MLB: Which young pitchers could be the next Andrew Miller?

Tyler Glasnow, RHP, Pittsburgh Pirates

Very feasible that Glasnow was the top-rated pitching prospect in preseason prospect rankings that you saw, depending on when they came out – either before or after the Alex Reyes injury.

Glasnow was originally drafted in 2011 in the 5th round by the Pirates, and he was known to need more development time than most due to his long, lean frame at 6’8″. He’s filled out to 220-230 pounds, but he’s still quite lean in that long frame, and he can get off in his mechanics with his long levers.

Glasnow won a starting spot out of spring training with excellent work throughout the spring, but he simply could not keep the ball over the plate without it leaving the ballpark seemingly while in Pittsburgh. He posted a 7.89 ERA in 13 starts with 13 home runs allowed and a 5.53 BB/9.

Sent down to AAA Indianapolis, he showed again the tremendous talent in his right arm, posting a 1.93 ERA over 15 starts, with a 3.09 BB/9 and a 13.5 K/9 over 93 1/3 innings.

Glasnow is a prime example of a guy would fit perfectly due to mechanics issues. He had his mechanics in line in AAA and spring training and was excellent. He got off in MLB and couldn’t get anything right. Glasnow features a fastball that comes in up to 99 MPH, and his curve is incredible.

Whether the Pirates will take this step with Glasnow in 2018 or attempt one more season as a starter seems to point to the same final role, a dominant reliever who could go multiple innings.