When Will We See Pittsburgh Pirates' Jameson Taillon Make Major League Debut?

The Major League debut of starting pitcher Jameson Taillon was highly anticipated among fans prior to the start of the 2014 regular season.  

Unfortunately for him and the Pirates, the righty underwent Tommy John Surgery last April and was put on the shelf for the entire 2014 season.  

According to a report from John Perrotto of Baseball America, Taillon was ranked the No. 1 pitching prospect in the Pirates farm system heading into the 2014 season. His devastating curveball was also rated the best in the Pirates system, according to the same report. 

Taillon spent time in both AA and AAA in 2013, posting an overall record of 5-10 with a 3.73 ERA in 26 games pitched (he started 25 of those). In three minor league seasons, he has posted a 16-21 record with a 3.72 ERA, which does not blow anyone away.  

Still, the glimpses of greatness he showed at a very early age (Taillon made his Minor League debut at only 19 years of age) led to him being ranked the best pitching prospect last year in the team's farm system.

Considering he has not pitched in a game since 2013, would it be wise for the Pirates to give him a spot on the Opening Day Major League roster? 

That likely would not happen with an average performance in spring training. However, if he blows batters away throughout the spring, that could be a real possibility.  

The Pirates need starting pitching—there is no question about that. As Brandon C. Williams of FanSided reports that the Minnesota Twins have expressed interest in both Edinson Volquez and Francisco Liriano, the possibility of the Pirates bringing both of them back seems unlikely.

At the same time, Bill Brink of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported on Twitter that the Pirates had made an offer to Volquez. So at least one of the two best starting pitchers in Pittsburgh's rotation from 2014 may be returning to Pittsburgh.

Gerrit Cole is currently the only potential ace on the Pirates depth chart. Aside from him, the Pirates have average pitchers in veteran A.J. Burnett, Jeff Locke and Vance Worley.  

It seems at this point that Pirates general manager Neal Huntington is strategically piecing together a rotation without handing out long-term deals, as the organization anticipates the debuts of Taillon and standout starting pitcher Tyler Glasnow (who has not yet pitched past level A+ ball).  

Even if Taillon makes his Major League debut sometime in May or June, he could make a huge impact on the rotation and on the team's overall performance. 

However, if he shows a great amount of promise during spring training, we could possibly see him earn a spot in the rotation immediately.  

*Statistics courtesy of Baseball-Reference.com.