MLB Dirt

Earlier this morning I posted an article on the best pitching prospect duos in baseball. The list included the 10^th-6^th best duos with scouting reports. The list looked as follows:

10. Casey Kelly and Robbie Erlin, Padres

9. Manny Banuelos and Dellin Betances, Yankees

8. Matt Harvey and Zack Wheeler, Mets

7. Jarrod Parker and Brad Peacock, Athletics

6. Julio Teheran and Arodys Vizcaino, Braves

Here is the rest of my list with my ranks of the top 5 best pitching prospect duos in baseball.

5. Danny Hultzen and Taijuan Walker, Mariners:

The Mariners have two very talented pieces here. Hultzen is more of a sure bet and is on the fast track to the bigs. The lefty was the second pick in the 2011 draft and he could see time in the majors at the end of 2012. He does not have the highest upside but he does project to be a good frontline starter. He has very good command of his fastball and great velocity for a lefty. He has a great changeup and solid slider but his best skills are his command and polish.Walkerhas much higher upside compared to Hultzen but he has more raw talent. He projects to be an ace but he needs to work on staying healthy and polishing up his command but he did take huge strides in 2012. His fastball sits in the mid 90s with good sink and he commands the pitch well. His curveball has huge break and projects to be a plus pitch and his changeup is improving.

4. Martin Perez and Yu Darvish, Rangers

I could not decide whether or not I would include Darvish, but if he does sign I think he will rank as one of the best pitching prospects and the combo of him and Perez would make for one of the best pitching prospect duos. Perez has developed into one of the best lefties in the league with three potential plus pitches. His fastball sits in the lower 90s with good sink but he needs to command it better. He has an excellent changeup and a slider that looks good at times. The biggest thing for him though is his consistency which separates him from being a top of the rotation starter.  Scouting reports show that Darvish has lots of talent and he should be ready to begin pitching well in the bigs right away. He has a 4 seam fastball sitting in the mid 90s, and a two seamer sitting in the lower 90s and looks to be a plus pitch. His curveball looks to be another plus pitch with good movement. He also has a very good cutter, solid changeup, and solid slider. I think he’ll end up being a very good number two starter, possibly a number one but he certainly is a risk.

3. Shelby Miller and Carlos Martinez, Cardinals

I love the two pieces that the Cardinals have here. Miller may be my favorite pitching prospect and he is an elite pitching prospect. He projects to be an ace and he is not far away. He has one of the best fastballs in the minors touching the high 90s and he locates it well. His curveball and changeup both could be plus pitches but he needs to work on consistency.Martinez’s stock really rose last year after a great season. He has an elite fastball sitting in the high 90s and reports say it has some natural cut. He his secondary pitches are solid but they need to be improved for him to reach his high ceiling.

2. Trevor Bauer and Tyler Skaggs, Diamondbacks:

The Diamondbacks have put together an elite list of pitching prospects that goes deeper than the two listed above but Bauer and Skaggs are the best of the bunch. Bauer was drafted as the third overall pick in 2011 and he has already gotten off to a great start in his professional career. Bauer has moved quickly and could see a shot in the bigs at the end of this year. He has great stuff and a really good feel for pitching and he is a big time competitor. He has a plus fastball sitting in the mid 90s and reaches the upper 90s and a great curveball to go with. I think he will develop into a number one starter but needs a little bit work on his command. Skaggs looks to be a high strikeout, left-handed pitcher. His curve ball looks to be his best pitch with a good changeup and fastball to go with. I like Skaggs as a very good number 2 starter, and a possible number one.

1. Jameson Taillon and Gerrit Cole, Pirates:

The Pirates truly have en elite pair of pitching prospects here. I like Taillon as the number one in the system but it isn’t by much. He projects to be a future ace with a plus mid-late 90s fastball, and a very devastating plus curveball. He also has a hard slider that could also be a plus pitch. He has a change up that is improving and should be a good pitch. He has good command of all four pitches and is pretty consistent. Cole isn’t far behind Taillon and what may separate him is that his command is a touch below Taillon’s. Cole was the first overall pick of the draft and he projects to be a frontline starter. He has a plus fastball sitting in the mid to high 90s with good command and some movement to it. His slider is also plus sitting in the mid to late 80s and it really drops of the table. His change up is a work in progress but it also projects as a plus pitch sitting in the low 80s. He has good command and should post good strikeout numbers throughout his career.

Filed under: On the Farm - Prospects Tagged: | Arizona Diamondbacks, Arodys Vizcaino, Brad Peacock, Carlos Martinez, Casey Kelly, Danny Hultzen, Dellin Betances, Gerrit Cole, Jameson Taillon, Jarrod Parker, Julio Teheran, Manny Banuelos, Martin Perez, Matt Harvey, Pittsburgh Pirates, Robbie Erlin, Seattle Mariners, Shelby Miller, St. Louis Cardinals, Taijuan Walker, Texas Rangers, Trevor Bauer, Tyler Skaggs, Yu Darvish, Zack Wheeler