Thursday, February 6 Updated: March 13, 12:07 PM ET Pirates minor-league report By John Sickels Special to ESPN.com |
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System overview The best prospects the Pirates have are at the lower levels, and it will be at least a year before Pittsburgh has a home-grown impact player ready. The key will be taking progress on the minor league level and turning it into progress on the major league level, something Bonifay was unable to do because of his addiction to mediocre free agents.
2002 amateur draft The Pirates picked Ball State right-hander Byran Bullington in the first round. He signed late, but he did eventually sign. Bullington has a 92-95 mph sinker, a slider, and good command. He'll need a year or two to polish things up, but has a very high ceiling. The same can be said for second-round choice Blair Johnson, a high school pitcher from Topeka, Kansas. He needs even more polish than Bullington does, but throws 92-94 mph and has a good breaking ball. In the third round, the Pirates went with San Diego State shortstop Taber Lee, who has an excellent glove but a questionable bat. Fourth-round pick Wardell Starling, a right-handed pitcher out of high school in Missouri City, Texas, is at junior college, but the Pirates still control his rights. He may have the best overall athletic set of anyone in this draft class, but will need time to refine it. Fifth-round pick Alex Hart, a right-hander from the University of Florida, and sixth-round choice Brad Eldred, a first baseman from Florida International, are college players who did well in pro ball and add immediate depth to the system. Fordham outfielder Bobby Kingsbury, drafted in the eighth round, also bears watching. I like this draft. It has a good mixture of high school and college talent, with tools guys mixed in with polished players. A lot rides on Bullington, of course, but that's always true when you pick early. Signing Starling in May would help a lot.
Top prospects
WILL HELP SOON Duaner Sanchez, RHP: Acquired from Diamondbacks for Mike Fetters. Can hit 95 mph with fastball, also has a good slider and curve. Needs work on his control, but could slot in middle relief.
WILL HELP SOMEDAY Jose Castillo, SS: Hit .300 with 16 homers, 27 steals at Lynchburg. Very good defensively, and made progress with the strike zone last year. Best potential to be an impact player in the system. Ian Oquendo, RHP: Went 11-6 with 2.71 ERA, 149/45 K/BB ratio in 140 innings at Class A Hickory. Very good fastball/curveball combination, and sharp control. Overlooked by most, but keep track of him. John VanBenschoten, RHP: 2001 first-round pick, converted from outfield to pitching. This decision was questioned by many (including me), but it's worked out great so far. Went 11-4, 2.80 at Hickory. Throws 92-94 mph, and improved his curve.
KEY SLEEPER
Other names to know John Sickels is the author of the 2002 Minor League Scouting Notebook, and is now working on the 2003 Baseball Prospect Book. His biography of Bob Feller will be published next spring. He lives in Lawrence, Kansas, with his wife, son, and two cats. You can send John questions or comments at JASickels@aol.com, or you can visit his homepage at JohnSickels.com. |
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