It seems like a team can never have too much pitching in today’s game of Major League Baseball. Tommy John surgery hits young pitchers as often as they change their underwear and inning limits and pitch counts force pitchers to miss starts seemingly every other outing. That’s why it is good to be deep in pitching talent on the farm.
More from MLB Prospects
- Is Arizona Diamondbacks prospect Ivan Melendez the next Pete Alonso?
- Los Angeles Dodgers prospect talk: Catching up with Hunter Feduccia
- MLBPA secures major victory for Minor League Baseball players
- Phillies: Breaking down the prospects fighting for an Opening Day spot
- What the XFL can learn from minor league baseball
The Pittsburgh Pirates certainly have a young arsenal of pitching prospects with household names like Tyler Glasnow and Jameson Taillon. Maybe Adrian Sampson will throw his name into the mix.
Sampson, the Pirates No. 24 ranked prospect in their farm system, is the reigning International league Pitcher of the Week. The 23-year old righty is building off his breakout 2014 season for the Altoona Curve where he earn Mid and Post-Season Eastern League All Star honors. His first full season in Triple-A couldn’t be going better.
The 2012 5th round draft pick took him his second IL Pitcher of the Week Award for the week ending June 8th, one month after earning his first honor of the season. This past week, Sampson allowed one run (on a solo home run) over two starts. He went 2-0 with a 0.66 ERA while striking out 14 over 13.1 combined innings.
More from Call to the Pen
- Philadelphia Phillies, ready for a stretch run, bomb St. Louis Cardinals
- Philadelphia Phillies: The 4 players on the franchise’s Mount Rushmore
- Boston Red Sox fans should be upset over Mookie Betts’ comment
- Analyzing the Boston Red Sox trade for Dave Henderson and Spike Owen
- 2023 MLB postseason likely to have a strange look without Yankees, Red Sox, Cardinals
Sampson now sits at 6-3 on the 2015 season with an impressive 2.69 ERA over 12 starts. He is not known for having over powering stuff, but his command will be his ticket to the big leagues. Sampson has made a living minimizing damage and limiting base runners over the past few seasons, and although he doesn’t have the ceiling like Glasnow and Taillon, Sampson could find himself in the Pirates rotation very soon.
The Pirates aren’t looking for an ace with Francisco Liriano, Gerrit Cole and AJ Burnett holding down the top of the rotation. Charlie Morton has looked sharp since reentering the rotation. That means the Pirates may want to ry a new fifth starter should Jeff Locke continue to struggle. That could trigger the debut of Sampson. If he keeps up his solid pitching, the Pirates will have to make a move eventually.
Joining Sampson as MiLB Pitchers of the Week for the week ending June 8th were:
PCL — Tyler Lyons, Memphis
Eastern League — Terry Doyle, Bowie
Southern League — Jake Brigham, Mississippi
Texas League — Thomas Lee, Springfield
California League — Christopher Ellis, Inland Empire
Carolina League — Antonio Romero, Lynchburg
FSL — Murphy Smith, Dunedin
Midwest league — Tyler Mahle, Dayton
SAL — Scarlyn Reyes, Savannah