The last two years, there was no debate about who our Minor League Pitcher of the Year would be. Tyler Glasnow performed so well that it didn’t matter what anyone else did. They couldn’t match his performance. That would have been the case this year had Glasnow stayed healthy all season. However, he went down with an ankle injury, and missed a key amount of time. He was dominant in the innings that he pitched, but there were a lot of other pitchers who performed very well this season in the Pirates’ system.
Glasnow’s innings opening the door for others, and it also opened the door for a very difficult debate as to who was the best pitcher this year. Guys like Chad Kuhl, Steven Brault, and Yeudy Garcia all had fantastic seasons, with different disclaimers attached. How much do you weigh Brault’s time in Bradenton when considering that Kuhl spent all season in Altoona? Garcia put up amazing numbers at a lower level, and did this after making the jump from the DSL, so how did this compare to younger players putting up similar numbers at the top levels? And then there was a debate about Glasnow: Were his numbers good enough to make up for the lack of innings?
In the end, it came down to a debate between Chad Kuhl and Steven Brault, and Kuhl was the winner, making him our 2015 Minor League Pitcher of the Year. Kuhl had a fantastic season, posting a 2.48 ERA in 152.2 innings with Altoona, along with a 6.0 K/9 and a 2.4 BB/9. He’s a heavy ground ball pitcher who got a 57% ground ball rate this year, and showed off a difficult sinker that was working in the mid-90s this season, with his fastball hitting as high as 97 on frequent occasions.
The big debate between Brault and Kuhl was the fact that Brault was promoted to Altoona and posted a 2.00 ERA in 90 innings in the second half, absolutely dominating the level. However, Kuhl was even more dominant during this same time span, with a 1.59 ERA in 84.2 innings after Brault left Bradenton. Brault had more strikeouts, but Kuhl’s game is pitching to contact, and he had a much higher ground ball rate during this span. That left it up to a debate between Kuhl’s first half in Altoona (3.57 ERA in 68 innings) and Brault’s first half in Bradenton (3.02 ERA in 65.2 innings). Kuhl got the edge due to the higher level, the Eastern League being a bit more difficult for pitchers, and the fact that he was strong in the first half and only had three bad starts that sunk his numbers.
Overall, this was probably one of the best years for pitching in the minor league system that I can remember. Even with guys like Jameson Taillon, Nick Kingham, and Clay Holmes missing a lot of time, the Pirates had plenty of strong performers. Guys like Kuhl, Brault, and Garcia all stepped up with breakout performances to put them on the radar as future starters in the majors. In Kuhl’s case, he eventually earned a promotion to Indianapolis for their post-season, and should start at the level in 2016, with a shot at being a depth option for Pittsburgh in the second half of the season.
Below you will find our Minor League Pitchers of the Year for each level in the farm system, our previous overall award winners, and the 2015 monthly awards.
Previous Pirates Prospects Minor League Pitchers of the Year
2014 – Tyler Glasnow
2013 – Tyler Glasnow
2012 – Jeff Locke
2011 – Kyle McPherson
2015 Pirates Prospects Minor League Pitchers of the Year By Level
Indianapolis – Wilfredo Boscan, RHP (3.07 ERA, 126.0 IP, 86:45 K/BB)
Altoona – Chad Kuhl, RHP (2.48 ERA, 152.2 IP, 101:41 K/BB)
Bradenton – Felipe Gonzalez, RHP (3.28 ERA, 107.0 IP, 80:30 K/BB)
West Virginia – Yeudy Garcia, RHP (2.10 ERA, 124.1 IP, 112:41 K/BB)
Morgantown – J.T. Brubaker, RHP (2.82 ERA, 73.1 IP, 49:12 K/BB)
Bristol – Scooter Hightower, RHP (3.31 ERA, 49.0 IP, 55:7 K/BB)
GCL Pirates – Chris Plitt, RHP (2.88 ERA, 40.2 IP, 28:3 K/BB)
2015 Pirates Prospects Pitcher of the Month Awards
April
Overall – Angel Sanchez
Indianapolis – Wilfredo Boscan
Altoona – Angel Sanchez
Bradenton – Frank Duncan
West Virginia – Austin Coley
May
Overall – Yeudy Garcia
Indianapolis – Adrian Sampson
Altoona – Jason Creasy
Bradenton – Clario Perez
West Virginia – Yeudy Garcia
June
Overall – Clayton Richard
Indianapolis – Clayton Richard
Altoona – Matt Benedict
Bradenton – Montana DuRapau
West Virginia – Stephen Tarpley
July
Overall – Chad Kuhl
Indianapolis – Radhames Liz
Altoona – Chad Kuhl
Bradenton – Montana DuRapau
West Virginia – Yeudy Garcia
Morgantown – J.T. Brubaker
Bristol – Christopher De Leon
GCL Pirates – Gerardo Navarro
August
Overall – Steven Brault
Indianapolis – Wilfredo Boscan
Altoona – Steven Brault
Bradenton – Tyler Eppler
West Virginia – Yeudy Garcia
Morgantown – J.T. Brubaker
Bristol – Logan Sendelbach
GCL Pirates – Chris Plitt
