The Pirates Prospects 2013 Prospect Guide is now on sale. The book features over 250 prospect reports, the 2013 top 50 prospects, and the most comprehensive coverage of the Pirates’ farm system that you can find. While the top 50 prospects are exclusive to the book, we will be releasing the top 20 prospects over the next few weeks. Be sure to purchase your copy of the book on the products page of the site.
To recap the countdown so far:
20. Jin-De Jhang, C
18. Vic Black, RHP
13. Tony Sanchez, C
11. Clay Holmes, RHP
We continue the countdown with the number 8 prospect, Tyler Glasnow.
8. Tyler Glasnow, RHP
The Pirates have drafted a lot of tall, projectable pitchers who have the chance to add velocity. Some of those pitchers added velocity, but none to the extent that Glasnow saw. The right-hander is a very tall pitcher, shooting up eight inches after his freshman year, even growing in to a size 17 shoe. His velocity also increased during this time, going to the upper 80s, then the lower 90s, and topping out at 93. His velocity was never consistently in the 90s until this season.
In his first year as a pro, Glasnow was consistently sitting 90-94, and touching 96. He dominated the Gulf Coast League, then moved up to State College for a start at the end of the year where he was hitting 96 early in the outing.
Glasnow throws a four seam and a two seam fastball. His two-seam sits in the 91-92 MPH range, and has late tailing run away from right-handed batters. He locates the pitch well, throwing it to the outside corner against right-handers. He throws both inside and outside with his four seam fastball, and throws it on a steep downward plane, getting a lot of ground balls.
He throws a curveball which can be inconsistent, but has the potential to be a plus offering. The pitch sits in the upper 70s with good tilt and a late break, and can be used as a strikeout pitch. He needs to work on his changeup, which is not uncommon for a pitcher out of high school. Another thing Glasnow needs to work on is his control, as he dealt with some command issues in the GCL.
One pitching coach in Spring Training jokingly commented that Glasnow was eventually going to throw 200 MPH due to his size. The early velocity increase is great to see, and he might not be finished since he’s only 18 and still filling out his frame. He’s got two plus pitches with his fastball and curveball, along with a nice two-seam fastball and a developing changeup. The biggest issue will be his control. He could be a candidate to move up to West Virginia next year, but a lot of that will depend on how his changeup develops before the season.
The Pirates have gone heavy with over-slot prep pitchers in hopes of finding one or two guys who could develop into top of the rotation starters. Glasnow is so far off that he doesn’t really have a ceiling or an accurate projection. What he does have is a good frame and some dominating stuff, which is the starting point to eventually becoming a top of the rotation guy. He’ll be a guy to watch.
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Tim started Pirates Prospects in 2009 from his home in Virginia, which was 40 minutes from where Pedro Alvarez made his pro debut in Lynchburg. That year, the Lynchburg Hillcats won the Carolina League championship, and Pirates Prospects was born from Tim's reporting along the way. The site has grown over the years to include many more writers, and Tim has gone on to become a credentialed MLB reporter, producing Pirates Prospects each year, and will publish his 11th Prospect Guide this offseason. He has also served as the Pittsburgh Pirates correspondent for Baseball America since 2019. Behind the scenes, Tim is an avid music lover, and most of the money he gets paid to run this site goes to vinyl records.
Will Kingman, Holmes, Heredia and Glasnow be challenging Cole and Tallion for spots in the rotation?!
That guy looks like a beast. Arguably I faced very few elite prospects in my time playing, and very few pitchers even close to that height. However, I can only assume it looks like he’s reaching out to shake your hand by the time he releases the ball. If they can put some more beef on that guy, it’ll be scary.
I just hope and pray that the control comes around, because at worst, he can be a closer.