The Pirates had a different first day draft. I am not sure if it is different because the
Pirates did some strange stuff or just because I barely remember the Pirates
ever drafting so far down that it was not fairly certain that Pirates were
going to draft a high impact player. Currently
the Pirates are getting a bit savaged for their picks, so let us take a look.
The first pick (#24) was Cole Tucker, a high school
shortstop. MLB had him ranked 67 and
Baseball America 84. This is the pick
that is making most people scratch their heads.
High School Short Stop with no real power, but good defensive skills is
not exactly a first round recipe. I
would be more disappointed in this pick if some of the other names the Pirates
had been linked to were still around.
Kyle Schwarber went 4th to the Cubs after spending a lot of weeks being
linked to the Pirates. I saw Kyle play,
and he could flat out play. Also the
Wichita State First basemen went a couple of picks before the Bucs. The high school pitcher who was also
connected to the Bucs was off the board as well. This pick has me worried, I will admit
it. But maybe the Pirates are hoping he
will turn down their offer and they will get a comp pick at #25 next year. Although this kid will probably never get to
the first round after being in college.
It is an upside pick. I bet he
takes the offer, and the Pirates may save some cash for later signings.
The next pick was #39 and they took Connor Joe from the
University of San Diego. This kid will
start out in our A- affiliate, wherever that is now. MLB has him at 110 and Baseball America at
102. So this is a bit of a stretch. Picking outside of the top 100 in round #1 is
worrisome. However, I like that this is
a college kid who is drawing walks and hitting well. The Pirates announced him as an outfielder
even though he has been doing catching for a couple years now. A good solid bat is always helpful, but this
is a reach. The Pirates must expect to
save money here. It is hard not to
conclude they have a plan for the draft that includes trying to get a few tough
to sign prospects to sign. Although I
will say I sort of like this pick. If
you are going to reach, I prefer reaching for an established bat at the college
level rather than for a High School Pitcher.
Less chance of being a complete bomb.
And this is the pick for Bryan Morris, so it should be viewed as kind of
a bonus.
The second round saw the Pirates take Mitch Keller. MLB ranked him 69 and Baseball America 76. So he is not too far out of place, but a
small reach. According to Baseball America
this is our top rated player and currently our third pick. Keller is hitting the 90’s with his fastball
and has a curve to get people out. This
pick probably worries a lot because of how many high school pitchers the Pirates
have had go down the tubes. Von
Rosenberg is a name that evokes fear in Pirate fan’s minds. Or even closer we could remind everyone that
Stetson Allie did not make it as a pitcher.
But that does not make taking projectable high school arms a bad
decision, just a riskier one. Avoiding
all high school pitchers because of the disastrous 09 draft would be a
mistake. And as I always point out. Colton Cain was good enough to be part of a
trade. It is not as if he had imploded
with everyone else.
Pick #74 was our last pick, and our Competitive Balance
pick. The Pirates took Trey Supak. This high school pitcher from Texas was
ranked 99 by Baseball America and 62 by MLB, so clearly there is some real
disagreement about his upside. According
to MLB this pick was a steal for the Pirates, and a reach by Baseball America’s
standards. He is 6’5” and throwing upper
80’s to low 90’s. It is hard to real
trash this pick, but also hard to get excited since Supak is just a high school
arm and you never know where that will lead you.
You have to give the Pirates credit, they love the tall high
school arms, and they do not deviate from that drafting philosophy. In fact, I have to say that is what gives me
hope out of this draft. The Pirates did
what they thought was right. Even taking
the worst case scenario they Pirates took 3 top 100 talent guys in two rounds
and got another who was right on the doorstep of the top 100. Three high school kids is what worries me and
probably many others. If you are taking
high school guys you feel better if they are Jameson Taillon types that seem to
be can’t miss. These guys aren’t
that. Oddly enough the biggest impact in
the minors this year (assuming they all sign) will be Connor Joe who is the one
ranked outside of the top 100. His bat
ought to translate well and he can make an impact in Low A this year. The others guys should not really make much
of a wave until short season ball next year when they have added a professional
offseason to their bodies and minds.
Day 2 should be exciting if nothing else. The Pirates are off the reservation and doing
their own thing.
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