Jonathan Mayo at MLB.com continues his positional top ten rankings today with his top ten first base prospects. The Pittsburgh Pirates had one player on the list, with Alex Dickerson ranking ninth overall.
Dickerson was drafted in the 3rd round of the 2011 draft, but was rated as a top 50 draft prospect prior to the draft. He hit well in State College, with a .313/.393/.493 line in 150 at-bats. The stat line has to be taken with the disclaimer that Dickerson was coming out of college, being drafted as a junior out of Indiana. He did hit to all fields, and hit for power to all fields, showing the potential to hit well at the upper levels.
We ranked Dickerson as the best first base prospect in the system this year. I’d expect him to start off his 2012 season in Bradenton, and wouldn’t be surprised to see him in Altoona by the end of the year, especially if he hits like he did in State College. Mayo suggested that Dickerson could move quickly through the system. An optimistic timeline has him hitting well in high-A and AA this year, then starting out at the AAA level in 2013, with a call up to the majors by mid-season.
