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Much will be made how Paul Skenes has been used during his time in the Pirates organization.
He pitched two games with Altoona last season after a promotion from Bradenton and this season has appeared in four games in Indianapolis.
In those four games, he's been one of the most elite pitchers in all of Triple-A. He's accrued 27 strikeouts, walked only four hitters, allowed five hits and has yet to yield a run.
Why is he still in Indianapolis?
In those four outings, he's thrown a total of 9ª innings and the Pirates have Skenes on a restrictor plate nearly as big as one you'd see on a superspeedway in NASCAR.
There are also $9.2 million reasons why the Pirates are treading lightly with their future ace. The slow build up is certainly frustrating for fans, but it's for good reason.
The Pirates are prioritizing the long-term value of Skenes over the short-term value of what he could provide the big league club.
Sure, he could mow down Major League hitters right now, but there's much to learn for Skenes who's topped out at throwing only 65 pitches so far.
Skenes is far from the only pitcher in the Pirates system working through a slow build. In Altoona, Bubba Chandler, Braxton Ashcraft and Anthony Solometo are all working their way up to throwing 90-100 pitches.
Chandler eclipsed the 60 pitch plateau in his last start with the Curve while Ashcraft and Solometo are well on their way as well.
The plan is simple: the future's more important than the present in terms of results. It's about working to a pitch count and comfortability where the Pirates have the arms to compete not just this year, but several years after.
Skenes is on his way to Pittsburgh and will be there soon. Chandler, Ashcraft and Solometo are very much on the path to Triple-A, but lest we forget there's still work and growth to be done in the minors before they're all Major League-ready.
It's not going to happen as soon as Pirates fans would like, and sure seeing Skenes with the Pittsburgh backdrop will be fun, but he's right where he needs to be for now. So too are the trio of Altoona pitchers.
Skenes is still in his first full professional season and while he's certainly making it look easy, but as so many future aces have proven time and again, it's uber important to make sure they are fully ready before releasing them to the wild.
Time will tell whether this strategy will payoff for the Pirates, but for right now, it's better to have a guy like Skenes ready come August and September rather than April or May.
Jarrod Prugar is an Altoona resident who covers the Curve for the Mirror.