Four Pirates minor leaguers (Jameson Taillon, Gerrit Cole, Starling Marte and Josh Bell) have made MLB.com's list of the top 100 prospects in baseball.
↵Taillon is No. 8 overall, which is high indeed for a player who pitched well but didn't dominate at Class A West Virginia last year. Cole is at No. 11. MLB.com describes both players as possible aces, and also notes that Cole "shouldn't take very long to get to the big leagues."
↵Starling Marte ranks No. 40, with MLB.com noting that he and Andrew McCutchen could "make a dynamic outfield duo in Pittsburgh." Bell, who has yet to make his pro debut, ranks at No. 69, and MLB.com praises him as a possible future major-league power hitter who could also be a decent defensive player as a corner outfielder.
↵There's a pretty dramatic drop after the first five or six prospects in the Pirates' system, but four in the top 100 and two in the top 11 is a pretty good haul for the Bucs.
↵For more on the Pirates, check out Bucs Dugout.