Buccos Cove

The 2020 Rule 5 Draft is scheduled to take place on December 10th, 2020, as part of the Winter Meetings and the Pirates have some interesting prospects eligible. We will break down all the Rule 5 players and whether or not the Pirates should worry about losing them or not. When you think of a Big League catcher, power isn't normally what comes to mind. You usually think of a good defensive player who will hit you anywhere from 10-15 home runs a season. Pittsburgh Pirates Minot League prospect Deon Stafford is trying to change that tone and is in his first year of Rule 5 Draft eligibility. Over his first three Minor League seasons, Stafford has hit 21 home runs and driven in 109 RBI over 218 games played. However, in 2019 Stafford's numbers took a little dip as he advanced to Advanced-A Bradenton, calling in some questions as to the development of his offensive game. The 2017 5th round draft pick out of St. Joseph University has seen his batting average drop over the...

As we await the start of the 2020 MLB season due to Corona Virus concerns, we will take a look at every player on the Pirates roster and outline what they will bring to the table and projections for the 2020 season. I hope this brings some positive reading to the current situation and helps us all as we wait for baseball. When you look at a typical Major League catcher, you usually think of a guy who is solid on defense and has a decent offensive game. It is a position where defense takes precedent since they are the generals on the field working with both the pitchers and the rest of the fielders to put them in the best position to win the game. Pirates Minor League catcher Deon Stafford has shown the offensive prowess, being one of the top offensive catchers in the Pirates Minor League system, but his defense has been slow to develop. He cracked the Pirates top 50 prospect list according to MLB Pipeline during the 2018 season and is trying to stay there. However, 2019 saw...