John Sickels released his top 75 prospects for the end of the season, and had six Pirates on the list. Jameson Taillon, Gregory Polanco, Austin Meadows, Tyler Glasnow, Alen Hanson, and Reese McGuire all made the list, with several in the top 50.
Jameson Taillon was the first prospect ranked, ending up 12th on the list. Taijuan Walker, Archie Bradley, and Noah Syndergaard ranked ahead of Taillon, making him the fourth pitcher on the list. Syndergaard ranked one spot higher than Taillon, and Sickels said the debate between those two will be big this winter.
Gregory Polanco was next, ranked at number 21. He continues to rank in a lot of top 25 lists. Sickels had him number 50 in the pre-season, and said that he thinks Polanco will show more power eventually.
Austin Meadows was third on the list, ranking 29th. This is the first time that I’ve seen Meadows ranked in a top prospect list. He was the fourth highest 2013 pick, falling behind Kris Bryant, Jonathan Grey, and Mark Appel. He was one spot ahead of Clint Frazier.
Tyler Glasnow was the fourth ranked prospect, coming in at number 39. That gave the Pirates four players in the top 50.
Alen Hanson was fifth on the list, being ranked just outside the top 50 at number 51. Sickels said that his stock has stayed level, but that he could go lower. Hanson had a breakout year last year, but didn’t make a lot of noise this year. He entered the year with questions about his defense and with the ability to provide value with the bat. He moved up to Altoona, after having a good season in Bradenton, but those questions still exist about his defense.
Reese McGuire was the sixth ranked player, coming in at number 61. He was the tenth player from the 2013 draft who was ranked, despite being the 14th pick in the draft.
Nick Kingham was also listed in the honorable mentions section, so he could have a shot at Sickels top 100 at the end of the year.
