Pittsburgh Pirates Top 20 2016 PRE-SEASON prospects in review

We reach the end of the pre-season prospect list review process with the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Remember, this is the PRE-SEASON list.

This is not a new list.

These are pre-season grades.

Discuss 2016 Pittsburgh Pirates prospect happenings in the comment section.

This list was originally published March 12, 2016

1) Tyler Glasnow, RHP, Grade A: 111 innings between Double-A and Triple-A, 1.95 ERA, 136/64 K/BB, a mere 66 hits; missed time with shoulder issues but back in action now on limited pitch counts; sky is the limit if healthy.

2) Austin Meadows, OF, Grade A-: Hitting .277/.347/.550 between Double-A, Triple-A, and Low-A injury rehab; 10 homers, 15 steals, 32/60 BB/K in 232 at-bats; more power this year to go with already-present speed and defense. 

3) Josh Bell, 1B, Grade B+: .295/.382/.468 in Triple-A, .400/.515/.600 in 25 major league at-bats; power is coming around, has always controlled strike zone well, ready for a full trial.

4) Jameson Taillon, RHP, Grade B: Until this year his results never quite matched the potential but that's changed; 3.39 ERA with 63/12 K/BB in 77 innings in the majors; don't see any reason why this will change as long as he remains healthy.

5) Harold Ramirez, OF, Grade B/B-: Hitting .311/.360/.407 with two homers, 22 walks, 66 strikeouts in 383 at-bats in Double-A at age 21; unusual mix of skills, no power but always hits for average; traded to Toronto Blue Jays at the deadline.

6) Ke’Bryan Hayes, 3B, Grade B/B-: Age 19, first round pick in 2015, hit .263/.319/.393 in Low-A until getting hurt, just started rehab assignment in rookie ball; defense ahead of the bat at this point but I think he will show more power down the line.

7) Cole Tucker, SS, Grade B-: Age 20, first round pick in 2014 from high school in Phoenix, hitting .245/.313/.331 between Low-A and High-A, 31 walks, 67 strikeouts in 314 at-bats; very sharp defender and bat may improve as he matures.

8) Kevin Newman, SS, Grade B-: Age 22, first round pick from University of Arizona in 2015, hitting .328/.391/.435 with five homers, 37 walks, just 34 strikeouts in 372 at-bats between High-A and Double-A; reliable defense; needs more attention than he gets.

9) Alen Hanson, 2B, Grade B-: 432 at-bats in Triple-A hitting .266/.318/.389 with eight homers, 36 steals, 32 walks, 78 strikeouts; virtually identical to last year at the same level; adding defensive versatility with play in the outfield; still just 23, not sure how he fits into the picture with the Pirates.

10) Yeudy Garcia, RHP, Grade B-: Strong season in High-A, 2.77 in 123 innings, 122/53 K/BB, 117 hits; good fastball and slider combination, command can be erratic but stuff good enough to compensate, at least at this level. Reliever in the majors?

11) Kevin Kramer, 2B-3B, Grade B-: Age 22, second round pick out of UCLA in 2015, hitting .282/.357/.387 with 47 walks, 62 strikeouts in 432 at-bats; has played well defensively at second base with just eight errors and solid range; may show more power in time.

12) Stephen Tarpley, LHP, Grade B-: 20 starts in High-A, 4.32 ERA in 100 innings, 90/37 K/BB, 93 hits; I felt he was capable of better and a major breakout but it didn't really happen though he hasn't been bad; live-armed lefty controls southpaw hitters and may end up in pen eventually.

13) Nick Kingham, RHP, Grade B-: Working his way back from Tommy John and has performed well so far, 1.98 ERA in 41 innings between rookie ball rehab, Low-A, and High-A, 30/3 K/BB; looks like he did pre-injury which would make him a potential number four starter.

14) Steven Brault, LHP, Grade B-/C+:  71 innings in Triple-A, 3.91 ERA, 81/35 K/BB, 66 hits; made three MLB starts with 3.86 ERA in 14 innings, 12/7 K/BB; projects as a solid command-oriented number four starter and ready to contribute now in my opinion.

15) Elias Diaz, C, Grade C+/B-: Missed most of season with elbow injury but back in action now, hitting .261/.286/.295 in 88 at-bats in Triple-A; has thrown out eight of 13 runners so I think his arm is OK; defense best attribute.

16) Reese McGuire, C, Grade C+: Traded to Blue Jays in Francisco Liriano deal; hitting .254/.330/.336 in Double-A, 32/33 BB/K with one homer in 307 at-bats; retains reputation has excellent defensive catcher but lack of power has turned out to be a significant problem.

17) Trevor Williams, RHP, Grade C+:  104 innings in Triple-A with pretty 2.68 ERA; beware 64/29 K/BB; throws strikes and gets ground balls but very low strikeout rate is a caution flag; potential fifth starter who could be more dominant on a per-inning basis if used in bullpen.

18) Max Moroff, 2B, Grade C+: 400 at-bats in Triple-A hitting .230/.362/.353, eight homers, 82 walks, 123 strikeouts; excellent glove at second base and fair at other infield positions, draws walks, lacks huge power but not punchless; OBP and defense best skills but could use a higher average to draw more attention.

19) Chad Kuhl, RHP, Grade C+: Age 23, this is what I wrote pre-season: sleeper prospect has emerged as real rotation candidate with low-90s sinker, average slider and change; results have been there so far with 3.50 ERA in eight major league starts, 27/11 K/BB in 44 innings; would like more strikeouts but he's lived up to sleeper status.

20) Adam Frazier, SS, Grade C+: Strong season, .333/.401/.425 in Triple-A, .321/.345/.457 in 81 major league at-bats; not likely a .300+ hitter over a full season but could hit a steady .280; has played every position except catcher and first base so the versatility is useful, too; should be a fine role player.

OTHER GRADE C+: Willy Garcia, OF; Mitch Keller, RHP; Jordan Luplow, 3B; Carlos Munoz, 1B

OTHERS OF NOTE: Barrett Barnes, OF; Jessie Biddle, LHP; Luis Escobar, RHP; Logan Hill, OF; Clay Holmes, RHP; Casey Hughston, LHP; Jin-De Jang, C; Gift Ngoepe, SS; Jose Osuna, 1B; Jacob Taylor, RHP

Discuss Pittsburgh Pirates 2016 events, breakthroughs,and disappointments in the comments section.