At the start of January, we switched over to a new format on Pirates Prospects, moving to weekly article drops every Tuesday. The weekly publishing schedule is meant to resemble a digital magazine, with new content each week. We also had updates throughout the week, and outside of winter league updates, we published 35 articles this month. That’s more than one per day, even though our new release schedule allows for you to read most of the articles all at once.
If you missed anything this month, below is a recap of everything we published, broken up into sections by article topics. Check back tomorrow for the next article drop!
Player Development Changes
We started the month looking at the changes to the Pirates’ player development system, looking at how the Pirates are implementing an individualized and collaborative system for the players.
The Pirates Are Implementing an Individualized and Collaborative Player Development System
Three Examples of Individual Player Development and How They Changed in the Pirates System
The Players Are Driving the Bus, But the Pirates Development Coaches Are the GPS
John Baker on Growth Mindsets and Learning Continuously, Even in the Face of Success
Organization Features
The organization-based features mostly focused on the rebuild, along with a few articles looking at some of the best Pirates Prospects by age, and by hitting skills.
Williams: Waves Crashing Into the Pittsburgh Shores
Which Pirates Prospects Displayed the Best Hitting Skills in 2021?
The Best Pirates Prospects By Age: Position Players Edition
The Best Pirates Prospects By Age: Pitchers Edition
The Pittsburgh Pirates and Promoting From Double-A to the Majors
Look Ahead at the Pirates’ 2022 System
Wilbur Miller had a four part preview of the upcoming season, previewing all of the full-season rosters in the Pirates’ farm system.
Looking Ahead at the Pirates’ 2022 System: Indianapolis Indians
Looking Ahead at the Pirates’ 2022 System: Altoona Curve
Looking Ahead at the Pirates’ 2022 System: Greensboro Grasshoppers
Looking Ahead at the Pirates’ 2022 System: Bradenton Marauders
Player Features
We had player features covering 18 different players this month, ranging from top pitching prospect Quinn Priester to the latest offseason updates on guys like Anthony Solometo and Matt Fraizer.
Quinn Priester: Fastball Command Key To Unlocking Full Potential
Marc and Jack: Jack Suwinski Has Found His Swing, Uh Oh!
Mason Martin Wants to Be a Complete Player, and the Pirates Need That at First Base
Video: Mason Martin’s Evolving Swing
Cal Mitchell Hoping to Force His Way Into the Pittsburgh Outfield
Electric Jared Jones Ahead Of The Curve In Debut Season
Carter Bins Knows What He’s Doing Behind the Plate
Cristopher Cruz Works Through Adjustments During a Rocky First Season
Oliver Mateo Featured Two of the Best Pitches in Low-A in 2021
The Forgotten Prospect: Cody Bolton Set For A 2022 Revenge Tour
Randy Romero Shows Better Results Through Consistent Play and a More Focused Approach
Prospect Notes: Wyatt Hendrie, Abrahan Gutierrez, Matt Fraizer, J.C. Flowers
Prospect Notes: Anthony Solometo, Jase Bowen, Brent Citta, Solomon Maguire
Transactions
John Dreker had all of the updates on the international signings this month, with scouting reports on every player that the Pirates signed.
Pirates Agree to Deal with Their Two Biggest International Signings
Pirates Sign Taiwanese Pitcher Hung-Leng Chang
Pirates Add a Projectable Pitcher to Their 2020-21 International Signing Class
Pirates Release Four Low Level Minor League Players
Prospect Rankings
It’s Top 100 Prospect season, and two outlets already have their lists out, with the Pirates well-represented on each.
Baseball America Has Six Pirates in Their Top 100 Prospects List
Six Pirates Rank Among the Top 100 MLB Prospects for Keith Law
Tim started Pirates Prospects in 2009 from his home in Virginia, which was 40 minutes from where Pedro Alvarez made his pro debut in Lynchburg. That year, the Lynchburg Hillcats won the Carolina League championship, and Pirates Prospects was born from Tim's reporting along the way. The site has grown over the years to include many more writers, and Tim has gone on to become a credentialed MLB reporter, producing Pirates Prospects each year, and will publish his 11th Prospect Guide this offseason. He has also served as the Pittsburgh Pirates correspondent for Baseball America since 2019. Behind the scenes, Tim is an avid music lover, and most of the money he gets paid to run this site goes to vinyl records.
