Pirates Call On OF'er Casey Hughston In Third Round

The Bucs selected University of Alabama sophomore outfielder Casey Hughston in the third round today. The 21 year old - today is his birthday - hit .332 with six homers and 44 RBI for the Tide. He's a 6-2, 215 pounder athlete with some power; he also K's at a 25% rate, as this round the Pirates trade contact for power potential. He's a lefty hitter & righty thrower.

Casey has plenty of reason to celebrate his 21st birthday (photo - Associated Press)

Per MLB.com, Hughston has average tools across the board with plus speed and raw power to all fields, with the downside that he sometimes gets pull happy at the plate. They consider him a corner outfield type due mainly to an average arm and some circuitous route running (he was a HS infielder), and projected him as a third-round pick; right on there.

So the Bucs are four picks in without taking a pitcher; they've never gone deeper than their third pick before choosing a hurler before during the Huntington era. Whether that's an organizational sea change in philosophy or just the way this draft has fallen is the question; we'll see what players lay down the road.