PORT CHARLOTTE, Fla. -- Jameson Taillon's journey was so crazy that there surely were days he wondered if the breakthrough season he had in 2016 would ever come.
Maybe Taillon will look back and see it was worth it. In the end, few rookie pitchers were more impressive than the 25-year-old Pirates right-hander.
In 18 starts after his June 8 debut, Taillon pitched 104 innings with a 1.115 WHIP and a 3.38 ERA. He took a no-hitter into the seventh inning at Citi Field in his second start, and he allowed three runs or fewer 15 times.