The biggest splashes Neal Huntington made during his first year in charge came from his acquisition of hitters with big upside. Pedro Alvarez, Jose Tabata, Andy LaRoche: the Pirates’ offensive prospects certainly stepped into the spotlight.

What attracts less attention is Che’s collection of pitching prospects. When considered in combination with holdovers from the Littlefield era, these arms provide just as many interesting storylines heading into 2009 as their colleagues in the batter’s box.

Pittsburgh and Indianapolis

• The Houston Astros have one of the thinnest farm systems in baseball, and even they had no place for Jimmy Barthmaier. Their No. 4 prospect as rated by Baseball America heading into the 2007 season, Barthmaier put up a 6.20 ERA in 90 innings for the Double-A Corpus Christi Hooks. By season’s end, he was pitching out of the bullpen for the first time in his career, and in November, he was waived.

  Huntington snatched Barthmaier off the wire and sent him to Altoona to begin the 2008 season. The righty experienced moderate success — a 4.86 ERA and 1.36 WHIP in 10 starts — and was promoted to Indianapolis, where he finally found his groove again. In 16 starts spread over 79 innings with the Indians, he went 3-1 with a 3.53 ERA, 71 strikeouts and 27 walks.

  Barthmaier was shelled in his first big-league start, a fill-in spot on June 27. He started twice more in September, and will almost certainly begin 2009 back in the minors. His former prospect status, big frame (6’5″, 240 lbs.) and age (just turned 25) seem to indicate that he’ll have another opportunity to pitch in the show this season.

• It’s likely that Dan McCutchen is the least known of the four players Pittsburgh acquired from the New York Yankees in exchange for Xavier Nady and Damaso Marte before the 2008 trade deadline. Tabata draws comparisons to Manny Ramirez; Jeff Karstens flirted with a no-hit bid; Ross Ohlendorf was once traded in a package of players for Randy Johnson and profiles as an above average late-innings reliever. Hell, he’s even “the other McCutchen,” with outfielder Andrew leaving fans drooling.

  But it’s Dan who Baseball America ranks as the Pirates’ ninth best prospect, and who is considered to have the best control in the system. “Good command” coupled with a “three-pitch arsenal” — including a fastball sitting in the low 90s — means this McCutchen is worth keeping on your radar, too. That he hasn’t yet needed to be placed on the 40-man roster might work against him in a Spring Training competition for rotation jobs.

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• Baseball America described the Pirates’ Rule 5 draft pick this way: “Once a top prospect, Donnie Veal had a rough year [in 2008] but peaked at 94 mph with sink on [his] fastball; mechanical issues leave [his] control [and] breaking ball short.” Veal has drawn comparisons to Detroit Tigers starter Dontrelle Willis, and fortunately, the same issues with command that plague Willis led the Cubs to leave Veal off their 40-man roster.

  John Sickels said of Veal last year, “I still like him, but obviously he’s got things to work on. Keep track of his K/BB ratio. If it improves, he could break out quickly.” Huntington is counting on putting Joe Kerrigan’s fix-it skills to good use. The big, 24-year-old southpaw has one more chance to regain his form from 2005 and 2006.

• Evan Meek is last year’s Veal. He threw well at Altoona and Indianapolis after his rights were acquired from Tampa Bay, and he should compete for a spot in the bullpen in 2009.
• Jeff Sues was drafted by the Pirates in the fifth round in 2005, but he didn’t throw his first pitch in the organization until 2007, when he debuted at Single-A Hickory as a starter. Shoulder surgery wiped out his 2006 season.

  He came back with a vengeance, though. Baseball America rates his fastball as best in the Pirates’ system, and all but anoints him as Matt Capps’ heir apparent in the ninth inning in Pittsburgh. “A finished product,” he could make the jump from Double-A to the pros, but a stop at Indianapolis is more likely. If he develops his curveball, Sues could turn Capps into trade bait next winter.

Altoona and Lynchburg

• Brad Lincoln was selected one pick behind 2008 AL Rookie of the Year Evan Longoria in the 2006 MLB Draft and six picks ahead of 2008 NL Cy Young Award winner Tim Lincecum. His name was called before those of Brandon Morrow, Clayton Kershaw, Max Scherzer, Kyle Drabek, Ian Kennedy and Joba Chamberlain.

  It’s no surprise, then, that Baseball America still considers Lincoln to be the Pirates’ No. 4 prospect — even after undergoing Tommy John surgery — and projects him to be a member of the big-league rotation in 2010 and staff ace by 2012. John Sickels is afraid Lincoln might be the next Bryan Bullington, but his is the contrarian view. We’ll know what we have in Lincoln by September.

• We can blast Littlefield’s shortsightedness and criticize him for choosing a reliever, Daniel Moskos, over franchise-changing catcher Matt Wieters with the fourth pick in 2007′s draft, but we shouldn’t label Moskos as a bust. Littlefield expected Moskos to move quickly through the system and used him out of the bullpen in his first pro season.

  Huntington shifted Moskos, 22, to the starting rotation in 2008, attempting to squeeze as much value out of the pick as possible. The results weren’t pretty — Moskos posted a 5.95 ERA and 1.51 WHIP in 20 starts at High-A Lynchburg — but Baseball America still grades Moskos’ slider as the best in the Pirates’ system. As a two-pitch reliever, he could make a significant difference in the Pirates’ future.

• LaRoche, Brandon Moss and Craig Hansen all made appearances in Pittsburgh after the July 31 trade that sent Jason Bay to Boston and Manny Ramirez to Los Angeles, but it’s not unrealistic to believe that Bryan Morris may end up being the prize of the deal.  Originally drafted by the Dodgers in 2006′s first round (26th overall), Morris, like Lincoln, had his career temporarily disrupted by Tommy John surgery.

  Their No. 5 prospect, Baseball America figures Morris to be “a fixture in the middle of Pittsburgh’s rotation by 2011 or 2012.”  Of course, he first must prove that he’s healthy.  He threw 96 innings in 2008, but only 14.1 for the Pirates’ organization.

• Sickels gave Tony Watson the “sleeper” tag heading into 2008, but the tall lefty is a strong season at Double-A away from being on everyone’s watch list.  Drafted in the ninth round in 2007, Watson represents one of the few picks with potential Littlefield made.  His first pro season was a strong one, and he’ll look to keep the momentum while pitching much of 2009 at age 24 with the Curve.
• Duke Welker was selected one round after Moskos in 2007, and he created some buzz with his performance in short-season ball with State College after signing.  His first full season was one to forget, however — 4-13, 5.51 ERA, 1.64 WHIP in 116 innings at Hickory — and he’ll need to do better in 2009 to retain his prospect status.
• Huntington went dumpster diving and grabbed Daniel Haigwood, a 25-year-old left-handed pitcher who has thrown for five other organizations in a six-season minor-league career.  He was moved from the rotation to the bullpen in 2008 at Double-A Portland (affiliated with the Red Sox), and his ERA and strikeout stats were solid.  He’ll need to cut down on the walks to make it to PNC Park, but the lack of southpaw talent in the bullpens ahead of him put his fate in his own hands.
• Ronald Uviedo was added to the Pirates’ 40-man roster before this year’s Rule 5 draft, and Baseball America rates his changeup as best in the Pirates’ system.  The 22-year-old right-handed reliever posted a fantastic K/BB ratio as he spent his 2008 with Hickory and Lynchburg.  If his bios are to believed, he’ll need to put on some weight:  He’s listed at 6’2″, 150 lbs.

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West Virginia, State College and Bradenton

• It’s hard to ignore the big numbers small Nelson Pereira put up in the Gulf Coast League, but the soon-to-be 20-year-old lefty has yet to experience a full season of pro ball.  He’ll get the opportunity to change that in 2009 at Single-A.  A Latin American signing coming from Dave Littlefield’s regime?  Luck.

• The Pirates went over slot to sign 20th round pick Quinton Miller away from UNC.  He’s yet to pitch in the organization.
• Justin Wilson led Fresno State to the College World Series, but instead of going to Disneyland, he’ll head to West Virginia to make his pro debut in 2009.  The Pirates weren’t able to convince Wilson’s teammate, Tanner Scheppers, to join him in the organization.
• Brent Klinger allowed one earned run and struck out 13 batters in 15.1 innings split between rookie ball in Bradenton and short-season A-ball with the Spikes.  The 2008 draftee is only 20, and is a relief prospect.
• Baseball America says it all about 19-year-old Christopher Aure: “Aure is the best prep product from Alaska in
  years, probably since Chad Bentz came out of Juneau in the late 1990s.

  Bentz was signed out of Long Beach State and pitched briefly in the majors; Aure might be a better prospect. He’s not as physical but he has solid velocity in the mid-to-upper 80s, he’s touched the low 90s, and he’s shown solid-average secondary stuff. A 6-footer, he’s not typically projectable but he also is from the NORTH POLE.“