Posted on 18 February 2009
H/W: 6-3 215 lb. B/T: S/R DOB: 9/10/85
The Pirates former catching prospect continued his acclimation to the hot corner and established career highs in HR and RBI totals. Walker spent the entire season at AAA Indianapolis hitting .242 with 16 HR 80 RBI 10 SB and a combined 32 doubles and triples. Walker is an above average athlete who is well built with projectible power from both sides of the plate. He continued to make strides defensively last season cutting his errors down from 27 to just 19. He shows good agility and has drawn rave reviews within the organization for his extraordinary makeup and work ethic. The big bugaboo with Neil continues to be his substandard plate discipline. Last season, Walker had a dismal OBP of just .280 due in large part to his unacceptible 29 BB/102 K ratio. The Pirates still remain quite bullish about Walker's potential and are reportedly giving him an opportunity to compete with Andy LaRoche this spring for the starting 3B spot. There is enough upside in Walker's skill set to believe that he could well succeed in that challenge.
2009 Projection: This spring will be huge for the former '04 1st rounder. At 23 years old, Neil Walker is fast approaching the time where his development should be almost complete. The biggest thing to watch, of course, is the plate discipline. This alone is the main determinant of Walker's future success. His ceiling remains quite high and opportunities within the Pirates system should abound. If he struggles this spring, expect him to be shipped back to AAA for more seasoning before being called up later in the season.
Key Neil Walker Baseball Cards:
- 2004 Bowman Chrome Draft Auto
- 2004 Bowman Sterling Auto
- 2004 Donruss Elite Extra #/1343
- 2004 Fleer Hot Prospects Auto
- 2004 SP Prospects Auto #/500
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Posted on 10 February 2009
H/W: 6-1 185 lb. B/T: R/R DOB: 12/25/89
Pittsburgh Pirates GM Neal Huntington has to be extremely pleased with the early returns from this 17th round selection. Jarek Cunningham torched GCL pitching for a .316 BA with 5 HR 22 RBI and 11 doubles in just 43 games. Cunningham has a strong body frame that quite likely is not done growing. His swing is fluid with a trajectory that will produce a lot of flyballs. His arm strength at shortstop is above average, but he struggles with his footwork at times which leads to inaccurate throws at times. As of now, his range at shortstop is acceptible, but there is some concern that he will grow out of the shortstop position and be forced to move to third base in the future. Cunningham showed solid patience for someone his age, but he seems to have a looping swing that has some holes that could be exploited by more advanced pitchers. He hasn't had strikeout problems yet, but it could happen down the line. Cunningham is one to watch this next season as a sleeper prospect in '09, especially if he can stay at shortstop.
2009 Projection: The challenges of full season competition awaits Cunningham as he should be heading to Low-A Hickory. There are two big challenges for Cunningham to address this season. First, he must shorten his swing while still hitting the ball with authority. Watch the BB/K ratio and, of course, his XBH totals. Second, Jarek must be able to stick at SS. The Pirates already have two power hitting 3B prospects in Neil Walker and top '08 pick Pedro Alvarez. There are several shortstops scattered throughout the organization (Brian Bixler, Brian Friday, Chase D'Arnaud, Jordy Mercer), but Cunningham has more offensive upside than any of them. A strong showing with both the bat and the glove this season should separate him from the rest of the bunch.
Key Jarek Cunningham Baseball Cards:
- 2008 Donruss Elite Extra Auto #/719
- 2008 Playoff Contenders Auto
- 2008
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Posted on 19 December 2008
H/W: 6-2 210 lb. B/T: L/R DOB: 7/18/87
After a long and bitter contract negotiation, the Pittsburgh Pirates finally came to an agreement with the former Vanderbilt star after the August 14 deadline. Alvarez is a very polished hitter who already has a bat that is close to major league ready. His left-handed swing generates above average power and should hit for a fairly high batting average at the major league level. Scouts have praised him for the high level of energy and competitive drive that he brings to the ballpark every day. A broken hamate bone in his hand cut into Alvarez's '08 season, but he worked dilligently to get back on the field within a month of the injury. When he did return, Pedro struggled to produce the same consistent power that he had demonstrated prior to the injury, which has some baseball officials concerned about potential lingering power issues. Additionally, Alvarez's defensive tools at 3B are average across the board and some think that he will eventually need to make the switch over to 1B in the future. All told, the Pirates have to be ecstatic to finally land their highest draft choice since selecting Bryan Bullington with the 1st overall pick in 2003. All signs point to Alvarez being a much better player than Bullington, giving the Bucs hope that they will finally right the ship that has been sinking since the days of Barry Bonds and Bobby Bonilla.
2009 Projection: Given the fact that Alvarez signed a major league contract, it is reasonable to believe that the Pirates will promote him aggressively to High-A Lynchburg to start the season. Watch to see how his power numbers and plate discipline shape up early in the season. If things look good, the Bucs will bump him to AA at some point in the season. Adam LaRoche's future with Pittsburgh likely will not extend beyond the 2009 season and the Pirates would love to see either Alvarez or Adam's little brother Andy fill that position in the not too distant future. Expect Pedro in this lineup at some point in 2010.
Key Pedro Alvarez Baseball Cards:
- 2008 Razor Auto #/499
- 2008 Razor Exclusives Auto
- 2008 Team USA Auto #/249
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Posted on 16 December 2008
H/W: 5-11 175 lb. B/T: R/R DOB: 10/10/86
The Pirates #1 prospect had another solid season in '08 batting .283 with 9 HR 50 RBI 34 SB and 75 runs scored at AAA-Indianapolis. It came as a surprise to everyone, including McCutchen, that he was not called up to the big league club in September. In addition to his outstanding athleticism, Andrew showed a marked improvement in his plate discipline, as testified by his 68 BB/87 K ratio. McCutchen has all of the tools to be an all-star centerfielder for years to come, yet the Bucs continue to stall his progress. Perhaps this has something to do with some questions about McCutchen's maturity, he is a supremely confident individual who plays the game with swagger and aggressiveness. This has often led to lapses in judgement on the basepaths and inconsistencies at the plate. Others feel that McCutchen's delayed MLB debut is purely a maneuver by the Pirates to delay the start of his arbitration eligibility clock.
2009 Projection: Rumor has it that both McCutchen and 3B prospect Neil Walker will begin the season back at Indianapolis to start the '09 season. The Bucs are quite pleased with the progress of current CF Nate McClouth, and are interested in seeing what last year's acquisition Brandon Moss has to offer. McCutchen has a history of taking very well to new challenges and it seems very reasonable to expect that he will come into spring training ready to force his way into the opening day lineup. Watch his power numbers as last season's showing was a little disappointing for someone with his quick bat and wiry strength. If he can bump up to the 15-20 HR range, McCutchen could develop into an elite leadoff hitter by 2010.
Key Andrew McCutchen Baseball Cards:
- 2005 Bowman Chrome Draft
- 2005 Bowman Sterling Jersey/Auto
- 2005 Bowman Heritage Auto
- 2005 Topps Chrome Update Auto
- 2006 Bowman Originals Auto (various serial #'s)
- 2008 Bowman Chrome Draft
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Posted on 01 November 2008
H/W: 5-11 160 lb. B/T: R/R DOB: 8/12/88
Tabata was the central prospect in the trade that sent Xavier Nady to the New York Yankees. The change of scenery seemed to rejuvenate Tabata as he hit .346 with 3 HR 13 RBI and 8 SB in just 22 games. There are mixed feelings about what kind of player Tabata will be. There are some who think that he will be a top of the order hitter with average power and there are others who think that he will be more of a slugger than hitter. Either way, Tabata has the makings of a fine hitter Read the full story
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The Pirates former catching prospect continued his acclimation to the hot corner and established career highs in HR and RBI totals. Walker spent the entire season at AAA Indianapolis hitting .242 with 16 HR 80 RBI 10 SB and a combined 32 doubles and triples. Walker is an above average athlete who is well built with projectible power from both sides of the plate. He continued to make strides defensively last season cutting his errors down from 27 to just 19. He shows good agility and has drawn rave reviews within the organization for his extraordinary makeup and work ethic. The big bugaboo with Neil continues to be his substandard plate discipline. Last season, Walker had a dismal OBP of just .280 due in large part to his unacceptible 29 BB/102 K ratio. The Pirates still remain quite bullish about Walker's potential and are reportedly giving him an opportunity to compete with Andy LaRoche this spring for the starting 3B spot. There is enough upside in Walker's skill set to believe that he could well succeed in that challenge.
