TPOP’s Top 40 Pirates Prospects #20-11

It’s prospect season! That’s the time of year between the end of the winter meetings and when pitchers and catchers report dedicated to organization ranking lists and Top 100’s. It’s down time for everyone but the nerdiest of fans. We at The Point of Pittsburgh decided to join the fun. Where most lists stop at ten or thirty, we’re going all the way up to forty making ours the nerdiest list around.

Each of us completed our individual lists and then aggregated them into a complete list. Today, we’ll look at 20-11. Ages in parentheses are as of July 1st, 2015. We projected what level the player will spend the majority of the 2015 season, as well. In case you missed them, here are some links:

#40-31

#30-21

#20 Jason Creasy (23), RHP, AA

Kevin Creagh –Back end starter, but that has value. Great control last year with just 1.3 BB/9

Steve DiMiceli- Creasy gets by on his control and while he ?s not a ground baller, he ?s growing into his fastball a little.

#19 Cole Tucker (18), SS, Low A

Steve – Tucker ?s too far away for me to get excited despite his first round draft slot. He ?s still very, very young.

Kevin – Didn’t like this pick at all. Easy to see him getting bat knocked out of hands due to frame. May outgrow SS with height and bat won’t play elsewhere

#18 Jung Ho Kang (28), SS/3B, MLB

Steve – The Pirates sexy new offseason acquisition is bringing the hype, but he ?s also bringing a heavy K rate from strong hitters environment. He has a high ceiling still, but a surprisingly low floor for someone this close to the majors.

#17 Stephen Tarpley (22), LHP, Low A

Steve – Shiny ?. New ?. Toy

Kevin – I like the acquisition of Tarpley. If he can get his head screwed on straight, his stuff will carry him far. If he takes to coaching, could see High A mid-season

#16 Casey Sadler (24), RHP, AAA/MLB

Kevin – Either a #5 or middle reliever long term. Proximity to Majors and taste of Majors in 2014 puts him here

Steve – The Pirates are doing a great job of finding sinkerballers with low ceilings in the middle rounds and turning them into serviceable candidates to start. Sadler is looking middle relief at worst.

#15 Luis Heredia (20), RHP, High A

Kevin –He’s only 20, but I think the time is running out on those dreams of Heredia being a top pitcher. Velocity down, conditioning poor

Steve – Late teens seems like a popular place to put Heredia this year who has turned out to be more of a project than originally billed. If the velocity comes back and the control stays, he slides right back into the top 10 for me

#14 Stolmy Pimentel (25), RHP, MLB

Steve – Pimentel spent the entire season on the major league roster but got the “Rule 5 treatment” and is still a prospect. There is upside to be a #4 starter, but 2015 will be his make or break with the Pirates

Kevin – Still hasn’t met 50 IP threshold, so he’s here. I still believe in Pimentel to be a #4 level pitcher

#13 Mitch Keller (19), RHP, Short-season

Kevin –Very projectable pitcher from 2014 draft. Will be interesting to see if he goes to full season in April or the more standard Pirate route of short-season

Steve – His impressive debut has him set to be one of the biggest climbers from the 2014 draft class next season. It will be interesting to see where he starts 2015.

#12 JaCoby Jones (23), SS, High A

Steve – Jones has the makings of the movie prototype. Southern, career minor leaguer who can ?t lay off the slow stuff trying to mash a hanger. He posted solid numbers, but was a little old for his level and the K rate is Stetson Allie ?esque. On a positive, he should play left of first base meaning the raw power bat could stick even with serious contact issues, especially at short.

Kevin – Had a very loud season in 2014 with 23 HR/17 SB, but he was old for Low A. Actions at SS portend a move to 3B in future

#11 Cody Dickson (23), LHP, High A

Kevin – Dickson is like a unicorn — a LH pitching prospect. 2014 was uneven, but his stuff from left side gives him another chance in 2015 to establish his mid-rotation potential

Steve -Dickson has good stuff for a lefty and had a decent full season debut despite some control issues. He ?ll need to work on that, but for now he has a strong ceiling.

****

Prospects #40-31

Prospects #30 – 21