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Josh Bell Leads Talented Group of Pittsburgh Pirates Prospects in Arizona Fall League

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Charles LeClaire: USA TODAY Sports

Charles LeClaire – USA TODAY Sports

After a short break following the minor league season, some of the Pittsburgh Pirates‘ top prospects will be back on the field today. The Arizona Fall League kicks off the season on Tuesday. The AFL is a great chance for teams to get an extended look at some of the organization’s best prospects. It’s also a chance to give some prospects time to work out the remaining bugs in their games.

The Pirates will be well represented on the Scottsdale Scorpions‘ roster. The team consists of players from the Pirates, New York Yankees, New York Mets, Philadelphia Phillies and San Francisco Giants. The biggest name on the Scorpions’ roster is Pirates’ outfield prospect Josh Bell. Bell’s name was constantly thrown around near the MLB trade deadline as one of the prospects the Pirates may have given up for a big arm or a big bat. Bell split time between Class A Bradenton and Double-A Altoona this season. Bell hit .335 in Bradenton, with nine home runs and 53 RBIs. He also swiped five bases. Bell struggled a bit in 24 games with Altoona, posting a .287 average with no home runs and just seven RBIs. He will play 1B in the fall league too, which could be a glimpse of the future as the Pirates try to improve their first base situation.

Another top Pirate prospect on the Scorpions’ roster is pitcher Tyler Glasnow. Glasnow was lights out in Class-A Bradenton this year. The 6-foot-7 right-hander had a 1.74 ERA in 124 innings. The most impressive stat is his 11.36/K per 9 innings. He walked four batters per nine, but overall he had a very low WHIP of 1.05. Glasnow is somebody Pirates fans are excited about, but he may still be a few years away. He could use the extra seasoning in the Fall League to work on cutting down on those walks, but you have to love this fireballer who strikes out a ton of batters.

The Pirates also have pitcher Adrian Sampson on the Scorpions’ roster. He was taken in the fifth round of the 2012 draft out of Bellevue Community College in Washington state. This season with Double-A Altoona, Sampson had a sparkling 2.55 ERA through 148 innings. He had a 10-5 record  and was promoted to Triple-A Indianapolis for four starts. In those four starts, Sampson was 1-1 with a 6.16 ERA and 1.895 WHIP. Despite those sky-high stats, I wouldn’t worry; it looks like Sampson has a nice range of pitches with a mid-90s fastball. The one concern with Sampson is that he’s already had Tommy John surgery. That took place back in 2010 while he was still in college.

Starting pitcher Joely Rodriguez and left-handed relief pitcher Tom Harlan will both pitch in the Arizona Fall League too. Rodriguez went 6-11 for Altoona with a 4.84 ERA. He was an international signee from the Dominican Republic.  Harlan was a 13th round pick in the 2012 draft and split time between Bradenton and Altoona this season. He posted a 3.15 ERA and is mainly a middle reliever.

Catcher Elias Diaz will also lace them up for fall ball. He spent most of last year in Altoona, before getting 33 at-bats in Triple-A Indianapolis. All eyes will be on Diaz, as the Pirates most certainly will lose Russell Martin to free agency and have pretty much given up on Tony Sanchez being a big league catcher. Diaz had a good season in Altoona, batting .328 with six home runs and 54 RBIs. However, he got a wake-up call in Triple-A, going 5-for-33 in 10 games with no home runs and no RBIs. The Pirates would love to see Diaz turn into a potential major league option behind the plate for the 2015 season.

The Pirates also have SS Dan Gamache on the Scorpions’ roster. He played in the Gulf Coast League, New York Penn League and with Altoona this season. The bulk of his games were with the Curve, batting .275 with six home runs and 27 RBIs in 39 games. The Pirates took Gamache out of Auburn University in the sixth round of the 2011 draft.

Nate Vandergrift is a Pirates writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on twitter@natevandergrift, “Like” him on Facebook or add him to your network on Google.

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