Pittsburgh Pirates pitching prospect Jameson Taillon will not make any more appearances in this year's Arizona Fall League after tweaking his groin in his first outing, reports Jonathan Mayo of MLB.com. The injury is not thought to be serious, and the 21-year-old right-hander is expected to be ready for Spring Training. The Pirates have simply decided to take the cautious route with their No. 1 prospect.
Pirates’ pitching prospect Jameson Taillon tweaks groin, leaves Arizona Fall League
The move was a precaution and the top prospect should be ready for Spring Training.
USA TODAY Sports
Taillon had a successful minor league season in 2013. He posted a 3.67 ERA in 110⅓ innings for Double-A Altoona and a 3.89 ERA in 37 innings at Triple-A Indianapolis. In his stint in Triple-A, he struck out a batter per inning and allowed only one home run. Taillon was also effective in his first AFL appearance this year, allowing just an unearned run in two innings while striking out three batters. He is currently listed as the No. 10 prospect in the entire minors according to MLB’s Prospect Watch.
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Pittsburgh's caution with Taillon is understandable given their poor track record in regards to developing healthy young pitchers. On the bright side, Gerrit Cole has been a recent success story, as he posted a strong rookie season in 2013 and was effective for the Pirates in two starts in the NLDS against the St. Louis Cardinals. Right-hander Phil Irwin will replace Taillon on the AFL roster; Irwin made his big league debut with the Pirates in 2013 but missed most of the season after undergoing surgery on his elbow.
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