I am counting down my personal list of the top 25 Pirate prospects. You can follow the countdown here, or by clicking on the “Top 25 Prospects” link in the site header.
Date of Birth: 6/8/1983
Height: 6’4″
Weight: 220 pounds
Bats/Throws: R/R
Position: P
Drafted: 5th Round, 2005 (Vanderbilt University)
The Pirates took Jeff Sues with their fifth pick in the 2005 draft. This was pretty clearly an overdraft, as Sues pitched mostly out of the bullpen in college. He was not exactly dominant at Vanderbilt either, walking 80 batters in 155 innings. He had a rough start to his professional career, as he did not pitch in 2005 or 2006 due to shoulder surgery. He finally made his first appearance in 2007, struggling through eight starts with Hickory before returning to the disabled list. He finally was healthy in 2008, and pitched pretty well considering all the time he had missed. Sues struck out 72 and walked 26 in 64.1 innings split between Lynchburg and Altoona. Sues will need to improve his control a bit, and questions about his health still linger. But if he can stay healthy and continue to improve, he can be a solid reliever for the Pirates in the near future.
Expected arrival in Pittsburgh: 2010
