- Draft Prep Tiers: C | 1B | 2B | SS | 3B | OF | SP | RP
- Heath's Sleepers | Breakouts | Busts
- Scott's Top 100 prospects | Sleepers | Breakouts | Busts | Dynasty Top 100
The Pirates' last rebuild took 20 years, and after five years of quasi-success, highlighted by three early playoff exits, they're back at it, shipping off Andrew McCutchen and Gerrit Cole -- their most notable hitter and pitcher, respectively -- in separate trades.
And what's crazy is they didn't even get top-flight prospects in return, instead settling for some of the Astros' overgrowth and ... whatever the Giants were willing to give them, it seems.
There may be a method to the madness. The Pirates still have a workable nucleus in place after graduating Josh Bell last year, so if Colin Moran and Joe Musgrove, two borderline top-100 prospects not long ago, can seize the opportunity they didn't get in Houston and if Gregory Polanco, Jameson Taillon and Tyler Glasnow, themselves once elite prospects, finally capitalize on their ability, the Pirates could find themselves in the hunt again. While the McCutchen and Cole trades look bad on paper, part of the reason the Pirates got so little for them is because, frankly, they weren't so good the last two years, making them easier to replace than you'd think.
But that's a lot of ifs. For now, the Pirates have only one player in my top 100 -- and only in Rotisserie leagues.
| Player | Roto Rank | H2H Rank | Roto Pos Rank | H2H Pos Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Starling Marte
PIT LF
| #55 | #89 | #15 | #20 |
Felipe Rivero
PIT RP
| #102 | #120 | #8 | #8 |
Josh Bell
PIT 1B
| #158 | #163 | #20 | #19 |
Gregory Polanco
PIT RF
| #201 | #219 | #50 | #49 |
Jameson Taillon
PIT SP
| #221 | #181 | #60 | #62 |
Corey Dickerson
PIT LF
| #233 | #248 | #59 | #60 |
Josh Harrison
PIT 2B
| #251 | #264 | #25 (at 2B) | #28 (at 2B) |
Joe Musgrove
PIT SP
| NR | #209 | #39 (at RP) | #23 (at RP) |
Tyler Glasnow
PIT SP
| NR | #268 | #81 | #82 |
Players in Scott's Top 100 Prospects
| 26 | Mitch Keller |
| Durability has been an issue for Keller, who missed time last year with back and shin injuries, but he's as projectable a pitching prospect as you'll find, throwing in the mid-to-high 90s with a plus curve, developing changeup and terrific control. You could call him boring, but it's in the most wonderful way. Scott's 2018 Fantasy impact: midseason hopeful | |
| 43 | Austin Meadows |
| Meadows, a former first-rounder, has gotten a pass from talent evaluators more than once, but his 2017, after showing some progress the year before, was a real gut punch. Hamstring and oblique injuries may have been partially to blame, though, and with Andrew McCutchen out the door, you'll want to see this investment through in dynasty leagues. Scott's 2018 Fantasy impact: midseason hopeful | |
| 87 | Colin Moran |
| Thought to be a plus hitter who may or may not develop power when the Marlins selected him sixth overall in 2013, Moran seemed to find his power stroke, even if in the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League, last year. And thanks to the Gerrit Cole trade, he's now in an organization where he isn't blocked three times over. Scott's 2018 Fantasy impact: fighting this spring (at 3B) | |
| 97 | Jordan Luplow |
| Perhaps because he's limited defensively, Luplow hasn't gotten much attention in prospect circles, but he put himself on the map with last year's performance, even starting some for the big club down the stretch. That said, finding at-bats for him doesn't seem to be a priority, and he may never have that chance with Austin Meadows knocking on the door. Scott's 2018 Fantasy impact: fighting this spring | |
Things to Know
- With Andrew McCutchen and Gerrit Cole already gone, Josh Harrison is the Pirate whose name comes up most often in trade rumors, and his departure might actually be a net positive for Fantasy owners if it gets Adam Frazier's bat in the lineup on a regular basis. Frazier isn't a great power or speed source, but his exceptional contact skills put him on base at a high rate, giving him the upside of a Cesar Hernandez or maybe even a DJ LeMahieu.
- If late-offseason acquisition Corey Dickerson doesn't pan out in left, the upside is he's probably just keeping the seat warm for long-awaited prospect Austin Meadows, whose capricious minor-league production hasn't cost him too many spots in the minor-league rankings. He's another reason the Pirates may not lose as much ground as people think.
- Tyler Glasnow, who was among the most hyped pitching prospects in baseball leading up to his promotion, was a disaster in the majors last year even after a return trip to the minors in which he seemingly overcame his control issues in his final seven starts. He compiled a 2.45 ERA, 0.86 WHIP and 13.7 strikeouts per nine innings. But even though it didn't manifest in three September starts thereafter, I still feel like progress was made, and for all his upside, Glasnow is a forgotten man in Fantasy Baseball circles.
- The assumption is Colin Moran will form the better half of a platoon at third base with David Freese, but the two will technically be battling for the job this spring.
Lineup & Rotation
| Batting order | ||
| 1 | Josh Harrison | 2B |
| 2 | Corey Dickerson | LF |
| 3 | Starling Marte | CF |
| 4 | Josh Bell | 1B |
| 5 | Gregory Polanco | RF |
| 6 | Francisco Cervelli | C |
| 7 | Colin Moran | 3B |
| 8 | Jordy Mercer | SS |
| Pitchers | ||
| SP | Jameson Taillon | |
| SP | Ivan Nova | |
| SP | Chad Kuhl | |
| SP | Joe Musgrove | |
| SP | Trevor Williams | |
| CL | Felipe Rivero | |
| RP | George Kontos | |
| RP | Michael Feliz | |