Fansided

Each MLB team’s current Hall of Famer

By Benjamin Chase

ANAHEIM, CA - APRIL 27: Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim first baseman Albert Pujols (5) and center fielder Mike Trout (27) head for the dugout after both scored on an Angels hit in the seventh inning of a game against the New York Yankees played on April 27, 2018 at Angel Stadium of Anaheim in Anaheim, CA. (Photo by John Cordes/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
ANAHEIM, CA - APRIL 27: Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim first baseman Albert Pujols (5) and center fielder Mike Trout (27) head for the dugout after both scored on an Angels hit in the seventh inning of a game against the New York Yankees played on April 27, 2018 at Angel Stadium of Anaheim in Anaheim, CA. (Photo by John Cordes/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /
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MLB Hall of Fame
PITTSBURGH, PA – APRIL 08: Jameson Taillon #50 of the Pittsburgh Pirates pitches during the game against the Cincinnati Reds at PNC Park on April 8, 2018 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Joe Sargent/Getty Images) /

Pittsburgh Pirates: Jameson Taillon

Taillon was originally drafted by the Pirates out of high school in Texas 2nd overall in the 2010 draft. After a long road back from Tommy John surgery, Taillon made his debut in 2016, then dealt with cancer that put a different spin on his career.

The Pirates had a chance to hitch the future of their rotation behind either Gerrit Cole or Jameson Taillon this winter, and they chose Taillon, and that says plenty right there.

Taillon throws either his four-seam or two-seam fastball 60% of the time, and he averages 95-96 MPH on his hard sinker, which is one of the toughest two-seamers in the league to square up. He pairs it with a sinking change and a hard curve that he throws roughly 20-25% of the time.

His game is truly missing the heart of the bat, and when he misses, he can get stung hard, but Taillon also has an easy, repeatable delivery that generates huge velocity and should allow him to throw heavy innings over his career, allowing him to get more wins than the average pitcher as he’ll be in the game longer than most to give him the chance for a win.

Scouts have called Taillon’s mentality on the mound “old school”, and he may not be a guy that ever strikes out a batter per inning, but he’ll miss plenty of bats along the way as well as making plenty of hitters look foolish taking a monster swing only to pop the ball straight in the air or pound it into the ground.

He’s going to need to stay healthy, as all pitchers do, but Taillon has the stuff that could allow him to be one of the best to take the hill for the Pirates organization.

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