Pittsburgh Pirates Minor League Awards

The Pittsburgh Pirates are making a run for a second consecutive playoff appearance, something that seemed nearly unfathomable several years ago.

The club is built on a solid foundation with players like Andrew McCutchen, Neil Walker and Starling Marte providing pop with their bats and pitchers like Gerrit Cole anchoring the starting rotation.

All of those players came through the Pirates’ farm system, but the good news is that the organization’s depth hasn’t been depleted by their emergence on to the big league scene.

Quite the contrary actually, as Baseball America rated the Pirates’ farm system as the best in baseball before this season.

While the Buccos battle on for the chance to play in October, all of the teams contained within the farm system have finished play for the year. Some of the best and brightest players on those teams have already made their way to Pittsburgh to claim their spot on the 40-man roster.

So here are the awards for the best players in the Pirates' system, players who had spectacular seasons and players who could help this team win plenty more games down the road.

Best Hitter: Josh Bell

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MINNEAPOLIS, MN - JULY 13: Josh Bell of the U.S. Team during the SiriusXM All-Star Futures Game at Target Field on July 13, 2014 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)

It can’t be any surprise that this honor goes to Josh Bell, the 22-year-old outfielder who split time between Single-A Bradenton and Double-A Altoona this season.

Pirates fans might remember Bell as the man who, prior to being drafted in 2011, sent a letter to every front office in baseball warning executives not to draft him. Bell had his heart set on attending the University of Texas to play baseball.

A $5 million signing bonus from the Pirates quickly changed his mind, and it appears that investment could pay dividends in the near future.

Bell hit for a combined .325 average between the two levels of minor league play with 22 doubles, four triples, nine home runs and a .459 slugging percentage.

He represented the Pirates at the All-Star Futures Game this summer and also won the Florida State League’s Player of the Year award.

Bell is an outfielder by trade, but that could be changing quickly, according to Bill Brink of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

Brink said he expects Bell to play a lot of first base in the upcoming Arizona Fall League, a move that could quicken his path to the majors.

That’s because the outfield combination of McCutchen, Marte and Gregory Polanco is expected to be in place for many years to come, blocking Bell from any potential promotion.

It shouldn’t be an incredibly tough transition for Bell, who has shown this season that his athletic skill is well-worth the money the Pirates have put in to him thus far.

Bell likely won’t make an impact on the big league level next year, but he is easily one of the most important pieces in the Pirates’ plans moving forward.

Best Pitcher: Tyler Glasnow

Gene J. Puskar/Associated Press

It’s saying something that Josh Bell isn’t the best prospect in the Pirates’ system.

That award instead goes to Tyler Glasnow, the 21-year-old righty who, for the second year in a row, won the award as the Pirates' best minor league pitcher.

It’s not hard to see why. Glasnow dominated opponents this season, posting a 1.74 ERA in 124 innings pitched for Single-A Bradenton.

He won the award as the Florida State League’s best pitcher after posting the lowest ERA in the league. In addition, he finished second in the league with 157 strikeouts and tied for third with 12 wins.

Glasnow has a career 1.94 ERA in 274 innings pitched in minor league baseball, posting back-to-back extremely impressive seasons to start his career.

Like Bell, he’ll be headed to the Arizona Fall League to even further hone his craft.

He’s still young, and major league hitters obviously aren’t the same as those he’s facing in the low minors. But don’t rule out the possibility of Glasnow making an impact on the Pirates next season, either as a midseason call-up or when rosters expand in September.

Most Improved Player: Elias Diaz

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Elias Diaz signs an autograph during Spring Training

Elias Diaz wasn’t even mentioned on Baseball America’s list of the 10-best Pirates prospects before the season started. As noted by Travis Sawchik of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, now there’s talk that he could supplant Tony Sanchez on the depth chart of catchers on the big league team.

Diaz, a 23-year-old prospect from Venezuela, has always been a solid defensive catcher. So what changed this year? Diaz hit for a combined .312 average between Double-A Altoona and Triple-A Indianapolis after batting only .208 two years ago.

What’s more is the fact that Diaz’s promotion to Triple-A had the front office send Sanchez to first base. That’s saying a lot about what the front office thinks of Diaz and his potential as a catcher, as it also says a lot about the front office’s feelings about Sanchez.

Diaz has morphed into one of the “brightest young prospects” in the system, according to manager Clint Hurdle. Via Sawchik, Hurdle even went as far as to compare his offense to that of Russell Martin.

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All the defensive skills have showed up extremely well. … The arm, they all glow about. The accuracy (of the arm),” Hurdle said. “The bat has shown up as well. He's grinding out at-bats. He's hitting. He's been having at-bats like Russell Martin this year.

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Diaz likely won’t make the club out of spring training next year, if only for the fact that he has 33 at-bats at the Triple-A level. But that doesn’t mean he won’t make an appearance at some point next year, especially if the Pirates don’t re-sign Russell Martin and if Sanchez falters.

Most Likely to Make an Impact Next Year: Nick Kingham

Keith Srakocic/Associated Press

This honor goes to Nick Kingham, one of the best pitching prospects in the system and someone who fans were clamoring for when the rosters expanded earlier this month.

The 22-year-old righty earned a promotion to Triple-A Indianapolis this year, posting a 3.58 ERA in 14 games started there. Split between Double-A and Triple-A, Kingham finished the year with a 3.34 ERA in 159 innings pitched.

Kingham already has pitched more than 500 innings in the minors in his career, which started in 2010.

He could easily earn himself a starting spot next year after the anticipated departure of names like Francisco Liriano and Edinson Volquez, two free agents who will likely command more money on the market than the Pirates want to pay.

There will be spots to fill, and Kingham has certainly put in his time in the minors. Look for him to make an impact in the big leagues at some point next season.