Four Pirates in Kevin Goldstein’s Top 101 Prospects

Kevin Goldstein of Baseball Prospectus has released his top 101 prospects for the 2011 season.  Goldstein has four Pirates prospects on the list, with a bit of a surprise from the other lists that have been released.

Jameson Taillon was the highest rated player on the list, coming in at number eight.  Taillon was the third best pitcher on the list, ranking only behind Julio Teheran and Aroldis Chapman.  He also ranked one spot ahead of Tampa Bay Rays pitcher Jeremy Hellickson.

Stetson Allie was next, coming in at number 39.  In Goldstein’s top 11 prospect list for the Pirates, he listed Taillon and Allie as the only two five star prospects in the system.

Luis Heredia came next at number 81.  This is the first time the top Mexican pitching prospect has finished on a top 100 list, although he has been in consideration for the back end of other lists.

The big surprise was the rating of Tony Sanchez at 93.  Goldstein had Sanchez fourth in his top 11, behind Taillon, Allie, and Heredia, so the ranking shouldn’t be a surprise.  However, it’s the lowest Sanchez has been ranked, after finishing 46th in Baseball America’s top 100, and finishing 63rd in Keith Law’s rankings.

Goldstein will have a chat about the list at 1:00 PM EST.