Tyler Glasnow wins MiLB.com's top starting pitcher award

Tyler Glasnow has won MiLB.com's award for the top starting pitcher in the minors. I actually didn't know what this meant -- I saw it just now on Twitter and wondered if it was the same thing as this award, which we already knew Glasnow won.

But whatever. You'll want to click on the MiLB.com link anyway, because it includes a long piece on Glasnow's background and on how the Pirates ended up drafting him. It confirms what we already knew: that the Pirates are, or at least were, very interested in tall pitchers.

"We tend to be big on the radar gun," said Pirates area scout Rick Allen. "He didn't always give that to you. Maybe he didn't throw as hard as the other guys. There are always a lot of options in Southern California, so everybody's always on the move unless someone makes you stay."

Allen had his marching orders, though. The Bucs, who had taken 6-foot-5 right-hander Jameson Taillon with the second overall pick in 2010, were focusing on tall pitchers. ...

"You see kids like that," Allen said, "and you just dream of what they could become."

Glasnow also discusses how he added velocity in 2012 when he had a dead arm and was forced to concentrate on building strength. The piece also explains that Glasnow was not promoted to Altoona at the end of this season in part because the Pirates knew they would send him to the Arizona Fall League, which features a similar level of competition.