Pirates prospects sweep FSL awards
The Pirates were expected to have one of the best farm systems in the game entering the 2014 season. Now that the Minor League campaign is mostly complete, that still rings true, and you don't have to look beyond the Florida State League for proof.
Pirates prospects Josh Bell and Tyler Glasnow have been named the FSL's Player and Pitcher of the Year, the FSL announced in addition to its postseason All-Star Team on Tuesday.
Bell, ranked as the No. 3 prospect in the Pirates system, rode an impressive season at the plate to his second straight postseason All-Star squad appearance. The switch-hitting outfielder, who still has enough at-bats to qualify despite a mid-July promotion to Double-A Altoona, sits atop the FSL leaderboard with a .335 average, .502 slugging percentage and .886 OPS. He also added nine homers, four triples, 20 doubles and 53 RBIs in 84 games with Class A Advanced Bradenton.
Because of his hitting prowess in the pitcher-friendly FSL, Bell climbed from No. 74 in MLB.com's preseason prospect rankings to his current status at No. 32 following a midseason update. (He holds the same spot in MiLB.com's aggregated rankings.) The 2011 second-rounder was also a South Atlantic League postseason All-Star with Class A West Virginia a season ago.
Glasnow has become the Pirates' top prospect and No. 19 overall after putting together one of the most impressive pitching displays in the Minors.
The 6-foot-7 right-hander missed a good chunk of April with back issues but didn't take long to find his form. As of Tuesday, he leads the Florida State League with a 1.67 ERA and 1.05 WHIP and ranks second with an 11.3 K/9, trailing only fellow All-Star Taylor Cole's 11.6 for Dunedin. Despite pitching only 118 1/3 innings, the 21-year-old hurler's 148 punchouts on the season rank eighth among all Minor Leaguers.
Glasnow wasn't the only top-100 pitching prospect honored by the FSL on Tuesday. Twins No. 5 prospect Jose Berrios, who checks in No. 36 on the overall list, was also given a spot on the postseason squad for his performance at Fort Myers. The 20-year-old right-hander went 9-3 with a 1.96 ERA, 1.05 WHIP and 109 strikeouts in 16 starts (96 1/3 innings) for the Miracle before being promoted to Double-A New Britain in early July.
Colin Moran was named the league's top third baseman after putting up a .294/.342/.393 line with five homers, 21 doubles and 33 RBIs in 89 games with Jupiter. The 2013 sixth overall pick was traded to the Astros organization on July 31 in the deal that netted Jarred Cosart and Enrique Hernandez for the Marlins.
Here is the complete breakdown of the 2014 FSL postseason All-Star team:
2014 Florida State League Postseason All-Stars
CATCHERS | |||
---|---|---|---|
NAME | POS | TEAM | MLB ORG |
Cam Maron | C | St. Lucie | NYM |
Justin O'Conner | C | Charlotte | TB |
INFIELDERS | |||
NAME | POS | TEAM | MLB ORG |
Viosergy Rosa | 1B | Jupiter | MIA |
Gioskar Amaya | 2B | Daytona | CHC |
Leonardo Reginatto | SS | Charlotte | TB |
Colin Moran | 3B | Jupiter | MIA |
Nathan Orf | UT INF | Brevard County | MIL |
OUTFIELDERS | |||
NAME | POS | TEAM | MLB ORG |
Jake Cave | LF | Tampa | NYY |
Charlie Tilson | CF | Palm Beach | STL |
Josh Bell* | RF | Bradenton | PIT |
Dwight Smith Jr. | UT OF | Dunedin | TOR |
DESIGNATED HITTER | |||
NAME | POS | TEAM | MLB ORG |
Adam Brett Walker | DH | Fort Myers | MIN |
PITCHERS | |||
NAME | POS | TEAM | MLB ORG |
Jose Berrios | SP | Fort Myers | MIN |
Taylor Cole | SP | Dunedin | TOR |
Tyler Glasnow† | SP | Bradenton | PIT |
Tyler Wagner | SP | Brevard County | MIL |
Angel Nesbitt | RP | Lakeland | DET |
Arik Sikula | RP | Dunedin | TOR |
FIELD STAFF | |||
NAME | POS | TEAM | MLB ORG |
Omar Malave | Manager | Dunedin | TOR |
Doug Mientkiewicz | Coach | Fort Myers | MIN |
Tom Prince | Coach | Bradenton | PIT |
Sam Dykstra is a contributor to MiLB.com.