When he has drafted in 1999, J.R. House seemed to be an encouraging sign of things to come. All of that slowly began to fade away over the last few years as injuries slowed his development to a standstill. It was given its final punctuation mark earlier this week when the team unceremoniously released him. Instead of providing a light at the end of the tunnel, House proved to be a disappointing poster boy for the string of failed expectations and disappointments that has dogged the organization over the last decade.

House was one of the most intriguing stories coming into the 1999 draft. A legitimate two-sport star, House also logged some serious commuting miles. To maximize his son's career, House's father kept residences both in West Virginia and Florida. House spent the football season in West Virginia, where he set several passing records playing quarterback for Nitro High. In the spring, House moved to Florida to play baseball.

As the draft loomed, many organizations steered away from House because he was being seriously courted by several major college football programs. The Pirates thought he was signable, so they drafted him in the 5th round. It took a $266,000 signing bonus, but the Bucs got there man. House hit the ground running with his first taste of pro ball. He tore through the GCL, held his own against the older competition of the NY-Penn League, and even got a tast of full season low-A.

House's impressive debut earned him the tenth spot on Baseball America's 2000 Pirates Top 10 list. In his write-up, it was predicated that House could make the big league team as early as 2002. His first full season of minor league ball did little to change this perception. House hit 23 homeruns and posted an attention-grabbing 1.000 OPS. He was named co-MVP of the South Atlantic League and drew favorable comparisons to Mike Piazza. The performance was enough to push to the top the Bucs' prospect list and put House among the elite of the elite as BA named him the 21st best prospect in all of baseball.

But the chinks were starting to show in House's armor. His plate discipline had taken a step back from his debut season. Also, he missed a month with mononucleosis. And then there was his defense. House showed little progress as a defensive player and his future at catcher was very much in doubt. Despite his background as a top-notch quarterback, House's never displayed a plus arm at catcher. It was generally assumed that House would swithc positions at some point, something House seemed reluctant to do.

Though on the fast track, House expressed frustration with the direction of his career. The Pirates had made a long-term commitment to Jason Kendall and House was openly displeased. He flirted with returning to football and reportedly asked for a trade. In effort to show their commitment to the young catcher, the Pirates jumped him up to Double A for the 2001 season. Considering the difficulty of such a jump, House held his own, but his numbers were nowhere near the heights he posted the previous year. His strike-zone judgement regressed and his defense remained stagnant. Also, House missed chunks of time battling hamstring and ribcage strains. Still, his star still was bright. He once again was named the Bucs' top prospect and made a repeat appearance on BA's Top 100 list, slipping a bit to number 41.

2002 would mark the begininng of the end for House's career in the organization. He would be dogged with injuries for the rest of his Pirates' career, missing significant time with various serious injuries. Most recently, House underwent surgery to repair a torn rotator cuff -- an injury that will keep him out of action until October at the earliest.

It is not uncommon for a promising player to have his career derailed because he can't stay on the field. House wasn't the first player to succumb to this, and I doubt he will be the last. However, players displaying House's potential have been few and far between in the Pirate's system in recent memory. That makes the end of his Pirates' career that much more disappointing.