Prospect Expectations

[burgh_fan66]

I seen this on bucsdugout and I think the first expectation thread went well so I thought I'd give this a try here. So how does everyone think the prospects will fare this season? Below is a few questions to get everyone started but don't think you have to limit yourselves to them.

Which prospect do you think will have a breakout year?

Which prospect will falter?

Which prospect who faltered last year will rebound the most?

Which 1st year pro will have the best season?

Who wins the Pirates minor league pitcher and hitter of the year awards?

I am going to give a brief breakdown of each position and probably do a few posts on the pitchers.

[Tomahawk27]

Which prospect do you think will have a breakout year? Stetson Allie

Which prospect will falter? Robbie Grossman

Which prospect who faltered last year will rebound the most? Tony Sanchez

Which 1st year pro will have the best season? Gerrit Cole

Who wins the Pirates minor league pitcher and hitter of the year awards? Jameson Taillon and Josh Bell

I'm just going to answer the questions you listed, I don't have enough knowledge to do a whole series on the prospects. Most of my answers were pretty obvious choices with the exceptions being Grossman and Allie I guess.

Allie - having spent an entire year under Pirates development and having only been pitching for less than 4 years (I believe), I expect Allie to pitch a lot better this season. He may not have the most impressive numbers, or even make it to A+, but I think his command will be a lot better and he will be back on track.

Grossman - after really impressing last season and hitting everything, I think Grossman will not enjoy the same success he did last year. I believe he will struggle quite a bit in the beginning of the season but make a little bit of a run at the end, showing promise for two seasons from now.

Sanchez - after a very disappointing season in AA last season, Sanchez will come back strong this year and quiet all of his doubters. His offense will still be less than stellar but his defense and game calling will remain very strong.

I believe Cole, Taillon, and Bell are all pretty self-explanatory

[burgh_fan66]

I'm just going to answer the questions you listed, I don't have enough knowledge to do a whole series on the prospects. Most of my answers were pretty obvious choices with the exceptions being Grossman and Allie I guess.

Understand I'm not going to get too into depth just give opinions for I think will help or hurt their status. For instance, catcher:

Rise: Tony Sanchez, Eric Fryer
Fall: Carlos Paulino

I think Fryer establishes himself as a solid major league contributor this season. A passable starter or an excellent backup. He should be in line to start next season as the catcher in Pittsburgh until Sanchez arrives.

I think Sanchez reestablishes himself as the catcher of the future this season. I see a strong showing in AA to start the season followed by a respectable showing in AAA after a promotion some time in June.

As for Paulino I think his offensive numbers last season were inflated by playing in hitter friendly Bradenton. He will likely start the year back there and could do well but when he gets promoted to AA I see him struggling.

As for the rest of the field, Ramon Cabrera, Samuel Gonzalez and Jonathan Schwind I see them putting up solid seasons but nothing that will raise or lower their status too much.

[burgh_fan66]

Just for fun:

All Rise Team
C: T Sanchez
1B: A Dickerson
2B: G Ngoepe
3B: D Herrera
SS: J Mercer
OF: M Rojas
OF: W Garcia
OF: C Myles

All Falter Team
C: C Paulino
1B: M Curry
2B: B Holt
3B: E Gonzalez
SS: D Maggi
OF: R Grossman
OF: W Freeman
OF: E Cayonez

I'll do the pitchers later.

[burgh_fan66]

Which prospect do you think will have a breakout year?
Mel Rojas Jr

Which prospect will falter?
Robbie Grossman

Which prospect who faltered last year will rebound the most?
Tony Sanchez

Which 1st year pro will have the best season?
Alex Dickerson

Who wins the Pirates minor league pitcher and hitter of the year awards?
Nick Kingham and Alex Dickerson

[burgh_fan66]

1st Base

Rise: Alex Dickerson
Fall: Matt Curry

I think Dickerson is in line for a monster season this year. Everything just seems to be lining up for him, he is a big power bat and will be playing in a hitter friendly stadium. I see 20+ HR and if he receives a promotion to AA this season he could make a legit run at a top 10 spot next season.

I like Curry but I see him continue to struggle in AA to start the season and while this wouldn't be anything to be immediately concerned about the presence of Dickerson behind him limits his chances.

The only other two 1B prospects in the Pirates system are Matt Hague and Jose Osuna. I am expecting Osuna to have a good season in A ball but as a bat only prospect he is going to have to succeed at a higher level before his status rises. As for Hague I don't know what to call what I am expecting him to do. I see him taking over the Steve Pearce role this season.