Another Pirates prospect ranking has been posted today, this one by Jonathan Mayo of MLB.com. He has posted his list of the top 20 prospects in the Pittsburgh Pirates system, complete with scouting reports on each player. The top of the system ranks similar to almost every other list we’ve seen, although the order from third through six differ slightly. Gerrit Cole sits in the top spot, followed by Jameson Taillon. The next four in order are Alen Hanson, Gregory Polanco, Luis Heredia and Josh Bell.
While there are no surprises among the top ten, the next ten have some interesting placements, including Andy Oliver ranked 12th and Willy Garcia coming in at number 18, just ahead of both Tyler Glasnow and Dilson Herrera.
The biggest difference in placement between this list and Pirates Prospects top twenty, is the inclusion of Alex Dickerson, who comes in at 11th place, 22 spots higher than he placed in the Top 50 list in our 2013 Prospect Guide. His high ranking on MLB.com is based on the fact Mayo says he has a “good understanding of the strike zone” and he predicts that Dickerson will develop enough power to stick at first base and that power will play well at PNC with the short porch in right field.
