On MLB.com on Tuesday, MLB Pipeline began their lists of the top ten prospects at each position, starting with right-handed pitchers. Led by Jonathan Mayo and Jim Callis, they ranked Tyler Glasnow as the third best RHP prospect in the minors, trailing Lucas Giolito of the Nationals and Noah Syndergaard of the Mets. Glasnow was the only Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher to make the list. Jameson Taillon was left off, likely due to his missed season from Tommy John surgery. Taillon threw his first bullpen today down in Bradenton.
As for the scouting report on Glasnow, they ranked his fastball as a 75 on the 20-80 scouting scale. His curve came in at a 60 and his change-up got a 50, making it an average pitch. His control got a 45, putting it slightly below average. Glasnow’s overall rating on the scouting scale is a 60, which was the same overall rating that everyone else behind him in the top ten got. Both Syndergaard and Giolito were rated 65 overall. They predict that he will excel with the jump to AA and he has the stuff to eventually develop into a frontline starter in the Majors.
John started working at Pirates Prospects in 2009, but his connection to the Pittsburgh Pirates started exactly 100 years earlier when Dots Miller debuted for the 1909 World Series champions. John was born in Kearny, NJ, two blocks from the house where Dots Miller grew up. From that hometown hero connection came a love of Pirates history, as well as the sport of baseball.
When he didn't make it as a lefty pitcher with an 80+ MPH fastball and a slider that needed work, John turned to covering the game, eventually focusing in on the prospects side, where his interest was pushed by the big league team being below .500 for so long. John has covered the minors in some form since the 2002 season, and leads the draft and international coverage on Pirates Prospects. He writes daily on Pittsburgh Baseball History, when he's not covering the entire system daily throughout the entire year on Pirates Prospects.
I cant remember but wasn’t Taillon on the list last year?
Obviously better to have a good one than not, but I think Glasnow could get by as a #2 without a quality change.
For the most part, RHP need the change in order to be effective against LHB. However, Glasnow’s fastball rains down from the heavens on such a steep plane that it wouldn’t surprise me if LHB had trouble doing much damage to the pitch.
Key to everything, though, is command.
Kinda nice not having any of the other top prospects for the bucs on the list. I smell an ambush!
Let’s hope he lives up to the hype!
That isn’t hype, it is judgment based on scouting reports. Hype is created by publicity agencies and their reps.
I followed Syndergaard all last year because I stupidly picked him last as depth in my NL only fantasy league hoping he would get called up sooner. He had an injury and is a way more polished and finished product with better control than Glasnow…but based on Glasnow’s upside I would rather have him than Syndergaard by a longshot.