In 2011, the Pittsburgh Pirates broke the MLB first-year player draft.
They spent a record $11.9 million on that year’s class, including $8 million on top pick Gerrit Cole and $5 million on second-round pick Josh Bell. The year before, they spent close to $9 million on top picks Jameson Taillon and Stetson Allie. Pedro Alvarez got $6 million in 2008.
Basically, the Pirates spent so much the MLB had to cap how much teams can spend on draft picks.
Pittsburgh still aimed high the following year with Mark Appel in the first round, but he ended up being too expensive and didn’t sign with the team. The Pirates made up for it in 2013 by selecting two high-upside prep players, Austin Meadows and Reese McGuire.
Since that year, however, things have changed.
The team’s first-round picks in 2014 and 2015 (Cole Tucker and Kevin Newman, respectively) signed below their slot value. The team used the money it saved to draft mid-round selections to over-slot deals.
Maybe the first-round change came once the team started drafting later in the first round, maybe Tucker and Newman were at the top of the Pirates’ board. Regardless, it shows the unpredictable nature of the MLB Draft.
Still, there have been trends in the Pirates’ draft philosophy under general manager Neal Huntington — perhaps, most noticeably, with prep pitchers and not spending over-slot values for their arms.
In nine selections with the Pirates, Taillon is the lone prep pitcher Huntington has taken. In the past, Huntington cited the high-risk injury nature with high-school arms (Taillon did just miss two years due to injury, after all) as a point of reluctance. Previously, the team over-spent on prep arms such as Allie, Tyler Glasnow, Blake Taylor, Mitch Keller and essentially the entire 2009 draft class.
As for hitters, Huntington has shown a preference toward contact-first players, such as Meadows and Newman. Alvarez and Bell are the lone picks who had plus-power when they were drafted. The last two drafts have also featured players who can play middle infielder and third base.
So with that in mind, who could Pittsburgh take with the No. 22 pick in the MLB Draft? It’s not easy to guess the Pirates’ thought process, but here is a possible list:
Pitchers — T.J Zeuch (Pitt), Zach Burdi (Louisville), Justin Dunn (Boston College), Joey Wentz (Shawnee Mission East HS, KS), Forrest Whitley (Alamo Heights HS, TX).
Hitters — Bryan Reynolds, OF (Vanderbilt), Alex Kirilloff, OF (Plum HS, PA), Nolan Jones, SS (Holy Jones Prep, PA), Will Craig, 1B/3B (Wake Forest), Matt Thaiss, C (Virginia)
Players to watch later in the Draft — Logan Shore, P (Florida), Anfernee Greer, OF (Tennessee), Matt Krook, P (Oregon State), Alec Hanseon, P (Oklahoma), Nick Senzel, 3B (Tennessee), Jordan Sheffield (Vanderbilt), Brandon Marsh, OF (Buford HS, GA), Jeff Helge, P (Henninger HS, NY), Ryan Howard, SS (Missouri).
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