6/8 Pirate Drafts: First Amateur Draft, Bob Moose, Gene Garber, The Cricket, Craig Reynolds, Rick Honeycutt

• 1965 - In the first college/high school draft ever held, the Pirates picked prep OF’er Wayne Dickerson first (#10) in the draft; he was out of baseball by 1970. Their first 17 selections never made the show, but they had some luck in the later rounds. RHP Bob Moose (18th round) from Export in Westmoreland County, RHP Gene Garber (20th round) and SS Freddie “The Cricket” Patek (22nd round) all carved out solid careers. They also signed undrafted Don Money, an infielder who played 16 seasons for the Phils and Brewers, hitting .261 lifetime and making four All-Star teams. For the curious, the Oakland A’s selected Arizona State OF’er Rick Monday, making him MLB’s first amateur draft pick.

Bob Moose 1970 Topps

• 1971 - The Pirates picked prep SS Craig Reynolds 22nd overall, who played 15 years of big league ball, mainly with the Houston Astros, and was a two-time All-Star. Second rounder Doug Bair spent 15 years tossing in the show for seven different teams.
• 1976 - Prep RHP Jim Parke was the Pirates first round (#21) pick; he never got further than A ball in his career. The only notable selection was 17th round pick LHP Rick Honeycutt, who tossed for 21 big league seasons and made a couple of All-Star teams