Pittsburgh Pirates Draft Profile: Part 4

Fourth Round – 135th Overall:

Ryan Moseley – RHP, Texas Tech University

The first option for this pick came down to two solid pitchers. Ultimately, Moseley gets the bio because Davis Daniel is too much of a risk to honor his Auburn commitment and the Pirates being loaded with starting pitchers for years to come doesn’t help. Moseley could still be utilized as a starter early, but he may be more useful as a reliever. He features a low-to-mid-90s fastball with a lot of sink, an above-average changeup, and at least an average slider, although it does have decent late break. Moseley struggles with control, and his pitches don’t show the same movement later into starts. He would still be yet another college starter with a major league reliever’s makeup.

Tyler Fitzgerald – SS, Rochester High School (IL)

Son of Mike Fitzgerald, who briefly reached the majors with the St. Louis Cardinals in 1988, the younger Fitzgerald could be just as promising. The Gatorade state player of the year for Illinois, Fitzgerald is highly regarded for his balance and bat speed at the plate, although he could struggle a little until he adjusts to better quality pitching. He has speed and good instincts for base stealing and taking the extra base, but if you notice in the video below, he isn’t exempt to showing poor judgement as well, like rounding first on a simple infield chopper. Fitzgerald has a good loft to his swing that should mean even more power potential as he adds some muscle. He has a solid arm, which could keep him at shortstop at first, but he could profile well at third base or in right field, depending on a team’s needs.

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Cole Irvin – LHP, University of Oregon

A year after drafting him in the 32nd round, Irvin could once again be on the Pirates radar in the third round. Irvin fell down draft boards after missing his sophomore season due to Tommy John surgery. None of his three pitches, fastball, changeup, slider, jump out as a plus pitch, but all of them could be above-average with decent control with all of them. He shows wisdom and experience well beyond his years on the mound adding deception in ways many prospects don’t develop until the upper-levels of the minor leagues. Irvin throws a lot of strikes, as indicated by his 93/16 K/BB ratio, but he also saw a jump from seven home runs allowed over his first two seasons combined to nine this season alone. What makes him a pick is the safety that he is very likely to reach his ceiling of a number four starter.

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Javon Shelby – 3B, University of Kentucky

Entering the 2016 season, Shelby seemed to be an almost certain pick to go during the second round, but he struggled at the plate and with a move to third after playing his first two seasons at second. He has the natural athletic ability and speed to play almost any position in the field, but Shelby has yet to find one at which he truly stands out, so far. At the plate, he has shown considerable patience, drawing walks and working pitch counts to his favor, but Shelby swings through too many pitches to be trusted consistently. His profile reads much like Josh Harrison at that age, which is ironic considering I felt the two were comparable before I found out they were cousins. If Shelby can manage to unlock the secret in much the same way the Pirates’ second baseman did, he’s easily worth a third round pick.

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Other notables: Cam Shepherd – SS, Peachtree Ridge High Schoo (GA), Mario Feliciano – C, Carlos Beltran Baseball Academy (FL)

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