Pittsburgh Pirates Draft Profile: Part 3

Second Round – 68th Overall:

Ben Rortvedt – C, Verona Area High School (WI)

If the Pirates pursue Okey with their second pick, this is a moot review. If not, Rortvedt should definitely be on their radar for the same reason for which Okey was reviewed. Rortvedt has a solid swing from the left side with a natural lift and smooth path through the zone. He tends to struggle on pitches inside, which should be cause for concern at the next level, but he’s pulling them foul keeping it from being an alarming issue for now. Rortvedt has raw talent behind the plate, but he is regarded as working well with pitchers and a solid, accurate throw to second. He has the chance to be the two-way catcher the Pirates have pursued lately and provide insurance and depth behind the organization’s top catching prospects.

Braden Webb – RHP, University of South Carolina

Once expected to be drafted in 2014 out of high school, Webb threw back-to-back no-hitters before being sidelined with an injury requiring Tommy John surgery and leaving any hope of making the jump to professional baseball on the operating table. He has a tough fastball that sits in the low 90-s and a devastating hammer curve. Both pitches are made more effective by a deceptive delivery from the windup, but Webb also struggles with control. Part of the problem could be a balance issue in his mechanics out of the windup. From the stretch, he maintains a deceptive delivery, but he is lightning quick to the plate. He has the makings of a high-leverage reliever, despite being used as a starter in his high school and collegiate careers.

Max Kranick – RHP, Valley View High School (PA)

It’s just not fair for a high school hitter to stand in the box against a pitcher that sits in the mid-90s with his fastball and can turn the switch to a curveball in the low-70s. It’s rare for a high school pitcher to be able to change speeds so dramatically, but Kranick does exactly that. He has an easy, repeatable delivery, as evidenced by the video below. He has committed to the University of Virginia, but after flying up draft boards this spring, the young righty will likely go soon enough in just about a week and half to merit voiding his commitment. He fills the strike zone better than most of the prep pitchers expected to go in the second or third round, but he is difficult to project based on his recent rise up draft boards.

Ben Bowden – LHP, Vanderbilt University

Continuing with looking at potential relievers the Pirates could look at, I turn your attention to Bowden. Considered one of the top college relievers available in the draft, Bowden sits in the low-90s with his fastball, which also exhibits good late life. He also throws in a slider and changeup that could be at least average at the major league level. Bowden has good control. Vanderbilt tried him out as a starter this season after being used exclusively as a reliever his first two seasons. The experiment did not go well, leading many scouts to believe his future is almost exclusively as a seventh or eighth inning setup man. Especially as an experience reliever, and being left-handed doesn’t hurt, he could fly through the ranks of whatever organization drafts him. With Watson nearing the end of team control, as it stands, the Pirates need a left-handed reliever for late in a game.

Other notables: Ryan Boldt – OF, University of Nebraska; Nolan Martinez – RHP, Culver City High School (CA)

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