top prospects: pirates
a year ago, the pirates had a lot of talent with a lot of breakout potential. now, while the talent has matured, the breakout potential has cooled. the team is left with a solid young core, but no stars.

1. Andrew McCutchen, of 
2. Neil Walker, c 
3. Brad Lincoln, rhp 
4. Yoslan Herrera, rhp 
5. Josh Sharpless, rhp 
6. Steven Pearce, 1b 
7. Brian Bixler, ss 
8. Brad Corley, of 
9. Todd Redmond, rhp 
10. Mike Felix, lhp 

what they really need is a number one starting pitcher and some power bats.

Career Batting Statistics for Andrew McCutchen:
Year Team         Lg. Age Org Lvl AAB   W   K  HR  23  WAL  CON  POW  AVG
2005 GCL Pirtes   GCL  18 Pit Rk  160  32  24   2  12 .167 .850 .103 .297
2005 Wllmsport    NYPL 18 Pit A-   52   9   6   0   4 .148 .885 .087 .346
2006 Hickory      SAL  19 Pit A   456  47  91  14  24 .093 .800 .104 .291
2006 Altoona      East 19 Pit AA   78   9  20   3   4 .103 .744 .121 .308

this kid is a star. he played 20 games in double-a at the age of 19. he's a centerfielder with speed. the numbers don't knock you out but he's young for his level. you never know who's gonna pan out but this is the type of kid that really has a chance. last year he was number 2 on the list.

Career Batting Statistics for Neil Walker:
Year Team         Lg. Age Org Lvl AAB   W   K  HR  23  WAL  CON  POW  AVG
2004 GCL Pirtes   GCL  18 Pit Rk  195  13  33   4  15 .063 .831 .117 .271
2004 Wllmsport    NYPL 18 Pit A-   33   2   1   0   3 .057 .970 .094 .313
2005 Hickory      SAL  19 Pit A   492  26  71  12  35 .050 .856 .112 .301
2005 Lynchburg    Caro 19 Pit A+   45   0  12   0   3 .000 .733 .091 .262
2006 Lynchburg    Caro 20 Pit A+  265  25  41   3  23 .086 .845 .116 .284
2006 Altoona      East 20 Pit AA   31   1   4   2   0 .031 .871 .074 .161

the rumors of neil walker's demise have been greatly exaggerated. he still makes good contact. he still has power. and what people may not be talking about is his patience has come way up. he's a third baseman now, so that hurts his status. but he's gonna hit in the major leagues.

Career Pitching Statistics for Brad Lincoln:
Year Team         Lg. Age Org Lvl    IP   H  HR  BB  SO  WAL  CON  HRP   ERA
2004 Houston      NCAA 19     NCA  56.2  60   2  19  35 .076 .848 .010  4.29
2005 Houston      NCAA 20     NCA 102.0 124  12  25 106 .055 .753 .037  4.76
2006 Houston      NCAA 21     NCA 127.2  91   8  32 152 .063 .679 .025  1.69
2006 GCL Pirtes   GCL  21 Pit Rk    7.2   6   0   1   9 .033 .690 .000  0.00
2006 Hickory      SAL  21 Pit A    16.0  25   2   6  10 .076 .863 .032  6.75

brad lincoln had fantastic numbers at houston last year. he has very good control, he vastly improved his contact rates, and he seems to limit home runs. it looks like he'll progress quickly.

best case scenario these three become difference makers. but by the time they get there the rest of the team will be old. i don't know what the solution is. they need to find a lot more talent.

the next guy on the list is yoslan herrera. he's from cuba. he hasn't pitched in the pros yet, so we can't analyze him.

Career Pitching Statistics for Josh Sharpless:
Year Team         Lg. Age Org Lvl    IP   H  HR  BB  SO  WAL  CON  HRP   ERA
2003 Wllmsport    NYPL 22 Pit A-   31.1  19   2  17  45 .131 .602 .029  2.59
2004 Hickory      SAL  23 Pit A    74.1  42   4  55 109 .172 .589 .026  3.03
2005 Lynchburg    Caro 24 Pit A+   27.0   7   0  11  46 .111 .477 .000  0.00
2005 Altoona      East 24 Pit AA    9.1   6   0   3  13 .081 .618 .000  2.89
2006 Altoona      East 25 Pit AA   21.0   8   0   9  30 .113 .577 .000  0.86
2006 Indy         IL   25 Pit AAA  33.0  32   1  15  30 .103 .771 .010  2.45
2006 Pittsburgh   MLB  25 Pit MLB  12.0   7   0  11   7 .204 .837 .000  1.50

josh sharpless has had some retarded CON's in small sample sizes and has really good home run rates. he's definitely got something going.

Career Batting Statistics for Steve Pearce:
Year Team         Lg. Age Org Lvl AAB   W   K  HR  23  WAL  CON  POW  AVG
2005 Wllmsport    NYPL 22 Pit A-  275  37  43   7  26 .119 .844 .142 .301
2006 Hickory      SAL  23 Pit A   160  19  32  12  14 .106 .800 .203 .288
2006 Lynchburg    Caro 23 Pit A+  332  44  65  14  28 .117 .804 .157 .265

steven pearce has very good power but he's also old for his level. hitting upper-level pitching will be a challenge.

Career Batting Statistics for Brian Bixler:
Year Team         Lg. Age Org Lvl AAB   W   K  HR  23  WAL  CON  POW  AVG
2002 E Michigan   NCAA 19     NCA 234  28  38  13  17 .107 .838 .153 .320
2003 E Michigan   NCAA 20     NCA 232  45  39   9  10 .162 .832 .098 .322
2004 E Michigan   NCAA 21     NCA 246  37  43   8  21 .131 .825 .143 .453
2004 Wllmsport    NYPL 21 Pit A-  232  17  51   0  11 .068 .780 .061 .276
2005 Hickory      SAL  22 Pit A   505  49 134   9  25 .088 .735 .092 .281
2006 Lynchburg    Caro 23 Pit A+  267  44  58   5  18 .141 .783 .110 .303
2006 Altoona      East 23 Pit AA  228  23  57   3  14 .092 .750 .099 .301

brian bixler showed good patience last year, but he has yet to display the raw hitting skills necessary to succeed in the majors.

Career Batting Statistics for Brad Corley:
Year Team         Lg. Age Org Lvl AAB   W   K  HR  23  WAL  CON  POW  AVG
2003 Miss State   NCAA 19     NCA 226  21  44   1  15 .085 .805 .088 .321
2004 Miss State   NCAA 20     NCA 246  28  44  19  14 .102 .821 .163 .380
2005 Miss State   NCAA 21     NCA 267  25  43   5  22 .086 .839 .121 .316
2005 Wllmsport    NYPL 21 Pit A-  266  21  56   4  16 .073 .789 .095 .279
2006 Hickory      SAL  22 Pit A   539  36 109  16  34 .063 .798 .116 .281

brad corley had good results in college, especially in 2004, but he hasn't gotten it together in the majors. he swings too much.

Career Pitching Statistics for Todd Redmond:
Year Team         Lg. Age Org Lvl    IP   H  HR  BB  SO  WAL  CON  HRP   ERA
2005 Wllmsport    NYPL 20 Pit A-   72.2  62   2  21  63 .070 .775 .009  1.98
2006 Hickory      SAL  21 Pit A   160.1 137  13  33 148 .051 .761 .028  2.75

todd redmond has very good control, and appears to know how to approach hitters.

Career Pitching Statistics for Mike Felix:
Year Team         Lg. Age Org Lvl    IP   H  HR  BB  SO  WAL  CON  HRP   ERA
2004 Auburn       NCAA 19     NCA  61.2  51   5  41  50 .148 .788 .027  4.52
2005 Auburn       NCAA 20     NCA  14.1  23   3  20  12 .233 .818 .056 11.93
2006 Troy State   NCAA 21     NCA 101.2  85   6  49 134 .112 .656 .023  3.45
2006 Wllmsport    NYPL 21 Pit A-   48.0  41   3  33  49 .151 .735 .022  3.56

there are two baseball cube pages for mike felix. felix has good contact rates and good home run prevention, but terrible control. i don't think he'll make it.

kevin goldstein's list has brent lillibridge, john van benschoten, and justin vaclavik instead of yoslan herrera, steven pearce, and brad corley. lillibridge is a brave now, but we'll do him here because we didn't do him there. shelby ford is the sleeper.

Career Batting Statistics for Brent Lillibridge:
Year Team         Lg. Age Org Lvl AAB   W   K  HR  23  WAL  CON  POW  AVG
2003 Washington   NCAA 19     NCA 183  21  48  13  17 .103 .738 .222 .388
2004 Washington   NCAA 20     NCA 249  48  65  11  17 .162 .739 .152 .317
2005 Washington   NCAA 21     NCA 212  44  52   8  23 .172 .755 .194 .330
2005 Wllmsport    NYPL 21 Pit A-  171  16  35   4  16 .086 .795 .147 .243
2006 Hickory      SAL  22 Pit A   276  55  61  11  23 .166 .779 .158 .299
2006 Lynchburg    Caro 22 Pit A+  203  41  43   2  13 .168 .788 .094 .313

he's got really good patience. and he steals bases. and he hits the ball real hard. but the contact is a real problem. really. will he make enough contact to play in the majors? that is the question.

Career Pitching Statistics for John VanBenschoten:
Year Team         Lg. Age Org Lvl    IP   H  HR  BB  SO  WAL  CON  HRP   ERA
1999 Kent State   NCAA 19     NCA  22.0  37   2  12  19 .104 .816 .024  9.00
2000 Kent State   NCAA 20     NCA  44.0  42   3  18  33 .094 .810 .021  3.48
2001 Kent State   NCAA 21     NCA  48.0  34   2  26  63 .127 .646 .017  2.81
2001 Wllmsport    NYPL 21 Pit A-   25.2  23   0  10  19 .091 .810 .000  3.51
2002 Hickory      SAL  22 Pit A   148.0 119   6  62 145 .099 .742 .014  2.80
2003 Lynchburg    Caro 23 Pit A+   48.2  33   1  18  49 .091 .726 .008  2.22
2003 Altoona      East 23 Pit AA   90.1  95   5  34  78 .085 .787 .017  3.69
2004 Nashville    PCL  24 Pit AAA 131.2 135  16  49 101 .085 .809 .037  4.72
2004 Pittsburgh   MLB  24 Pit MLB  28.2  33   3  19  18 .138 .849 .030  6.91
2006 GCL Pirtes   GCL  26 Pit Rk    6.0   1   1   2   4 .095 .789 .067  4.50
2006 Altoona      East 26 Pit AA    5.0   3   0   3   3 .143 .833 .000  3.60
2006 Indy         IL   26 Pit AAA  11.2  10   2   7  13 .135 .711 .063  5.40

van benschoten barely played last year so we can't say anything. goldstein says he looked sharp.

Career Pitching Statistics for Justin Vaclavik:
Year Team         Lg. Age Org Lvl    IP   H  HR  BB  SO  WAL  CON  HRP   ERA
2003 Houston      NCAA 19     NCA   7.2  17   2   6   3 .130 .925 .054 14.09
2004 Houston      NCAA 20     NCA  30.1  38   1  25  28 .162 .783 .010  4.45
2005 Houston      NCAA 21     NCA  42.0  39   1   9  51 .052 .691 .009  3.21
2005 Wllmsport    NYPL 21 Pit A-   24.2  24   0  10  28 .093 .714 .000  4.38
2006 Hickory      SAL  22 Pit A    51.1  44   6  21  59 .096 .702 .043  3.16

justin vaclavik has decent strikeouts and decent control. and he really seems to limit home runs. that's a good combination.

Career Batting Statistics for Shelby Ford:
Year Team         Lg. Age Org Lvl AAB   W   K  HR  23  WAL  CON  POW  AVG
2004 Tx Christn   NCAA 19     NCA 249  46  30  16  16 .156 .880 .146 .301
2005 Tx Christn   NCAA 20     NCA 213  46  35   7  20 .178 .836 .152 .370
2006 Okla St      NCAA 21     NCA 217  34  34  12  15 .135 .843 .148 .319
2006 Wllmsport    NYPL 21 Pit A-   25   4   3   0   3 .138 .880 .136 .400
2006 Hickory      SAL  21 Pit A   224  22  51   6  19 .089 .772 .145 .265

shelby ford looks really good here. he's got excellent patience, good contact, and good power. his patience did not carry over to the sally league, but you have to figure he'll get it back. i like his chances.

it may take him a while to get up there though.

let's talk about a few more of these guys.

Career Batting Statistics for Jim Negrych:
Year Team         Lg. Age Org Lvl AAB   W   K  HR  23  WAL  CON  POW  AVG
2004 pittsburgh   NCAA 19     NCA 204  35  36   7  21 .146 .824 .167 .378
2005 pittsburgh   NCAA 20     NCA 193  49  37  16  15 .202 .808 .199 .349
2006 pittsburgh   NCAA 21     NCA 184  47  42  11  14 .203 .772 .176 .396
2006 Wllmsport    NYPL 21 Pit A-  150  15  19   2   9 .091 .873 .084 .267

jim negrych had incredible patience in college, with retarded power. then he turned it around in the pros, and made a lot of contact, with not too much patience or power.

maybe he'll do something.

Career Batting Statistics for Rajai Davis:
Year Team         Lg. Age Org Lvl AAB   W   K  HR  23  WAL  CON  POW  AVG
2001 GCL Pirtes   GCL  20 Pit Rk   85  14  26   0   1 .141 .694 .017 .262
2001 Wllmsport    NYPL 20 Pit A-   12   2   4   0   0 .143 .667 .000 .083
2002 GCL Pirtes   GCL  21 Pit Rk  227  23  25   4  21 .092 .890 .124 .384
2002 Wllmsport    NYPL 21 Pit A-    4   0   1   0   0 .000 .750 .000 .000
2002 Hickory      SAL  21 Pit A    14   7   2   0   0 .333 .857 .000 .429
2003 Hickory      SAL  22 Pit A   480  61  65   6  28 .113 .865 .082 .305
2004 Lynchburg    Caro 23 Pit A+  509  61  60   5  34 .107 .882 .087 .314
2005 Altoona      East 24 Pit AA  500  55  76   4  27 .099 .848 .073 .281
2006 Indy         IL   25 Pit AAA 385  30  59   2  18 .072 .847 .061 .283
2006 Pittsburgh   MLB  25 Pit MLB  14   2   3   0   1 .125 .786 .091 .143

rajai davis is a fast, switch-hitting outfielder who makes contact. so he can do the things those guys do, which is work the count to get on base, and steal and stuff.

Career Pitching Statistics for Josh Shortslef:
Year Team         Lg. Age Org Lvl    IP   H  HR  BB  SO  WAL  CON  HRP   ERA
2000 GCL Pirtes   GCL  18 Pit Rk   31.1  26   1  11  19 .084 .842 .010  3.73
2001 GCL Pirtes   GCL  19 Pit Rk   34.2  39   1   9  14 .059 .902 .008  3.63
2002 Wllmsport    NYPL 20 Pit A-   75.2  84   2  18  37 .055 .881 .007  3.33
2003 Hickory      SAL  21 Pit A    18.0  21   0   6  14 .074 .813 .000  7.50
2004 Hickory      SAL  22 Pit A   124.1 134  11  38  92 .070 .819 .027  4.42
2005 Lynchburg    Caro 23 Pit A+  120.0 132   8  44  84 .082 .829 .020  4.58
2006 GCL Pirtes   GCL  24 Pit Rk   16.2  15   1   3  12 .044 .815 .019  3.78
2006 Altoona      East 24 Pit AA   60.2  62   4  13  50 .051 .795 .021  4.45

josh shortslef is a lefty with good control, and other lefty stuff. he could make it.

and that's the last guy.

it's a long, dark road for the pirates. they're not gonna contend in the near future. they have to keep developing talent, and hope things break right.
- posted by julien @ 12:52 AM