Fast risers on display in Class AAA
Starter Glasnow, first baseman Bell make their much-anticipated debuts
INDIANAPOLIS — Josh Bell was all smiles Saturday as he sat in the home dugout at Victory Field and surveyed his new home. The Pirates first-base prospect saw a well-manicured diamond, a city skyline soaring beyond the outfield wall and the major leagues finally coming into view.
“It’s one step closer to the dream,” he said.
There was a buzz and a packed house as right-hander Tyler Glasnow and Bell — ranked by Baseball America as the top two prospects in the Pirates minor league system — debuted for Class AAA Indianapolis against the Charlotte Knights.
Bell, a switch-hitter promoted Saturday from Class AA Altoona, bounced a walkoff single up the middle with two outs in the 13th inning to give the Indians a 6-5 win. He also walked and went 1 for 6. Glasnow allowed nine hits and four runs (one earned) in 5⅓ innings, striking out seven.
While the prize of the 2011 MLB draft was right-hander Gerrit Cole, selected first overall, Bell and Glasnow — high school players drafted in the second and fifth rounds, respectively — also have developed into very promising pieces for the Pirates.
Larry Broadway, Pirates director of minor league operations, said days such as Saturday send a ripple of excitement through the organization, as coaches and the front office see their work paying off in promotions for deserving, top-end prospects.
“It’s a good day for [the players],” Broadway said, “and we’re looking forward to having them take the next steps in their development and start facing that nextlevel caliber of player.
“Being in that city and that environment, they’re that much closer to Pittsburgh.”
Glasnow, 21, flashed a mid-90s (mph) fastball that reached 96 with wicked downhill slant due to his 6foot-8 frame and high arm slot. He used a big, bending curveball to strike out the side in the fifth.
Glasnow was 5-3 with a 2.43 ERA in 12 starts for Altoona but spent a month on the disabled list after injuring his ankle. Time on the disabled list actually may have helped Glasnow, according to Broadway, as it gave him a chance to solidify his delivery.
“At the beginning of the year, we looked at [Glasnow] and hoped he would get some time in [Class] AAA toward the end of the year,” Broadway said. “He’s done that. Despite missing that month, he’s shown he was ready for the challenges of the next level.”
Bell, 22, showed up at the stadium Saturday afternoon fresh off a seven-hour car ride from Altoona and was penciled straight into the starting lineup, batting seventh and playing first. He hit .307 in 96 games at Class AA.
Before discussing his own progress this year, Bell gave a five-star review of Glasnow.
“He’s phenomenal,” Bell said. “His fastball jumps, his changeup is filthy and his curveball is one of the best I’ve seen. He’s always fun to watch. Always battles out there. You can speak the world of the guy.”
The Pirates moved Bell, a natural outfielder, to first base last year in the Arizona Fall League. It wasn’t such a simple transition at first, Bell said, but he has found a groove.
Earlier this summer, Bell re-installed a big leg kick he used in high school but had dumped in favor of a quieter, simpler swing. It paid off with a long home run in the AllStar Futures Game July 12 in Cincinnati.
Perhaps the new swing will translate into more power — Bell had nine home runs in 2014, and only five in 368 at-bats this season. For now, he’s not too concerned with the numbers. He’s even less concerned, he said, with the Pirates’ unstable firstbase situation in the majors.
“You need to focus on your own craft every day,” Bell said. “The Pirates are doing well up there, they’re battling, so it’s fun to watch. But I’m in my world.”