The 2017 MLB Draft will be June 12-14 and will be aired exclusively on MLB Network. The Pittsburgh Pirates have three of the top 50 picks. Who are some of the players that could be available when Pittsburgh makes their selections?
This year the Pittsburgh Pirates will have three selections in the first 50 picks of Major League Baseball’s amateur draft. Here is a rundown of the value at those picks and then some of the players who may be available at the time of each of the team’s picks.
The Pirates will make their first selection with the 12th picks, which carries a value of $4,032,000. Their second pick will come in the second round at 42, which is compensation for not being able to sign last year’s 41st pick, Nick Lodolo. The 42nd pick has a value of $1,635,500 and the Pirates will quickly follow that up with another second round selection at 50th overall which has a value of $1,357,300 attached to it.
The team will also receive the 72nd pick overall during Competitive Balance Round B, which has a value of $804,000. Their final selection in the top 100 picks comes during the third round at 88th overall, and that selection has a value of $626,600.
Recently MLB Network had Jim Callis and Jonathan Mayo on to discuss the upcoming draft and the players that will selected and take another step in realizing their dream of becoming a professional baseball player. The author is by no means an expert in amateur baseball talent, but the goal of this article is to profile some of the players that could be selected when the Pirates make their first three picks in their year’s draft. Even Callis seemed to think that the Pirates were unsure what they were going to do with their top picks.
Working on a new @MLBDraft 1st-rd projection for Friday. Have heard the @Pirates on wide variety of names. Still digging! https://t.co/n1mNzXiP8g
— Jim Callis (@jimcallisMLB) June 6, 2017
The first selection the Pirates will make is with the 12th overall pick, and MLB.com has Shane Baz ranked in that slot. Baz is a right handed pitcher for Concordia Lutheran High School in Texas. His scouting grades (out of 80) as a 55 pitcher overall with his fastball (65) being his top pitch. While Baz does play third base at his high school, he’ll be selected as a pitcher. The question with Baz is whether the team that selects him can offer him enough money to forego his commitment to Texas Christian. If he happens to still be available when Pittsburgh makes their first selection, they would be wise to offer him all of the slot value at that pick since he profiles as a top of the rotation pitcher down the line and they could get him before he goes to college and puts more miles on his arm. Fangraphs also has Daz going to the Pirates in the first round in their mock draft from June 5th.
At number 42, MLB.com has another high schooler, outfielder Drew Waters from Etowah High School in Georgia. Waters is a switch hitter that has a commitment to the University of Georgia, so like Baz, he most likely want a nice signing bonus to deter him from his commitment. Scouts grade his ability to run, throw and field at 60 while his ability to hit and hit for power both grade out at 50. Overall he could be a nice addition to the outfield depth chart for the Pirates since top prospect Austin Meadows will graduate to the big leagues in the near future.
The 50th prospect on MLB.com’s list is first baseman Brent Rooker from Mississippi State University. Rooker was actually drafted last year in the 38th round by Minnesota but elected to return to school for another year. He slugged 23 home runs and drove in 82 runs in the regular season and playoffs, by far the most on his team. Not only that, but he led the team in stolen bases, successfully swiping 18 in his 23 attempts this year. While Rooker would be a fantastic pick at this spot, Mayo noted that he might not fall that far.
Don't think Rooker gets to 50, but not out of the question
— Jonathan Mayo (@JonathanMayo) June 5, 2017
Baseball America’s most recent mock draft on June 9th mentions two other names that the Pirates could target with their first and second picks. Nick Pratto, a lefthanded first baseman and outfielder for Huntington Beach (CA) High School could be Pittsburgh’s first selection if they decide to target a high school position player. Pratto has a 60 hit and 50 power grades entering the draft. He did pitch but will enter the draft as a hitter and even though he might not be as big as a typical first base prospect (6′ 1″, 193 lbs), he could continue to add some power to his bat as he enters his 20s. Pratto has committed to Southern California in the fall, which could prove to be an obstacle in signing him.
Baseball America notes in their mock draft that the Pirates have also been connected to Michael Mercado, a right handed pitcher from Westview (CA) High School. Mercado is ranked the 70th prospect entering the draft, and since the Pirates have the 72nd pick overall they may try and gamble that he falls that far. He’s committed to Stanford, so the slot value at the 72nd might not be enough to dissuade him from heading to college and trying to up his value at the collegiate level.
Given the how the first and second rounds in recent years have gone for the Pirates, it should come as no surprise of the team decides to select a high school player. With their last ten first round selections, the Pirates have taken a high school player five times. In the same time frame but for the second round, they have taken a high school player eight times. So there definitely seems to be a preferred type of player, particularly in the second round. Fans will need to tune into the MLB Network to see how the Pirates decide to approach the draft this year.
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