Call to the pen
Fansided

Pittsburgh Pirates pitchers lead minor league notes

By Brody Hilgenkamp

Mar 5, 2016; Lake Buena Vista, FL, USA; Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher Tyler Glasnow (51) throws a pitch in the second inning of the spring training game against the Atlanta Braves at Champion Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jonathan Dyer-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 5, 2016; Lake Buena Vista, FL, USA; Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher Tyler Glasnow (51) throws a pitch in the second inning of the spring training game against the Atlanta Braves at Champion Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jonathan Dyer-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
1 of 5
Next
Mandatory Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-USA TODAY Sports
Mandatory Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-USA TODAY Sports /

The Pittsburgh Pirates will be getting help from two of their best pitching prospects very soon, plus other minor league notes.

The Pittsburgh Pirates lost a 9-4 affair to the Chicago Cubs yesterday. Pirates starting pitcher Francisco Liriano gave up eight runs, all from home runs, in 4 2/3 innings. For a team that is fighting for a playoff spot in a division being steamrolled by the aforementioned Cubs, it was a tough loss.

It was an especially tough loss for a team that finished second in the majors in fielding independent pitching (FIP) by its rotation last season. Prior to yesterday’s loss, the Pirates’ rotation had the eighth-worst FIP in 2016.

The Pirates have the talent to come back and make this a competitive division, but a fourth straight Wild Card Game appearance isn’t guaranteed: The New York Mets and Washington Nationals are slugging it out in the National League East; the St. Louis Cardinals are playing well and are tied with the Pirates in the NL Central; and the Los Angeles Dodgers and San Francisco Giants could get hot at any moment.

If the Pirates are to maintain their excellence from previous seasons, the rotation will need a jolt, and it could get some big ones from Indianapolis.

The Pirates’ Triple-A affiliate, the Indianapolis Indians, have two of the International League’s best pitchers. One is Tyler Glasnow, who is stifling offenses to the tune of a 2.13 earned run average and 11.61 strikeouts per nine innings pitched. The other is Jameson Taillon, who only strikes out 7.71/9 IP but has a 1.69 ERA and has walked only four batters in 37.1 innings.

Each pitcher is proving he is ready to retire major league hitters. But that doesn’t mean the Pirates are going to promote them early this season like the Atlanta Braves did with Aaron Blair. The Pirates don’t want to start their service clocks to early, Glasnow has some control issues he needs to iron out and Taillon didn’t pitch competitively in either 2014 or 2015.

Both Glasnow and Taillon have the track records to suggest they would help the Pirates. So how much longer can the Pirates justify keeping them in Triple-A?

With that, minor league notes are back after more than two weeks on hiatus. Onward, to Triple-A!

Next: Triple-A

Home/MLB Prospects