Pirates' Nick Kingham: Healthy after lengthy rehab

Kingham (elbow) is poised to make his major league debut at some point in 2017 after missing most of the last two seasons following Tommy John surgery, DK Pittsburgh Sports reports. "Finally got a normal offseason," said Kingham. "Finished up healthy toward the end of the year, last month and a half or so. Excited to come into spring training full-go and see what happens."

Analysis:

The 25-year-old, who has compiled a 3.32 ERA in 580.2 innings in the minors, offers upside as a potential middle-of-the-rotation starter. Kingham possesses excellent command of three pitches and holds a career 3:1 K:BB. He's expected to begin the season with Triple-A Indianapolis after totaling only 77.1 IP since 2014. The 6-foot-6 righty is hoping to follow a similar path as his roommate, Jameson Taillon. "Kinda looking into the progression that Taillon has gone through is definitely a good way to expect what will happen to me," Kingham said. "I saw what he did last year, when he came into spring training. I just want to follow in his footsteps and do what he did."