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
17. Elias Diaz, C
16. Max Kranick, RHP
13. Clay Holmes, RHP
We continue the countdown with the number 11 prospect, Nick Kingham.
11. Nick Kingham, RHP
Kingham was one of several pitchers who went down with Tommy John surgery in the last few years, undergoing the procedure in May 2015. That put him out for most of the 2015 season, and made the 2016 season a rehab year. He returned to game action in early July, starting his rehab process in the GCL, and eventually making it up to Altoona, where he looked like he was out of gas by the end of the season.
Prior to the surgery, Kingham had a fastball that sat 92-95 MPH, touching as high as 97-98. The fastball had good command and movement, thrown on a downward plane. He paired the fastball with a curveball and changeup, and scouts were mixed on which was the better pitch, although both profiled as above-average. The curve was the off-speed pitch that we preferred, looking like a fastball out of the hand, then featuring a late drop that led to swings and misses, or ground balls.
Kingham had a good return from Tommy John surgery. Command and stuff don’t always return right away for pitchers, and Kingham had some outings where he was lacking in both. He also showed flashes of his old self, which was a promising sign. The best sign was that he remained healthy in his return.
Over the offseason, Kingham has been working out with Jameson Taillon, who went through the same rehab process in 2015. Taillon had as good of a rehab process as you could expect, and made the jump to the majors in 2016, with a near flawless transition. Kingham is hoping to repeat the same thing in 2016, and could be ready by the second half. If he can return to his old self, he’d have the upside of a number three starter with the frame to pitch 200 innings per year.
Click Here to Purchase the Pirates Prospects 2017 Prospect Guide
