The Pittsburgh Pirates took a familiar route on the first day of the 2017 MLB Draft, taking high school players with their first four picks.
On the same night that Pittsburgh Pirates’ 2010 first round draft pick, a right handed pitcher from a high school in Texas, took the mound after a cancer scare, the Pirates used their first round pick in 2017 to select another right handed high school pitcher from Texas. MLB.com had Shane Baz listed as the 12th best prospect of the draft, and when he was still available when the Pirates made their pick, they jumped all over him.
Baz, a Texas Christian commit, was a two way player at Concordia Lutheran High School, but if he signs with the Pirates he’ll spend all of his time on the mound. His draft profile notes that he has a deep pitch arsenal, perhaps the deepest of all the high school pitchers selected in this year’s draft. With a fastball in the 92-96 MPH range that can occasionally touch 98, combined with a cutter, curveball and changeup, Baz could easily find himself as one of the team’s top prospects if he does choose to sign.
More pitching
The Pittsburgh Pirates selected another right handed high school pitcher with their second pick and 42nd overall in the draft, Steve Jennings from DeKalb County High School in Tennessee, who was ranked 79th overall entering the draft.. MLB.com noted that his draft stock rose significantly in the last year, to the point he was projected as a potential second round pick. Indeed, Jennings was still on the board when the Pirates made their second selection. His fastball is more in the 89-92 MPH range but it’s believed that he could add velocity as he gets older. Like Baz, Jennings is committed to a university in the fall, the University of Mississippi. The question will be whether Jennings accepts the offer the Pirates make, or move on to the collegiate level and enter the draft again in a few years.
Then, high school bats
Pittsburgh continued the trend of selecting high school players with their third selection and second of the second round, outfielder Cal Mitchell from Rancho Bernardo High School in San Diego. Mitchell, a lefty and University of San Diego commit, was considered to be one of the better high school bats in the country before an adjustment at the plate hurt the opinion that many have of him. MLB.com had Mitchell ranked as the 79th best prospect in the draft, so it’s a little surprising the Pirates would make such a reach for him given that they had the 72nd pick coming up. Perhaps the team feels that they can fix him and return him to the success he experienced before. But at this point, this selection feels like the first real gamble the team made with their selections.
MORE: For a complete look at pre-draft scouting, check out MLB.com’s list.
The Pittsburgh Pirates had the 72nd selection overall, coming during Competitive Balance Round B. They used this pick on another high school outfielder, Conner Uselton from Southmoore High School in Oklahoma City. The right handed Uselton, like Jennings, was also a football player in high school, indicating that the Pirates selected a couple of athletic players to hopefully add to their system. Uselton is committed to Oklahoma State in the fall, so just like the team’s top three picks, they are going up against the fact that he has plans to attend college in the fall. Not only that, but he is 19 years old and would only need to play two seasons at Oklahoma State before potentially re entering the draft again.
The picks that the Pittsburgh Pirates made on the first day of the draft should surprise no one. They have not been afraid to select high school pitchers on the first round, and did so again on Monday. They also selected Mitchell, who was projected to go much later in the draft. The approach here might have been to draft him higher than expected so that they’ll have an easier time negotiating with him. The second round of the draft began today at 12:30pm and will be broadcast on MLB.com, with the third round starting at 12pm on Wednesday and also airing on MLB.com.
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