The Pittsburgh Pirates definitely have a type. They love to draft high ceiling prep players early in the draft, as evidenced by the 2017 draft, where they selected 4 prep players in the first 2 rounds. They also invest heavily in the international market.\u00a0 Both are quickly seen when you dig into their Top 50.\u00a0 Acquiring prospects this way has worked fairly well for the Pirates<\/a> as they have remained competitive for the past few years and kept a fairly stocked system, while maintaining a small payroll.\u00a0 Strong player development and a little bit of luck, no doubt, and you have a recipe for success.\u00a0 The Pirates<\/a> have a lot of pitching that will be ready in the next year or two.\u00a0 That\u2019s not even including Tyler Glasnow<\/a>, who has graduated from the Top 50 list, but bounced between AAA and the majors trying to find his footing.\u00a0 Along with that pitching The Pirates<\/a> have another influx of talent coming from the Gerrit Cole<\/a> deal.\u00a0 The Pirates<\/a> acquired two players that would have jumped right into the top 50, but have previously been ranked by Brandon while they were in the Houston system.\u00a0 Colin Moran<\/a> was ranked 5th and Jason Martin<\/a> 17th in Houston’s Top 50 Prospects<\/a>.\u00a0 While not adding a new write up, I would have added them to the Pittsburgh list at 6 and 16 respectively.<\/p>\n That said, top to bottom you can find plenty to get excited about in the Pittsburgh system.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n
\n<\/strong>Tier 1: <\/strong>Players with high expectations of both making the majors and playing at an All-Star level for a number of years
\nTier 2: <\/strong>Players with an above average expectation of making the majors and being a solid contributor
\nTier 3: <\/strong>Players with an average expectation of making the majors and being a solid contributor
\nTier 4: <\/strong>Players who have the potential of making the majors, or have high likelihood of making the majors but providing minimal impact (e.g. middle reliever, low-ceiling UT guys)
\nTier 5: <\/strong>Players who are wotrth keeping an eye on, but likely to never make a team\u2019s 40-man roster<\/div>\n