Tyler Glasnow (SP, PIT) - Waiver Wire Pickups

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ANALYSIS: Tyler Glasnow is going to be called up to start on Thursday, July 7 against Adam Wainwright and the Cardinals in St. Louis. The top prospect in the Pirates' system — and one of the top prospects in all of baseball — Glasnow will surely be picked up in a hurry in nearly every format, so you should race to your league's free agent pool to add him. Glasnow possesses two very strong pitches and a third that is a work in progress. His fastball sits comfortably in the 93-96 MPH range, but routinely goes higher and has been clocked as high as 100 MPH. It's a plus plus offering that has a ton of sink and is devastating when matched with a curveball that flashes plus as well. The curve also has downward action and gets on hitters so quickly that it's hard for them to recognize the pitch. That's important because Glasnow rarely throws it for a strike. His third pitch is a below-average changeup, which is merely a show-me pitch at the moment. He'll have to develop it further to have three true offerings. While that's important, it's not nearly as crucial to Glasnow's success as is his command. He has a ton of skill and remarkable upside, but the floor is low because of a lack of command and the propensity to issue walks, as he routinely loses his release point.

At 6'7" or 6'8" depending on the source, Glasnow is an imposing figure, but there have rarely been pitchers over 6'6" who can repeat their delivery and find consistency. Because of the lack of control, he will likely struggle to post elite ratios and could be a bit of a WHIP-drain as a result. He should still be able to post an ERA in the mid-to-high 3's, however, and it will be accompanied by a boatload of strikeouts. While Glasnow has struggled with command, he is superb at generating swings and misses and will have value as a result of that skill. Tyler Glasnow will be an ace if he can consistently throw strikes, but he could be more of a mid-rotation arm who piles up Ks. Either way, he'll be fun to watch and should have an ample amount of innings left in the tank for this season. It's fun to imagine what a player could be if they realize all of their talent, but it's also important to be realistic and keep expectations of a 22-year-old grounded in reality.