last three drafts, the Pirates have focused heavily on pitching, mostly of the high school variety. Combined with a number of trades that brought in pitching prospects, they… Read more
Minor League Depth — Outfield, Part 2
The outfield ranks at the lower levels of the Pirates’ system are loaded with very toolsy players who have a ways to go in their development. In most cases, getting… Read more
Minor League Depth — Outfield, Part 1
Until they signed Josh Bell after the 2011 draft, the Pirates had paid almost no attention to traditional power-hitting, corner outfield prospects under their current front office. Of course,… Read more
Minor League Depth — Third Base
With power hitting down throughout baseball, classic thirdbasemen are increasingly difficult to find. Most teams want a player who hits for power while having the arm and quickness to play… Read more
Minor League Depth — Middle Infield
For the most part, “middle infield prospect” means “shortstop prospect.” A player with the ability to play secondbase at the major league level will usually be able to play short… Read more
Pirates Release Four Lower Level Minor Leaguers
According to Baseball America, the Pirates have released four minor league pitchers. The four are right-handers Mitchell Fienemann, Jarryd Sullivan, and Joe Parsons, and left-hander Diomedes Mateo. None of the… Read more
