The Pirates had internal talks about recalling Glasnow last summer but chose to continue his development at the Triple-A level. "We had legitimate discussions about (calling up) Tyler last year," general manager Neal Huntington told the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. "Ultimately, we felt it was in his and our best interest to continue the development and command of the fastball, the consistency of his breaking ball, the ability to throw it for a strike and for a chase, and to develop the changeup (at Indy)."
Pittsburgh's current fourth and fifth starters include Jeff Locke and Ryan Vogelsong, both of whom will be asked to help bridge the gap until Glasnow (and possibly Jameson Taillon) are ready. There's always a chance the team could deviate from policy and recall Glasnow sooner than June -- especially because Huntington admitted the team gave the thought consideration for September -- but fantasy owners shouldn't bank on it. For his part, the 6-foot-7 righty compiled a 2.39 ERA in 109.1 innings split between three minor-league levels in 2015. His 11.1 K/9 rate bodes well for his future, though he'll need to improve upon a 4.8 BB/9 rate.