A few months ago I announced plans to add a stats database to the site. This was a project that was made possible entirely by subscriptions to the site, with the entire project costing at least $4,000. It was also something that took about two months of work, and a bit more due to delays with switching web hosts.
We are now to the point where we are starting to upload everything to the test site, and starting the formatting process. Thus, we’re getting closer to going live with the update, with the stats going live in the next week or two. Once the stats are live, we will have the following new features on the site:
**Sortable stats for everyone in the system this year.
**Live box scores each night of all of the games in the system, which will greatly upgrade our nightly Prospect Watch.
**Stats on each player’s site page, along with splits, advanced metrics, and game logs.
We’ll be expanding beyond this once the initial release is finished.
I know that some of these features can be found on other sites. But we’re looking to give you all of the news on each player on one site. The goal is to have a page for each player where you can see his stats, photos, links to all articles about the player, an archive of all of the videos we’ve shot of the player, where he has ranked in all of our prospect rankings each year, and every single report we’ve written about the player over the years from every single level.
The ultimate goal of this site is to provide the absolute best and most comprehensive coverage of the Pirates’ minor league system, and it only makes sense to have the stats be a part of this. This is something we could never do in the past, but was made possible thanks to the overwhelming success of the new subscription model, which has seen over 3,000 subscriptions in our first three months.
And if you haven’t subscribed, then what are you waiting for? We’ve always been huge on live coverage and content, even back when it was difficult to impossible to receive credentials as an independent site. We were one of the pioneers for independent coverage in Pittsburgh and other minor league cities, all because we realized the importance of that aspect and pushed and worked towards getting that access. It’s common today for an independent site to have live coverage, but in 2012 we became the first blog to get full season credentials with the Pirates, opening up the door for other sites to follow. And trust me when I tell you that this wasn’t an easy process at all.
With that history in mind, you knew that I was going to put a massive focus on live coverage under the new plan, and the added resources have allowed me to do just that. The amount of coverage and content we’ve been able to add under the new model has been massive, with reports from every level in the system so far, including the Dominican Academy. The site has been better than it ever has been in our seven-year history. You don’t want to miss all of this. Subscribe today to get all of the coverage of the Pirates’ system.
DraftKings Promotion
We also have a special promotion with DraftKings, where you can get a free one-year subscription to the site, simply by signing up as a new DraftKings customer and making a deposit. Just sign up for an account (using that link), make your first deposit ($5 minimum), and participate in a contest. Once you have completed those steps, send an e-mail to Javier Vargas at DraftKings (jvargas@draftkings.com) and let him know you are participating in the Pirates Prospects subscription promotion. Javier will confirm whether you’ve met the requirements, then will contact me so I can give you a coupon code that will allow you to set up your one year subscription.
One year of site access costs $29.99. You can get that, plus at least $5 to play a daily fantasy sports game (which gives you the chance to win money), plus a free $3 entry to a DraftKings contest, all for a minimum of $5. If you only consider the site subscription, and ignore all of the other benefits you’re receiving, then you’re getting one year of Pirates Prospects access for $0.42 per month. That’s an insane deal for all of the coverage we provide.
Job Openings
We currently have openings for the following positions:
**MLB Analyst
**West Virginia Power
**Bristol Pirates
To apply for any of these positions, send an e-mail to tim@piratesprospects.com. Live coverage is a requirement, so you must live near one of the cities.
A Ton of Upcoming Coverage
We have a loaded weekend of live coverage, from the Pirates/Cardinals series, all the way to the start of the All-Star Game festivities.
Pete Ellis will be covering the Pirates tonight. Sean McCool will be covering the big league club tomorrow. Then on Sunday, we’ll have double coverage, with both writers working the event.
Indianapolis is about to head into the Triple-A All-Star break, but Ryan Palencer will have a first half look at the big storylines from the level. Even more exciting, Ryan will be covering the MLB Futures Game on Sunday, with a live look at Elias Diaz and Josh Bell, who will be representing the Pirates in the event.
In addition to his MLB coverage, Sean McCool will have his regular insight from Altoona this week, with looks at Tyler Glasnow and Adam Frazier.
I’ll be covering the Marauders and the GCL Pirates next week, but this weekend I’ll be working on finalizing our mid-season prospect rankings, which will go up during the All-Star break.
Jamey Conlin will have live coverage from Morgantown when the team returns home next week.
We will also have first half recaps and second half previews for the Pirates after the All-Star Game.
