Just about every single mock draft had the Pirates drafting Washington (the state) high school catcher Reese McGuire with the ninth overall pick. They were half right; McGuire fell all the way down to 14th and the Pirates nabbed him there. Being able to get Meadows at nine along with the player that they wanted at nine all along makes this a pretty nice first round for the Pirates, assuming they get both players signed.*
*I say that because it's a necessary caveat, not because I think that that will be a problem. The Pirates have almost always taken care of business on this front and I think Mark Appel was an exception and not a rule.
Anyway, Charlie at Bucs Dugout had a good post about the risks of drafting a high school catcher earlier in the week when the "McGuire to the Pirates' speculation really heated up. The basic read on him for now is that he's pretty impressive defensively for a high school catcher, particularly because of his arm. He bats left-handed (he doesn't throw left-handed because he's a catcher and that would be crazy, even though no one's exactly sure why it would be crazy) and it seems like he's got quite a bit of potential at the plate as well. This profile of him at Minor League Ball is particularly glowing, both in terms of offense and defense. Like Meadows, he's obviously raw and you only have to look to Neil Walker to see the circuitous route that high school catchers can sometimes take through the minors, but it's hard not to be happy with the Pirates picking ninth and fourteenth and ending up with Baseball America's fifth and tenth ranked players.
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