Here's further proof of the depressing state of the farm system -- On Deck Baseball Prospects has uploaded it's ratings of the Bucco's system. Scroll to the bottom to see the Pirates' Top 40 Prospects.

As I mentioned in an earlier post this off-season, I am somewhat alarmed by the lack of depth in the organization. The talent falls of rather quickly after blue chippers Andrew McCutchen and Neil Walker. Small market teams can't sustain success without a steady stream of talent coming up through the system and the Bucs just don't have it right now.

How did this happen? Bad luck? Poor scouting? Those things surely played a part, but I see the problem as mostly a philosophical one. The organization has displayed tendencies time and time again that are counter-productive to maintaining a good farm system. Take the draft for instance. The front office has approached the draft as it were actually split into two separate parts. The Pirates seem to place utmost importance on the first round (which is not entirely unreasonable), but then they seem to view the rest of the draft as merely an opportunity to fill organizational needs with players of limited upside. How else can you explain drafting limited players like Taber Lee and Brian Bixler so early in the draft. This year they wasted a second round pick on Brad Corley (who by all accounts would've lasted another couple of rounds) when a polished hitter like Stephen Head was still on the board. Look, draft failures are common. There are no givens in the draft. But it's almost criminal the way the Pirates treat the draft after the first round.

The other philosophical problem comes in how the Bucs acquire talent through trades. The Pirates have traded off a decent amount of talent over the last four years, and in some cases they have severely hampered themselves by always insisting on "major league-ready" players. Under normal circumstances, I would generally agree that "major league-ready" players are preferable to players in the lower minors. The best example of this kind of deal is the deal that sent Brian Giles to San Diego for Oliver Perez, Jason Bay and Cory Stewart. Perez had some major league experience but had yet to establish himself. Bay was the classic "major league-ready" player. He was a talented player trapped at AAA who was clearly ready for a major league role. However, this kind of situation isn't always available. And when the market isn't going to bear an acceptable "major league-ready" player, a general manager must be creative enough to get some kind of talent in return. Littlefield has not shown this kind of creativity. Instead of insisting on "major-league ready" players for a guy like Kris Benson, Littlefield should have changed course and looked for younger players with higher upside (albeit with higher risk). Aramis Ramirez, Kris Benson and Jason Kendall have all been shipped out without anything to show for it. Other players were kept only to walk away with nothing to show for it later. You just can't bleed talent like this and no expect to succeed.

Take a look at a team like the Indians. They are a young team on the rise. However, unlike a team like the Twins, much of the Indians' young talent originally came from other organizations. Grady Sizemore, Coco Crisp, Travis Hafner, Jake Westbrook and Cliff Lee all came in "fire-sale" type deals. The Indians have replenished their organization by plucking young talent from organizations hungry for their departing veterans. The Bucs have not been able to do that and it shows.

The Pirates have made some noise this off-season by bringing in veterans like Sean Casey, Jeromy Burnitz and Joe Randa. And yet, most, if not all, of these players will be gone after this season. And then what? It is a bit hard to send in the next wave, when the well is dry.