Up next in our prospects countdown are three guys who are young and unpolished, but have as much upside as any other prospects in baseball.
6.) Stetson Allie--RHP--20: With Allie, there is a lot of risk involved, but the reward can be very high. He hadn’t really pitched a good amount before his senior year in high school, but he had great natural pitches and velocity (hitting triple digits often) and pitched well enough to earn the #8 prospect in the 2010 pre-draft rankings by Baseball America. He fell to the Pirates in the second round because of the money he wanted, but the Pirates were able to sign him for a $2.25 million bonus. Some expected him to begin the season with West Virginia, but that wouldn’t have been a good decision due to his lack of experience on the mound. He made his debut with State College when their season started, and pitched out of the rotation. His control was a major question mark coming into the season, and he showed why that was. Allie struggled with control throughout the season, and was moved to the bullpen to work on it. The control never really came, and he ended up walking 29 batters in 26 innings, but he also struck out 28. A positive sign from the season was that hitters only batted .208 against him, so if he can better control his pitches, he will be something special. Some see his long term role as a power closer, but for now the Pirates will most likely continue his development as a starter. I believe he will start in extended Spring Training next year, but he could be in West Virginia sometime in late April or May if he makes strides with his control. If everything goes right, Allie can be a top of the rotation starter with a fastball nearing 100 MPH, along with a great breaking slider that can reach the low 90’s.
OFP: 65 (Borderline Top of Rotation Starter or Back of Bullpen Pitcher)
5.) Josh Bell--LF--19: The Pirates selected the switch hitting Josh Bell in the 2nd round of the 2011 draft, although he was Baseball America’s #15 prospect in the draft. He fell to the Pirates because he was considered an impossible sign after sending a letter to all 30 teams telling them not to draft him. Not fazed by this, the Pirates took the risk, and it payed off in the end. They were able to sign Bell for $5 million, and he immediately became one of the top prospects in the system. He has possibly the best power in the system already, after hitting 14 home runs in only 81 AB’s in high school. That’s a home run every 5.8 AB’s. I know its high school, but that’s still very impressive. He hit for a .552 average and a 1.760 OPS, and also drew 48 walks while striking out only five times. This is the kind of hitter every team wants in their system. The Pirates are not very deep when it comes to hitting prospects, and few players have shown power potential. Having Bell gives the organization a player that has potential plus power from both sides of the plate, and can also hit for a good average. Bell could move quickly through the system because of his ability, and will most likely start 2012 in West Virginia. Bell has the talent to be a .280+ hitter with 35 home runs a season, and could be a fix in the middle of the Pirates’ order for years to come.
5.) Josh Bell--LF--19: The Pirates selected the switch hitting Josh Bell in the 2nd round of the 2011 draft, although he was Baseball America’s #15 prospect in the draft. He fell to the Pirates because he was considered an impossible sign after sending a letter to all 30 teams telling them not to draft him. Not fazed by this, the Pirates took the risk, and it payed off in the end. They were able to sign Bell for $5 million, and he immediately became one of the top prospects in the system. He has possibly the best power in the system already, after hitting 14 home runs in only 81 AB’s in high school. That’s a home run every 5.8 AB’s. I know its high school, but that’s still very impressive. He hit for a .552 average and a 1.760 OPS, and also drew 48 walks while striking out only five times. This is the kind of hitter every team wants in their system. The Pirates are not very deep when it comes to hitting prospects, and few players have shown power potential. Having Bell gives the organization a player that has potential plus power from both sides of the plate, and can also hit for a good average. Bell could move quickly through the system because of his ability, and will most likely start 2012 in West Virginia. Bell has the talent to be a .280+ hitter with 35 home runs a season, and could be a fix in the middle of the Pirates’ order for years to come.
OFP: 68 (Major-League Star)
4.) Luis Heredia--RHP--17: The player on this list that has the highest upside may very well be Luis Heredia. He was signed out of Mexico as a 16 year-old, receiving a $2.6 million bonus, although ¾ of that went to Veracruz, the team he was playing for at the time. Heredia is very big, especially for his age, standing at 6’6”, and he has the ability to pitch in the mid-90’s, reportedly hitting 96 at times earlier this season, which is very impressive for a 16 year-old. He had a few fastballs that he threw, along with a slider, curve, and change. His fastballs, curve, and change all have the potential to be plus pitches in the majors, and anyone with four plus pitches is going to be dominant. Heredia spent the 2011 season pitching in the Gulf Coast League, where his innings were limited to about 2-3 innings for most starts. His control wasn’t great, but you have to remember that this kid played most of the season at 16. He struck out a decent number of batters, but the most encouraging part of his game was that he was hard to hit in many starts. He let up less hits than innings pitched this year, which isn’t unusual, but again, the kid was 16 during the season. Heredia will most likely pitch out of the State College rotation next season, and he is young enough that he can still add more velocity to his pitches. Heredia has the upside as a consistent Cy Young candidate with four plus pitches, including a fastball that could be sitting in the upper-90’s.
OFP: 70 (Top of Rotation Starter)4.) Luis Heredia--RHP--17: The player on this list that has the highest upside may very well be Luis Heredia. He was signed out of Mexico as a 16 year-old, receiving a $2.6 million bonus, although ¾ of that went to Veracruz, the team he was playing for at the time. Heredia is very big, especially for his age, standing at 6’6”, and he has the ability to pitch in the mid-90’s, reportedly hitting 96 at times earlier this season, which is very impressive for a 16 year-old. He had a few fastballs that he threw, along with a slider, curve, and change. His fastballs, curve, and change all have the potential to be plus pitches in the majors, and anyone with four plus pitches is going to be dominant. Heredia spent the 2011 season pitching in the Gulf Coast League, where his innings were limited to about 2-3 innings for most starts. His control wasn’t great, but you have to remember that this kid played most of the season at 16. He struck out a decent number of batters, but the most encouraging part of his game was that he was hard to hit in many starts. He let up less hits than innings pitched this year, which isn’t unusual, but again, the kid was 16 during the season. Heredia will most likely pitch out of the State College rotation next season, and he is young enough that he can still add more velocity to his pitches. Heredia has the upside as a consistent Cy Young candidate with four plus pitches, including a fastball that could be sitting in the upper-90’s.
