June 8, 2016 was a long time coming for Pirates pitcher Jameson Taillon. Pittsburgh drafted him second in the 2010 draft, less than a month after he graduated from high school and six months after that, he was the No. 8 prospect in baseball, according to Baseball Prospectus, and No. 11 according to Baseball America. Either way, Taillon was on the fast track to the big leagues.
The story didn’t unfold according to plan. Taillon was always good, but never quite great, at any level in the minors over his first few seasons. He progressed up the ladder, but he never made a huge jump, and simultaneously fell in the prospect rankings each season.