Prospect Notebook: Luis Escobar Leads a Strong Pitching Group in Bradenton

BRADENTON, Fla. - Yesterday at Pirate City, I got a chance to see the lower level teams in action. I've seen those groups several times already this spring, but with recent cuts from the MLB roster leading to a trickle down effect, the lower-level teams are starting to take better shape. Early in camp, you had Bradenton guys playing on the Altoona squad, and West Virginia guys playing on the Bradenton squad, with short-season guys in West Virginia. Now, pretty much everyone is in their place, pending any further moves.

I've written about how the Pirates are currently in a rebuild in several ways. They're trying to get their MLB team back to being contenders. They're also trying to get their…