Today, we found out that Pirates farmhand Alex Dickerson was named the Florida State League Player of the Year. In his first full season, he hit .299/.358/.454 for the Bradenton Marauders with 12 HR and 88 RBI. He even added 12 SB for good measure.
Dickerson was the 2011 third round pick of the Pirates. He was considered a Top-50 draft talent, but fell to the third round due to concerns about his back. He has good power to all fields and projects as a potential 30-home run talent in the majors. He's got good plate patience and generally keeps strikeouts to a minimum. He played mostly in the outfield in college, but his lack of range and his injury history led the Pirates to move him to 1B. The former Big Ten Triple Crown winner is valued primarily for his bat, though. His award-winning season with Bradenton follows a nice showing in short-season ball in 2011. There, he managed a .313/.393/.493 line in 150 AB.
The Pirates have struggled to develop hitters of late, especially power hitters. Their revolving door at first base is well-known, too. The Pirates have penciled different names into their opening day lineup for four consecutive years. Since the departure of Adam LaRoche, we've seen the likes of Jeff Clement, Lyle Overbay, Garrett Jones, Steve Pearce, Derrek Lee, Matt Hague, Casey McGehee and Gaby Sanchez. There are a few promising first base prospects in the system (most notably Matt Curry and Jose Osuna), but none have the realistic potential of a guy like Dickerson. Hopefully, in a couple of years, the Pirates will be able to plug Dickerson's name into the lineup on a daily bases.
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