The Pirates Prospects 2017 Prospect Guide is now available for pre-sales. The book will be released the week before Spring Training, and we are currently in the process of making the final changes with editing and formatting.
The book features prospect reports on everyone in the system, the 2017 top 50 prospects, and the most comprehensive coverage of the Pirates’ farm system that you can find. Subscribers to the site get discounted books, with Top Prospect subscribers getting $10 off, and Annual subscribers getting $5 off. The eBook will be released when the book is released, and will also come with discounts. Details on the promotions can be found on the products page, and you can subscribe to the site or upgrade your current plan on the subscriptions page.
While the top 50 prospects are exclusive to the book, we will be releasing the top 20 prospects over the next few weeks as a countdown to the start of Spring Training, and to give a preview of the release of the book. We will be wrapping up on Monday, February 13th. The reports will only be available to site subscribers, including those with a monthly plan. You can subscribe here, and if you like these reports, be sure to purchase your copy of the book on the products page of the site to get much more analysis on every player in the system.
To recap the countdown so far:
20. Alen Hanson, 2B
We continue the countdown with the number 19 prospect, Luis Escobar.
19. Luis Escobar, RHP
Last year we called Escobar one of the biggest sleeper prospects in the Pirates’ system, putting him just inside the top 50. He made some really strong strides during the 2016 season, and while he’s still a sleeper who could go higher on our list, he’s starting to show more of his potential.
Escobar was a third baseman at the age of 16, then moved to the mound and showed potential with his fastball velocity, leading to a six figure deal from the Pirates. He was throwing 87-90 MPH at the time, and that velocity has continued to tick up. This year he got up to sitting consistently in the mid-90s, and touching as high as 97, with a lot of life to the pitch.
The fastball isn’t his only weapon. He’s got a curveball with plus potential, featuring 12-to-6 movement and slider action. He was throwing the pitch too often at the start of the year, and the Pirates limited his use of the pitch, having him focusing on the changeup. This made the curveball more effective as an out pitch. Escobar can get hitters to chase the movement of the pitch, but doesn’t have good command of the offering right now, and can’t throw it for strikes when needed.
Putting more focus on the changeup really helped. By the end of the season, Escobar was so comfortable with the pitch that he was using it 25% of the time in some starts, and said it was now his second best pitch after the fastball. The pitch still needs to improve in order to be effective in the upper levels, but the fact that Escobar is so comfortable with it makes it likely the pitch will improve.
The biggest issue for Escobar right now is his command. He has a lot of moving parts to his delivery, and sometimes rushes through, leading to inconsistent mechanics and an inconsistent release point that impacts all of his pitches. The Pirates have him focusing on slowing down on the mound.
Escobar has the stuff to be a number three starter or better, with the higher end of that scale relying on improving his command, and continued improvement of the secondary stuff. He should spend the 2017 season in the West Virginia rotation, getting his first shot in full season ball.
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