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Baseball America's midseason top 100 prospects list includes six Pirates minor-leaguers: Tyler Glasnow (6), Austin Meadows (10), Josh Bell (38), Kevin Newman (51), Mitch Keller (52) and Ke'Bryan Hayes (72).
Only four Pirates made BA's preseason list: Glasnow, Meadows, Bell and Harold Ramirez. So six looks like an improvement, particularly given that Jameson Taillon presumably swooped through Triple-A too quickly to be included. Glasnow hasn't had a perfect season, but he's basically lived up to expectations, whereas Bell and especially Meadows have exceeded theirs. Newman looks like a much better prospect now than he did when the season started, showing a great approach at the plate at Bradenton and Altoona. Keller, a 2014 second-round pick, has quickly emerged as a top pitching prospect, while West Virginia Power teammate Hayes has held his own despite being very young for full-season ball at 19. The Pirates keep graduating key prospects to the minors, but their farm system still looks like a strong one.