Pittsburgh Pirates: Introducing You To the Eastern League Champion Altoona Curve

With all of the troubles with its parent club in 2010, the Pirates AA affiliate Altoona Curve and the High-A affiliate Bradenton Marauders recently completed very successful seasons.

In case you haven't noticed, or have been too turned off by the latest 100 loss season by the Pirates, most of the real talent in the organization are currently playing at one of these two levels.

All of the trades and all of the last three successful drafts will wind up paying off in the form of these talented young players. For once, the Pirates have "real" prospects.

The Curve recently became Eastern League Champions. They defeated the Trenton Thunder, the AA affiliate of the New York Yankees to bring home the crown.

The marauders didn't have as much success, losing to the Charlotte Stone Crabs in the opening round of the Florida State League playoffs. Charlotte is the High-A affiliate of the Tampa Rays.

Before you ask, this is not a case of the Pirates sacrificing major league success for minor league championships. This is the process starting to pay off. There is legitimate talent at each level. Hopefully, within a couple of years, we won't have to hear the term "rebuild" any longer in Pittsburgh.

Here is a look at the prospects currently in Altoona. These will be the names you should be hearing in Pittsburgh within a couple of seasons.

Starting Pitching

If there is one need that showed it's face this season in Pittsburgh it was the lack of starting pitching. That's not the case at Altoona, where they are loaded with quality young arms.

Learn to know these names, and learn to love them, because they are the next wave of arms headed towards Pittsburgh: Rudy Owens (pictured), Bryan Morris, Jeff Locke, Justin Wilson and Jared Hughes.

Before the season, all but Hughes were ranked in Baseball America's top 25 prospects in the organization, and to date have done nothing to disappoint.

Looking at each guy individually:

Owens- LHP: Owens was recently named the organization's Minor League Pitcher of the year for the second straight season. The 6' 3" southpaw finished 2010 with a 12-6 record and 2.46 era in his first AA stint.  The former 28th round pick came out of nowhere in 2009, posting a 10-1 record and 1.70 era during a stop at West Virginia.

The book on Owens in control and command.  His fastball will range from 88-92 mph., but Owens is a strike thrower with two other quality pitches (a curveball and changeup) to compliment his fastball. In his last 274 innings of work, Owens has struck out 255 batters, while walking only 40. Owens has the stuff to be a quality major league pitcher. ETA: mid 2011.

Morris- RHP: Morris got off to an outstanding start to the 2010 season.  The 23 year old right hander started his season at Bradenton and quickly earned a promotion to Altoona, finishing a combined 9-4 between the two stops. He was the big piece in the trade that sent Jason Bay to Boston.

He will throw his fastball in the 90-93 mph range but has been know to reach 95-96 at times. His main out pitch though is a devastating curveball that is hard and has a ton of break to it. Morris was shutdown in late August due to reaching his innings limit, but along with Owens will likely open 2011 in AAA Indianapolis. ETA: late 2011-early 2012.

Locke- LHP: Locke, the main chip in the trade that sent Nate McLouth to the Braves, had a very solid 2010 between stops at both Bradenton and Altoona. He put up a very nice 12-5 record and combined 3.55 era. Locke is another guy that pounds the strike zone, feature a low 90's fastball and plus breaking stuff.

The thing about all of these guys is they can pound the strike zone with their fastballs, making their breaking stuff that much more effective. Locke is no exception. His 139-26 strikeouts to walks this season was very impressive. He isn't on as fast as a path as either Owens or Morris, but should begin 2011 with Altoona. Locke is very talented, so he won't be far off. ETA: mid 2011

Wilson -LHP: Wilson was the Pirates 5th round pick in 2008 and was a big part of Fresno State winning the College World Series. He had a pretty solid 11-8 season with a 3.09 ERA. The organization is very high on Wilson as evident by him beginning the season in AA in only his second season in pro ball.

Wilson has a good arsenal of pitches that he can throw for strikes. His fastball is in the low 90's range, but he has a very good curveball and slider as well. He began mixing in a changeup and two-seam fastball this season. Command is a big part of Wilson's success. He has to locate and he did a pretty good job of that this season. He's very talented and will likely open 2011 in Altoona. ETA: 2012

Hughes- RHP: Hughes is the least thought of in the group, which doesn't mean he doesn't have talent.  He's 6' 7" and his fastball has some life to it. He also features a very good slider. I may be wrong about him, but to me he projects out to be more of a bullpen guy.

He's shown inconsistencies as a starter, but also flashes of brilliance. The facts are that all of these guys can't be brought up to start right away. Hughes could become a very effective 7th or 8th inning guy—he has the stuff to do it.

Catchers

There currently isn't much catching depth at Altoona. Hector Gimenez was once highly thought of in the Astros organization, but injuries set his career back and he's viewed as nothing more then a career minor leaguer at this point.

Kris Watts is also currently catching for the Curve and while he has a bit more potential when it comes to getting to the major leagues, he really doesn't project out to much more then a backup. 

The good news is that the Pirates announced that Tony Sanchez (pictured) will open 2011 with Altoona, so the catcher of the future is beginning his path towards the big leagues. Injuries have pushed his arrival back a bit, but not that much. ETA: mid 2012.

Infielders

The infielders for the Curve offer a bit of promise, led by two names everyone should know in shortstop Chase d'Arnaud (pictured) and second baseman Josh Harrison. Those aren't the only two with potential though as the entire starting infield has a realistic shot to reach the majors at some point.

1B. Matt Hague: Hague was the Pirates ninth round selection in 2008 and has made it to AA with decent success along the way. The Pirates view him as a guy with power potential.  He's coming off a pretty solid season in which he hit .295 with 15 HR and 85 RBI.

I don't see him as a big time power guy though, which means he may not be a first baseman for long. I do feel he can be a solid gap to gap hitter at the major league level in time. As he continues to progress, the fact that he's a run producer will become his biggest strength. ETA: late 2012

2B. Josh Harrison: Harrison was the key acquisition in the trade that sent Tom Gorzellany and John Grabow to the Chicago Cubs. He was selected in the 6th round in 2008 by Chicago and projects pretty well as a major league infielder.

He's primarily a second and third baseman, which means he likely won't ever have a starting job in Pittsburgh. He does some things well, so it's worth keeping an eye on him as a backup infielder. Harrison is a hitter. He lacks power, but he puts the ball in play. On the season for Altoona, Harrison hit .300 with 4 HR and 75 RBI. He doesn't strike out much and has very good speed. He's also the type of guy that many teams will covet and could even be used as a trade chip further down the line. ETA 2012.

3B. Jordy Mercer: Mercer was the Pirates third round pick in 2008. He's been primarily a shortstop, but moved to third base late last season. Scouts like him a lot and feel he could be a solid MLB shortstop with a strong arm and gap to gap power.

The scouting report thinks he can become a solid offensive player with power. The power will have to develop, but he has a big enough frame that that could happen. He hit a career high .282 this season for Altoona, driving in 65 runs. He only homered three times, but had over 30 doubles for the second consecutive season. With the emergence of some of the current Pirates infielders, Mercer may be a bit of an afterthought in the system right now, but keep an eye on him because he is very talented. ETA 2013.

SS. Chase D'Arnaud: D'Arnaud got off to a slow start to 2010, but really picked things up and still is considered the shortstop of the future in Pittsburgh. The Pirates selected D'Arnaud in the 4th round in 2008 out of Pepperdine. If you ever watch D'Arnaud play, you will come away giving him the ultimate compliment: saying he is simply a great baseball player.

He's fun to watch and he's a guy that does all of the little things right. He's got a great glove, great range, strong arm, good speed, excellent base running skills, and possesses excellent fundaments on both offense and defense.

D'Arnaud had his worst season statistically at the plate, only hitting .247 on the season. He's shown the ability to hit for average throughout his career and he really picked things up after a slow start. D'Arnaud will continue to progress through the system at a fast rate. ETA opening day shortstop 2012.

2b Jim Negrych: The former Pitt product and 2008 Pirates Minor League Player of the Year re-emerged this season after falling off the table for the better part of a year. Negrych swings a decent bat, but lacks power and lacks range in the field. It would be a good story, but it would be hard to see Negrych having any role in Pittsburgh other then a bench guy. ETA September call-up 2012.

Outfielders

The Pirates are loaded with outfield talent throughout the system and judging by the way Andrew McCutchen and Jose Tabata have started their respective careers, there likely won't be many jobs available in the next few years.

The Curve have guys that should force the Pirates to make difficult decisions down the line, one of them being Andrew Lambo (pictured).

Lambo was acquired from the Dodgers in the Octavio Dotel deal that will go down as a steal. Lambo was ranked the 49th overall prospect in baseball by Baseball America following 2009 and should be able to get back to that level.

He's considered a five tool talent, but I really don't see that. He lacks top notch speed and range in the games I've seen him play. I would rate his arm around average.

I do see a guy that can handle the bat and is a very smart baseball player. He didn't do that much after the Pirates acquired him, but I'd like to see the numbers after a full season in Altoona next year. He has power and I'd like to see it come out. Eventually, I can see him as a solid .280 AVG, 20 HR, 80 RBI type of MLB guy. ETA late 2012-early 2013.

The Curve outfield also began the season with 2010 Minor League Player of the Year Alex Presley, who was promoted to AAA and finally to the Pirates MLB club in September.

Miles Durham also played pretty well for Altoona this season, but he's already 27 and with the Pirates crowded outfield situation it would be difficult for him to leap frog other prospects.

Probably the best news concerning the Altoona Curve outfield is that ultra-prospect Starling Marte will open 2011 as a member of the Curve.

Bullpen

There are a couple of quality bullpen arms in Altoona, led by Daniel Moskos (pictured). Now I know we should be talking about Matt Wieters being the Pirates catcher instead of weather Moskos can get MLB hitters out, but it is what it is.

Moskos put up really good numbers at Altoona but struggled badly in AAA forcing his demotion. Quite simply he threw strikes in Altoona and didn't with Indianapolis. He's not overpowering, but gets people out with his slider. Watching him pitch, he looks like he can be an effective reliever. You'll be seeing him in Pittsburgh next year. ETA late 2011.

There are a couple other names in the Altoona bullpen worth keeping an eye on. One is Michael Dubee, who was acquired for Andy Phillips. Dubee throws pretty hard and had an outstanding 2010 season in AA, compiling a 6-2 record and 2.24 ERA in 45 games. His WHIP and strikeout to walk ratio were very good and if he starts the season next year the way he finished it this season, Dubee could force the Pirates to call him up. ETA mid to late 2011.

Another name to watch is Ramon Aguero. He didn't have a very good year in Altoona before getting hurt, but he consistently touches 95-97 with his fastball. ETA 2013.

Tom Boleska is another talented bullpen arm, one that I like a lot. He got promoted to Altoona and appeared in 12 games and pitched pretty well. He's got a good arm and gets people out, but the hits and walks need to come down a tad and the strikeouts need to go up as well. ETA mid 2013.

Two other arms a little further down on the radar are Dustin Molleken and Michael Colla who both need quality 2011 seasons to get back on the radar.

The Wild Card

After a slow start to 2010, Gorkys Hernandez (pictured) re-emerged and is considered a top prospect in the organization once again. Hernandez, acquired in the Nate McLouth trade, had a strong second half and found himself playing in the Futures Game.

Hernandez is the wild card of all the prospects. Is he an MLB outfielder that would likely give the Pirates the fastest outfield in all of baseball? Or, is he a big trade chip that many teams would love to have. He's the type of player that could be part of a deal to bring a quality major league ready arm to Pittsburgh.

Hernandez didn't have a great statistical season in 2010, but his name is being talked about more then ever around baseball. 

Hernandez offers a great glove, a ton of range and an above average arm in the field. At the plate, he won't hit for power, but has a ton of speed and good baseball instincts. Watch him play and you come away thinking about a Juan Pierre type of player.

Hernandez is very talented. I don't see things quite working out here in Pittsburgh, but he could be a main piece in improving the Pirates. If they are smart enough. If he does make it to the majors with the Pirates, it's just another weapon at their disposal.

I've been saying to give Neal Huntington time and we should wait and see what his first two draft classes look like. You're starting to get a good look at what the future Pittsburgh Pirates will look like.