The Draft News...Bucs Ink First 16, Two Preppies

OK, a day off and time to check out who the Bucs have signed so far. This year, the deadline is much tighter; the teams have until July 17th to ink their selections or lose them. The FO has done well, signing the first 16 guys and 32 of the 40 players selected.

Unlike other years, the Pirates have signed just three prep players; the pool caps make it difficult to pay them, and the Bucco success rate with the preppies hasn't really been very good..

The collegiate tilt will lead to some interesting assignments, not necessarily this season but next as the team has invested heavily in infielders the past couple of drafts. There is also a number game to be played soon; there are a lot of older kids coming into the system, and that should make for some player movement in 2016.

The group the Pirates have signed:

• Kevin Newman  signed for a $2.175M bonus per Jonathan Mayo, a bit under his $2,273,000 pool value. The Bucs had taken the Arizona junior SS Newman, 21, with their first selection (#19 overall).  He was All-PAC for three straight seasons, hitting .370 this season for the Wildcats. He has a rep as a pure hitter who's tough to whiff with good speed & range, tho time will tell if he has the stuff to stay at short. Newman was assigned to the Morgantown Black Bears, the Bucs' short-season club, as last years #1, SS ColeTucker is holding down the job for the Low A West Virginia Power in the Sally League.
• The Pirates also signed Ke’Bryan Hayes,18, according to a home-town report. His slot value is $1,855,000, and per Jon Heyman, that's exactly what he signed for. Pittsburgh got the #32 selection as a comp round pick for losing Russ Martin, and chose the Texas prep (Concordia Lutheran HS, a suburban Houston school) 3B'man, son of ex-Bucco and 14 year MLB player Charlie Hayes. He batted .436 with 16 doubles and three home runs for his HS this year and was an Under Armour All-America. Hayes gave up a commitment to Tennessee. His first assignment will be in the GCL.
• The Pirates signed 2nd round pick Kevin Kramer for a bonus of $850,000. The slot value was $994,800. He played short and third for UCLA, hitting .323. He had shoulder surgery in 2014, and the Pirates believe he'll be able to hold down a SS job as he gets stronger. He was assigned to Morgantown, where Newman was sent, and is listed as a 3B on the Black Bears' roster.
• OF Casey Hughston of Alabama, the Bucs third round pick, was reported to have signed a deal by Chris Cotillo of MLB Daily Dish. His bonus was reported to be $700K. His slot value is $592,700, but as a sophomore, Hughston held most of the negotiating cards. He's a toolsy player who hit .332 with a .502 slugging % for the Tide. Hughston will join Morgantown.
• Fourth rounder RHP Jacob Taylor was signed and assigned to the GCL. The second-year Pearl River CC hurler sits in the mid-nineties and touches 96-97. He had a commitment to LSU and got a bonus of $500K, a bit overslot value of $439,400.
• The Pirates 5th round pick, Virginia RHP Brandon Waddell, won't be able to sign until Virginia finishes its playoff run. He's pitched pretty well in the playoffs for the Cavaliers, which are now playing Vandy in the CWS after eliminating Florida. The junior went 4-5 with a 3.86 ERA for Virginia. He signed in mid-July for $315K, slightly under slot ($329K). He was assigned to the Morgantown Black Bears.
• Jim Callis reported that the Bucs recently signed 6th rounder from Akron, RHP JT Brubaker, for $200K, under the slot value of $246,500. His heater clocks at 94 with a hard but inconsistent slider. Brubaker was 5-4 with a 3.63 ERA in 15 starts this spring in his junior season with the Zips. He struck out 72 batters in 89 1/3 innings and will report to Morgantown.
• IF Mitchell Tolman of Oregon, drafted in the 7th round. The junior hit .325 for the Ducks and was an All-PAC pick. Tolman signed under slot value ($184,800) for $150K. He was assigned to Morgantown.
• RHP Seth McGarry, an 8th round selection, was signed to a $150K bonus ($168,800 pool value) per MLB.com's draft tracker. He went 4-1 with a 2.25 ERA in 21 relief appearances as a junior this year and was assigned to the GCL.
• MLB.com's Adam Berry tweeted that RHP Bret Helton agreed to a $150,000 bonus, right about at slot value of $157,600 for the 9th round pick. He went 2-8 with a 5.72 ERA, 48 strikeouts and 32 walks in 61 1/3 innings over 18 appearances for Utah this spring. Helton agreed to a $150,000 signing bonus, according to a source. He was assigned to Morgantown.
• Junior RHP Logan Sendelbach, who went 5-3/2.84 for Tiffin and became the first ballplayer the school has ever had drafted. He was chosen in round 10 and assigned to Bristol after signing for an under slot value ($149,700) of $100K..
• Cal-Poly Pomono's soph C Christian Kelley was selected in the 11th round. He hit .341 and was a D-2 Gold Glove winner. He was sent to Morgantown.
• OF Ty Moore, a junior from UCLA, announced that he signed with the team. A 12th round pick, he led the Bruins with a .342 batting average and added 51 RBI with six home runs. he was assigned to Morgantown.
• Senior SS Logan Ratledge of NC State was the 13th round pick. He hit .329 with 10 homers for the Wolfpack and will report to Bristol.
• RHP Chris Plitt was selected in the 14th round, signed and sent to the GCL. The south Mountain CC soph had a 1.87 ERA and 7-1 record in 2014, followed with a 5-6 record and 3.42 ERA this year.
• RHP Scooter Hightower from Columbia State CC was taken in the 15th round after going 10-1/2.42. He was assigned to Bristol.
• Nick Hibbing, a 6'6" senior Iowa Hawkeye, was picked 16th. He was 3-1 with seven saves and a 1.74 ERA with 67 K's in 41-1/3 IP and is used to working multi-inning relief appearances. He was assigned to Morgantown.
• The Bucs just inked 17th rounder LHP Austin Sodders, 20, of Riverside CC. The 6'4' Tiger was 3-1/2.87 this season and hasn't been assigned to a minor league team yet.
• The Bucs inked RHP Stephan Meyer and assigned him to Morgantown. The soph from Bellvue U was selected in the 18th round and posted an 11-2 record, an ERA of 1.47 and had 101 K in 92 IP for the Bruins. 
• LHP Ike Schalbach, a Texas prep schooler, was signed by the Buc, and the 6'6" teen was assigned to the GCL. He had a commitment to Texas A&M Corpus Christ, and struck out 52 in 38 IP at Timber Creek HS.
• Senior Tanner Anderson, RHP from Harvard taken in the 20th round, signed and was assigned to Bristol. He was 0-4 on the year with a 4.08 ERA & four saves as a swing man.
• Nick Economos, the 21st round pick from Mercer CC, was signed. The 6'6" sophomore righty struck out 70 in 50 IP and was assigned to the GCL.
• 22nd round selection RHP Nathan Travillion, a VA prep star with a commit to Liberty U who was one of five high school players taken, told his local paper soon after the draft that he had a deal with the Bucs in place. It was reported he signed for a $250K bonus. he was assigned to the GCL.
• C John Bormann, a 24th round pick out of Texas-San Antonio, hit .273 and was All-USA Conference. The senior will report to Bristol.
• Junior Troy OF Logan Hill, selected in the 25th round, announced that he signed with the Bucs. He hit .354 with nine homers for the Trojans and was assigned to Morgantown.
• Senior RHP Shane Kemp of George Washington was selected in the 26th round. He has a mid-90s heater and put up a 3-2/4.18 line this season, but has big-time control issues. He was assigned to Bristol. 
• Illinois junior outfielder Ryan Nagle signed for a $160K bonus. He was drafted in the 27th round after hitting .339 for the Illini and was sent to Morgantown.
• 1B Albert Baur, a senior from Newberry College, was picked in the 28th round. A D-2 All America, the lefty hit .427/16/59 this season.  He was sent to Morgantown.
• 30th round pick junior RHP Mike Wallace from Fairfield College signed and was sent to Bristol. He tossed six complete games in college and posted a 3.58 ERA.
• The Bucs signed 33rd round selection LHP Sean Keselica out of Virginia Tech. The senior was 5-4 with a 3.47 ERA; he also hit .313 as an infielder. He was sent to Morgantown.
• Senior 1B Jordan "Zach" George of Akansas State had a 55 game on-base streak and was selected All-Sun Belt. The 35th round pick will start his career at Bristol.
• 36th round pick James Marvel, a junior RHP from Duke, was signed by the Bucs. He missed part of his sophomore year and all of this year due to Tommy John surgery, so it's all about projection at this spot. Prior to the injury, he started four games in 2014 and posted a 2-2 record with a 1.78 ERA, and as a freshman in 2013, Marvel went 4-2 with a 3.64 ERA. 
• Junior RHP Tate Scioneaux, a 39th rounder selected from Southeastern Louisiana, signed with the Bucs. He won 23 games as a starter for SEL, which appeared in the NCAA's in 2014 and won the Southland Conference crown this season. He was assigned to Morgantown.
• 40th round pick, LHP Daniel Zamora of Stony Brook, went 7-2 with a 3.03 ERA in 12 starts this year. The Pirates assigned the sophomore to Morgantown.
• Stetson C/OF Garrett Russini, who hit .272 his senior year, was signed as an undrafted FA and assigned to the GCL.

Draft Rounds 5-10

And the beat goes on:

Round 5: LHP Brandon Waddell, Virginia. The 21 year old junior is a southpaw who sits at 90 and has a slider & change. He had a breakout year in 2014, but suffered through big control issues this season, which hurt as he's more of a command pitcher than a guy with great stuff. Waddell's a pick based more on projectability than performance.

Round 6: RHP Jonathan Brubaker. The Akron Zip sits at 90 and touches 94 with his heater as part of a three pitch mix, posting a 5-4/3.36 mark for the Zips. JT is a 6'4" junior and is in this spot thanks to continued improvement on the hill as his ERA went down and his K's went up every season. He was listed as one of the MAC's top five pitchers by Matt Garrioch of Minor League Ball.

Round 7: 3B Mitchell Tolman. The Oregon junior can hit pretty well - .327 for the Ducks from the three hole, and never falling under .315 in his college years - and has a good eye, with more walks than whiffs. Otherwise, he's got an average set of physical tools, with gap but not long ball power. He's played second, too, and the Bucs may want to move him around some. Tolman has a engine that never stops running, and that fire has helped him play at a higher level than his tools suggest he should.

Mitchell Tolman already reps like a Buc (photo Tyson Alger/The Oregonian)

Round 8: RHP Seth McGarry of Florida Atlantic. The 21 year old junior reliever went 4-1-5 with a 2.25 ERA in 21 games, while striking out 35 batters and walking 14 in 44 IP for the Owls. He tosses a mid-90 fastball that touches 97 and slow (low 80s) slider combo. He had injuries in both 2103 and 2014, and that may be what landed him in the bullpen. Seth was though to be an early third day selection, but he was picked as one of the top 100 college juniors by Perfect Game and was on Baseball Draft's All-Conference prospect team..

Round 9: RHP Bret Helton from Utah. The junior started his college career as a two-way player before switching to the mound full time this season. He split his time between starting and the bullpen with some not-so-hot number over his career - 4-12/5.67 with 91 K in 127 IP. He tosses in the low 90s, topping out at 94 and has a strong cutter and curve. His dad is Barry Helton, who won a pair of Super Bowls while a SF Forty Niner.

Round 10: RHP Logan Sendelbach. The 6'3" Tiffin University junior led the staff with a 5-3 record, compiling a 2.83 ERA. In 57 IP, he struck out 50 and walked 29. That was good enough to earn him a spot on the All-Great Lakes Conference squad.

A couple of quick thoughts - Bunch of projects selected in these rounds, with McGarry, Tolman and Waddell looking like the top of the crop. But to go after a couple of the higher priced preppies, you have to cut back on the Top Ten budget, and the Bucs have followed that line since the pool was initiated.

More noticeable was that no prep pitchers and an overload of college players were picked, rubbing hard against the grain of former draft classes. The prep pitchers haven't really paid off for the FO, and it just may be that now that the Bucs are drafting later, they're adjusting their hit-or-miss projections for safer players. But it may just be the nature of this draft group; they certainly have had no problem selecting prep position players in the recent past. So it'll be interseting to see if their philosophy has made a U-turn or if it's just a function of talent availability.