Five years ago, the Pittsburgh Pirates were a much different team. They were entering a season with playoff aspirations after two straight playoff runs. With a pitching staff headed by Gerrit Cole, Francisco Liriano, and A.J. Burnett, accompanied by relief aces Mark Melancon and Tony Watson, and All-Star caliber players like Andrew McCutchen, and Starling Marte.
Not only did the Pirates’ MLB roster look much different than it does today, but their farm system is also much different. You probably remember guys like Tyler Glasnow, Austin Meadows, and Jameson Taillon on the top prospect lists, but let’s bring up a few guys who were never that big of names on prospect lists.