The 21-year-old hails from Raleigh, North Carolina and was a 4th round draft pick for the Pittsburgh Pirates in the 2007 draft. Since then, he has played four years in the Pirates' minor league system and in 2010 he had a bit of a breakout year. Playing for the Bradenton Marauders in the high-A Florida State League, Latimore led the league in RBIs, with 100, and was second in the league in homers, with 19. He was also successful in 11 of 12 stolen base attempts. He was nominated for the high-A Best Hitter award.
Baseball Prospectus ranks him in the top 20 Pirates Prospects, but says that his 'horrible approach' holds him back. PiratesProspects.com also commented that Latimore's strikeout figures need improving - but recognised that he has power.
Since mid-2009 Bucs fans have debated whether or not he is a legitimate prospect for making it to the big leagues. His detractors focus on poor plate disicipline and walk rates - that is, he strikes out too much. They also emphasised his fielding and baserunning as weaknesses. As he started to hit his straps during the 2010 season, some suggested that a helpful hitting home field could have contributed to his improved numbers.
You can read an interview with Quincy at Envision Sports Media. He talks about his focus on improving his hitting, his aspirations to progress through the minor leagues, and his commitment to religion.
Regardless of whether he is a legitimate prospect or not, Latimore is certainly an exciting player to watch, and a great feature of the ABL. His time in Australia will hopefully give him some good experience and the opportunity to face a few high-calibre pitchers, and one would think he would be aiming to get some time in Double-A ball next year. So get out to an Adelaide game and check him out.
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