The 2015 Prospect Guide was released last week, featuring Josh Bell on the cover of the book. Bell was our 2014 Player of the Year, and profiles as the first baseman of the future in Pittsburgh, due to a lack of space in the outfield. He was also our number four prospect in the system in our top 50 rankings this year.
For those of you who haven’t bought the Prospect Guide before, the book features profiles on every player in the system, including full-page profiles for all of the top 50 prospects. It also includes a ratings system, with a 2-8 grade for each prospect’s upside, and a risk evaluation. As a preview, here is Josh Bell’s profile, just as it looks in the 2015 Prospect Guide. You can order your copy of the book here.
While Bell is featured on the front of the book, Tyler Glasnow (2014 Pitcher of the Year) and Josh Harrison (reference to the 2011 Prospect Guide) are featured on the back cover. On a related note, I recently found a few copies of the older Prospect Guides, including a small number of the 2011 books. All of the 2011-13 books are on clearance for $1. As of this writing, there are only two books remaining each from the 2011 and 2013 books.
You can order your books on the products page of the site.
Tim started Pirates Prospects in 2009 from his home in Virginia, which was 40 minutes from where Pedro Alvarez made his pro debut in Lynchburg. That year, the Lynchburg Hillcats won the Carolina League championship, and Pirates Prospects was born from Tim's reporting along the way. The site has grown over the years to include many more writers, and Tim has gone on to become a credentialed MLB reporter, producing Pirates Prospects each year, and will publish his 11th Prospect Guide this offseason. He has also served as the Pittsburgh Pirates correspondent for Baseball America since 2019. Behind the scenes, Tim is an avid music lover, and most of the money he gets paid to run this site goes to vinyl records.
Tim:
I don’t think I’d noticed that Kyle McPherson had become a free agent, but since I don’t live In the greater Pittsburgh area maybe I missed it. What’s up with him? I really liked him before he got hurt. Is there any chance he’ll be back?
Tim, be sure to keep a few compete sets of mint condition Prospect Guides for yourself. Who would have guessed at the time that a Honus Wagner card would eventually be worth so much! Your great grand kids might enjoy them too!
Tim ,I just bought the 2015 pirates prospects guide and I love it. Is it possible to get the 2011 through 2014 ebooks?
Since it appears that Bell is slow to adjust to levels, one has to wonder how long it will take him to adjust to the majors. Watching him play in the AFL, he looked quite mature and not overmatched.