Pittsburgh Pirates’ Top 10 Prospects Heading Into 2015

Ramirez had a breakout year for the West Virginia Power, finishing with a .309 batting average. He established a new hitting streak record for the Power in July having hit safely in 23-straight. He does play the outfield, which seems to be set for the Pirates for many years to come.

Jones still needs to develop his raw talent, but he has shown that he can be a power hitter. His 23 home runs in Class A was good enough for second in the league. Jones was the Pirates' third-round pick in the 2013 draft and has spent most of his time at shortstop since going pro. He was drafted as a center fielder, but his speed and athleticism gives him the range needed to move to middle infield.

Hanson has bounced around in the top ten of the prospect rankings over the last few years. He had a breakout year in 2012 as a shortstop, but is becoming comfortable at second base. He had a productive year in double-A with a .768 OPS, but the strikeout numbers are high. Hanson is constantly in trade talks, which have cooled some as he battles a hand injury.

McGuire is the future at catcher, but he spent last year in Class A. He cooled off at the plate in the second half of last year, but that should not hinder his progress through the farm system. His defense still gets great reviews as he throws out runners at a good rate and isn't afraid to throw behind the runner at first. He also calls a good game. McGuire is the reason that Mathisen was moved to third, so the Pirates are invested.

Bell was the Pirates' hitting prospect of the year, but fizzled out in the Arizona Fall League. He is moving to first base and that transition could have hindered his hitting. The 22-year-old is losing some of his power, but the Pirates are more worried about defense right now. He will enter spring training as a full-time first baseman getting extensive batting cage time.

Kingham is the one pitching prospect with a chance to make the opening rotation for the Pirates next season. He moved up to triple-A Indianapolis last year where opposing batters averaged just .210. He finished 5-4 in triple-A with an ERA and FIP that were pretty similar. He has good velocity on his fastball and gets a good deal of ground balls, which is exactly what the Pirates are looking for at PNC Park.

Taillon just began a throwing program as part of his rehabilitation from Tommy John Surgery. This was thought to be the year that he would crack the starting rotation in the big leagues, but the injury put that on hold. Taillon has not performed as expected, but many believe the surgery will free up his movement. Time will tell.

Meadows signed quickly out of high school and has continued on an upward trajectory. He led the Power with a .322 batting averge and .874 OPS over 38 games in 2014. His power numbers went down when he was moved up, but the overall production is impressive. If that continues, he could finish 2015 in double-A Altoona.