Future Star Shines In Double-A Debut

PITTSBURGH (93-7 THE FAN) -- Pirates prospect Jameson Taillon couldn't have looked much better in his first appearance with the Double-A Altoona Curve, throwing five scoreless innings in a 5-0 win at Trenton Tuesday night.

He threw 46 of his 67 pitches for strikes and fanned six without a walk, while scattering four hits over those five frames. Typically the Pirates make learning fastball command a priority for all up-and-coming pitchers, and according to Tim Williams of PiratesProspects.com, Taillon's fastball consistently ranged between 95 and 98 miles per hour Tuesday.

The 20-year-old Taillon (6'6″, 234 lbs.), the second pick of the 2010 MLB Amateur Draft, and the second-best prospect in the organization, according to Baseball America, is slated to make his first home start Sunday at 6:00 against Richmond at People's Natural Gas Field.

Meanwhile, Gerrit Cole, another right-hander and top pitching prospect, will start for the Curve on Monday as part of their final regular season homestand, following his appearance in today's series finale against Trenton.

Taillon was ranked the No. 15 overall prospect in Major League Baseball by Baseball America entering the 2012 season, with Cole, the top overall pick in the 2011 draft, coming in at No. 12.