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First Pitch: The Pirates’ Position Player Depth As Told Through Flow Charts

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Last year I did a fun pre-season article breaking down the depth at each position for the 2015 Pirates, and what needed to happen to get to each player. It was well received, and I wanted to bring it back this year. I waited until Spring Training, figuring there might be some late additions to the roster. That paid off with the signing of Matt Joyce. After that, I didn’t get around to the article, which really paid off since they signed David Freese. And the extra time gave a bit more of a chance to analyze the roster, and see how the minor league free agents would factor in with the rising prospects.

The article last year used flow charts to show the different scenarios and different depth options the Pirates have. The charts this year show a lot of depth, although most of it is unproven in the form of prospects. There are a few disclaimers with each chart, with one of the big ones being that prospects aren’t guaranteed. So while the charts talk up the skills of these unknown players, realize that it might not work out. Another big disclaimer is that at any point, the team might be better off bringing in outside help for a position, rather than only sticking to internal options. This is mostly to show how the internal guys stack up.

These charts show areas of weaknesses for the MLB team, and also answer common questions about why certain players are on the team. For the most part, every position is strong once again, and if they run into problems, they’ve got a strong farm system to deal from. Now, here are the charts for 2016.

(TIP: Click on an image to get a bigger version)

Catcher

C2016chart

First Base

1B2016chart

Second Base

2B2016chart

Shortstop

SS2016chart

Third Base

3B2016chart

Left Field/Right Field

LF2016chart

Center Field

CF2016chart

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**Pirate City Notes: Jameson Taillon Impressive in Today’s Start. Video and analysis from the start. Taillon looks ready from a mechanical standpoint, but still needs work against upper level guys.

**Max Moroff’s Decision to Turn Pro is Looking Really Smart. Sean McCool revisits the decision that Max Moroff made to turn pro, and how that is starting to look really good after his 2015 season.

**Austin Meadows to Have Surgery, Jung-ho Kang Increases Fielding Work. Kind of expected news for Meadows, and we’ll probably learn more next week. Another good step for Kang.

Tim Williams
Tim Williams
Tim is the owner, producer, editor, and lead writer of PiratesProspects.com. He has been running Pirates Prospects since 2009, becoming the first new media reporter and outlet covering the Pirates at the MLB level in 2011 and 2012. His work can also be found in Baseball America, where he has been a contributor since 2014 and the Pirates' correspondent since 2019.

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