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On Tuesday, six years to the day since drafting him number two overall, the Pittsburgh Pirates announced Jameson Taillon would be making his major league debut. Yesterday, he provided the club with a quality start. Today, three young men will hear their names called, who could one day make the same trip Taillon made this week.<\/p>\n
I asked the other writers to tell me who they think the Pirates should target, as well as sending out Twitter polls to get your opinions. Thank you for all the responses. The potential choices were based on a combination of best available players and future needs, addressed in our draft primer<\/a>, so let\u2019s recap what everyone had to say.<\/p>\n Pirates Breakdown \u2013 Kyle Muller<\/strong><\/p>\n In a close contest, the Jesuit College Prep standout and Gatorade National Player of the Year award winner Kyle Muller would be the top choice of our staff. Taylor Trammell and William Benson were the other two top choices. The Pirates have been trending away from picking pitchers early, especially prep pitchers, in recent years, but Muller, who has been in the conversation for best prep pitcher in America, would be worth the pick. The only question is whether the Dallas native will still be around when the Pirates pick. Look for Benson and Trammell to be a safety pick if the Pirates top choices go early.<\/p>\n Twitter Polls \u2013 Taylor Trammell<\/strong><\/p>\n I think Alex Kirilloff is the best prep outfielder available in this year\u2019s draft, but if there were to be a close second, it would be Taylor Trammell. Trammell was never expected to be available when the Pirates pick tonight when I did the first round profiles a month ago. Kirilloff was projected at 22 at the time. Kirilloff has since swapped places with Trammell. Kirilloff projects as a future All-Star, falling just shy of Bryce Harper or Mike Trout level comparisons, but Trammell could be a star in his own right. He projects to be on the same level as Starling Marte for his ceiling and Justin Upton for his floor.<\/p>\n Pirates Breakdown \u2013 T-Alex Speas and Carter Kieboom<\/strong><\/p>\n The staff couldn\u2019t decide between a pair of Georgia high school players in Speas and Kieboom. Speas is highly touted for his velocity, throwing 86 as a 14-year-old, but his obvious talent could be as raw as any pitcher expected to go in the first two rounds. I didn\u2019t pull any punches in my analysis of him<\/a> for our draft profiles. Kieboom is a clear five-tool prospect. Even with the infield depth the Pirates have, it could be a matter of taking the best available player in his case. Plus, can you imagine Greg Brown calling this kid\u2019s home runs? In a year where the consensus is take position players early, Pirates should heed that advice.<\/p>\n Twitter Polls \u2013 Carter Kieboom<\/strong><\/p>\n While we couldn\u2019t decide who to pick here, clearly, you could. Check out the last paragraph for his profile or the link in the same paragraph if you want to know why he was so highly regarded by everyone.<\/p>\n Pirates Breakdown \u2013 Ben Bowden<\/strong><\/p>\n The Vanderbilt University reliever has the potential to be a starter in the right system, but a rough season as a starter could force teams to look at him exclusively as a reliever. With so many good pitchers available early this year, Bowden could fall to the Pirates in the second round. If a team thinks they can turn him into an effective starter, he could go early in the second round. In a year where the Pirates could look to quickly turn a weakness into a strength, adding one of the highest regarded college relievers in the draft certainly wouldn\u2019t be a bad start.<\/p>\n Twitter Polls \u2013 Cooper Johnson<\/strong><\/p>\n If you picked him because he\u2019s the highest regarded prep catching prospect since 2011, who could blame you? He is the best defensive catcher in the draft, and the team that drafts him will believe they can develop his bat enough to make him an everyday catcher. The Pirates have struggled developing catchers in recent years, despite having several high ceiling prospects at the position. Johnson could be the next Yadier Molina, if his skills at the plate can someday match those scouts have seen behind the plate. Pirates Breakdown \u2013 Matthias Dietz<\/strong><\/p>\n He wasn\u2019t my personal choice for this pick, but Dietz got the clear majority of the staff vote. Being regarded as the best JUCO pitcher in the draft will do that though. Dietz has already worked heavily on developing a changeup. The only issue concerns are his control and ability to be effective with his pitchers, all just above-average selections. Dietz is unlikely to go before the Pirates make their third round selection. This is the area where all the best position players are gone, so the Pirates could and should look to grab a pitcher, rather than overdrafting for a position player. They should have plenty to pick from, including my personal choice for this pick Mason Thompson, who I profiled<\/a> as being like Tyler Glasnow.<\/p>\n Twitter Polls \u2013 Mason Thompson<\/strong><\/p>\n It was the Tyler Glasnow comparison, right? It\u2019s good to know I\u2019m not alone thinking Thompson is the clear dark horse candidate to emerge as one of the best pitching prospects in the minor leagues over the next couple years. While he clearly has talent, the Glasnow comparison also came from the fact that Thompson has struggled with control as well. If he can figure it out, much like the Pirates top prospect, Thompson could be a future top of the rotation star. If not, he will be an above-average back of the rotation starter.<\/p>\n Pirates Breakdown \u2013 Tyler Fitzgerald<\/strong><\/p>\n After a brief lapse from any outstanding choices in regards to position players, our staff felt the Pirates should target Tyler Fitzgerald, a prep shortstop who is unlikely to stay at the position but athletic enough to perform at third or even right field. He flashes plus speed at times and an ability to hit the ball to all fields depending on the situation. He was the Gatorade Player of the Year for Illinois, so the Pirates acquiring him in the fourth round would be quite the steal. Fitzgerald also shows good base stealing ability, although not always good instincts. His ability to make the majors is more uncertain than most of the players I profiled.<\/p>\n Twitter Polls \u2013 Cole Irvin<\/strong><\/p>\n The Pirates tried to get the University of Oregon product in the 32nd round of the 2015 draft. Obviously, he made the right choice going back for his senior season to raise his draft stock. Irvin is expected to go in the early rounds, and he could have gone even higher if he didn\u2019t project as having a low ceiling, high floor. If the Pirates agree with you and take Irvin, it\u2019s because they hope he can become what Jeff Locke was supposed to be, a solid back of the rotation starter. Irvin is nothing flashy, but in a sport of uncertainties, taking the certain choice, however understated, could be the way to go.<\/p>\n Check back at 6pm for our live draft Q&A article.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n Thanks for checking us out here at Pirates Breakdown. Please make sure to\u00a0follow us on Twitter<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Instagram<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0like us on Facebook<\/a>\u00a0for the best Pirates coverage all year long!<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" With the MLB draft just hours away, we conclude our pre-draft coverage by summarizing fan voting by looking at who…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[610258686],"tags":[610258795,190106,140059],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n22nd Overall:<\/h3>\n
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