5. Tyler Glasnow — RHP — Pirates
Like Giolito, Pittsburgh Pirates top prospect Tyler Glasnow was already called up once this year but has since been sent back down. But, he seems like a prime candidate to get another shot, probably even more so than Gioloito.
Baseball America has Glasnow at #6 on their midseason list, so he is in the same company as the two other starters that appeared earlier. Glasnow also features swing and miss stuff like those two, Baseball America says “almost no one ever squares him up,” but less positively, he shares their inconsistent control.
In his 25 Triple-A starts, between 2015 and 2016, Glasnow has a BB/9 rate of 4.86, higher than either Reyes or Giolito. But he also strikes out over 10 hitters per 9, gives up very few home runs, and hasn’t had an ERA over 2.50 in any of his longer minor league stops )it was 3.38 in two High-A starts in 2015).
Glasnow stands at 6’8″, which allows his already mid-90s heat to play up even more, which in turn compliments his slow curveball, giving the hitter a lot to have to deal with.
The Pirates rotation has been a mess this year. They’ve already used 11 different starters, including Glasnow, and their #1 and #2 starters coming in, Gerrit Cole and Francisco Liriano, are hurt and underperforming, respectively. Fellow prospect Jameson Taillon looked good in his 5 starts, but he too landed on the DL. Jon Niese are Jeff Locke lead the team in innings, and both have ERA’s over 5.
The Pirates have quite a few other options, so it’s no guarantee they go with Glasnow, but those other options aren’t all that good, so if they want to make a run, Glasnow might make sense, even if he is young and inexperienced. Their rotation doesn’t figure to be great regardless, but Cole, Liriano, Taillon and Glasnow could be a decent start, provided they are healthy.
Next: Josh Bell