For over a decade I have been writing about minor league baseball and MLB prospects. Over the last six years those articles have been published right here on the pages of Fantasy Alarm. But for the 2016 season I am officially handing off these duties to an incredibly capable and talented writer in David Kerr. Dave's been writing fantasy baseball for years and has done a great job for us over the last few seasons.
David's going to be monitoring the minor leagues for us all season and posting his thoughts right here each and every week. He'll be doing specific MLB prospect scouting reports and profiles, going over who is hot and not down in the minors and identifying which teams have needs for some of their minor league talent.
If you are not familiar with Dave's work, then for starters you are a jag bag. But just in case here is a sample from a writeup he did of Pirates starting pitchign prospect Tyler Glasnow:
(Originally posted on March 26th)
It seems like a distant memory when the Pittsburgh Pirates floundered in every level possible. The major league team had long been a laughing stock while the minor league system was chalked full of failed picks and bad scouting. Since breaking a 21-year futility streak in 2013, the Pirates have been one of the better organizations in all of baseball. In a small market, a lot of that success has to be credited to drafting, scouting, and player evaluation. Pittsburgh has been getting all three facets done in recent years, but the biggest wave is still yet to come.
Enter 6-foot-8 righty, Tyler Glasnow. Clearly the first thing that stands out about Glasnow is his immense size. With his towering frame, Glasnow poses a huge intimidation factor to opposing hitters. That frightening presence on the mound is amplified by the fact that Glasnow can hum 97-mph heaters on the inner part of the plate with ease. This pitch specifically is going to make him millions one day, but Glasnow also throws a knee-buckling curveball that could be his true ticket to elite status. He has thrown his curveball as a swing and miss pitch throughout his minor league career and it is only getting better. Glasnow continues to harness his changeup that many scouts believe will sooner or later become an above average pitch.
Glasnow has yet to throw at a minor league level where he didn’t end his stint with more strikeouts than walks. In 2013, he posted a filthy 13.3 K/9 over 24 starts with Single-A West Virginia. Two years later at Double-A Altoona, Glasnow made 12 starts and posted a K/9 of 11.7. These aren’t flashes we are seeing from Glasnow—he is the real deal.
Control has been an issue at times for Glasnow, but he seems to have been able to work around it. Glasnow’s walk rate at High-A Bradenton in 2014 was 4.1, but he was able to cut that number down to 2.7 at his next extended stop in Altoona. As he continues to fill into his massive frame, it is possible that Glasnow will hit bumps in the road with his control, but the hope is that he will be able to put everything together and become a complete pitcher.
The Pirates considered bringing Glasnow up to the major leagues in the latter part of the 2015 season, but decided against it after much deliberation. While his stuff seemed to be about ready, the team wanted him to polish his craft at Triple-A and they decided not to budge. Glasnow posted a stellar 2.20 ERA over eight starts in Indianapolis and is set to begin the 2016 campaign there as well. Unless the Pirates suffer multiple catastrophic injuries in their rotation, Glasnow will likely stay in Triple-A until at least mid-June due to Super Two status.
What makes Glasnow even more appealing is the system that he’s a part of. While Clint Hurdle is the manager, pitching coach Ray Searage is the architect behind a pitching staff that has been one of the best in baseball over the last several years. The reclamation projects are well known and aplenty—Francisco Liriano, Mark Melancon, J.A. Happ—the list goes on and on. With Glasnow, the makeup is thrilling. He has the height, the build, the fastball; Glasnow could end up being the most important Pittsburgh prospect since Andrew McCutchen arrived in 2009.
For Glasnow, he needs to continue to the trajectory that he’s currently on. With domination at every level, it would be absurd to think that he won’t bestride in the majors. Oh, and if he doesn’t? He has Ray Searage to make everything better. What the Pirates—and fantasy owners—potentially have is a true No. 1 starter. In NL-Only leagues, he’s worth a stash right now. In mixed leagues, he should be monitored for a call-up, but rest assured that won’t happen until June. For dynasty owners, just look at his name everyday and smile. It’s only a short matter of time before he’s mowing down opposing hitters and providing the type of satisfaction that only few players can.