Now that the smoke has cleared, what do the Bucs have? Well, one pretty dang nice draft class, for sure. They should; the $17M that the FO says it spent is an MLB record for one draft, easily whupping the old benchmark of $12M set last year by the Nats. And that's on top of the $30M they've shelled out from 2008-10.
The Bucs paid out two of their top four all-time bonuses to land Gerritt Cole and Josh Bell - the quartet are Cole ($8 M), Jameson Taillon ($6.5M), Pedro Alvarez ($6M) and Bell ($5M) - and got two of their top four prospects in exchange, as they join Taillon and Luis Heredia at the top of the list.
Cole ranked second in UCLA history with strikeouts (376), third in starts made (49) and fifth in
innings pitched (322-1/3). He was rated rated as having the "Best
Fastball" and "Changeup" among college pitchers according to ESPN.com. and is considered with his curve to have three plus pitches.
He could be a fast-track candidate. Scott Boras thinks he could be ready after a season, and his contract is worth $9M if he's in the bigs in 2013.
Bell hit .548 with 13 home runs, 54 RBI and runs scored as a senior this yearat Dallas
Jesuit (TX) High School. Baseball America rated him as the top corner outfielder and fifth-best position
player overall available in the draft. He's probably a Top 10 or 15 talent grabbed in the second round, and though the Bucs overpaid, they badly needed a big bat in the system.
We'd expect both guys to start at Low Class A West Virginia, although Cole could get a bump to High A Bradenton if the FO wants him in the fast lane.
Of course, to blow $17M, you have to sign more than a couple of guys, even if they are Boras clients. Third pick Alex Dickerson is a slugging first baseman, and they inked all ten top draftees this season, including six more high school pitchers and a college center fielder. Overall, they signed 24 players, the remainder college guys except for CF Candon Myles of South Grand Prairie HS.
Does this give the team a top feeder system? Well, not yet. But it's getting there; you'd have to think that with all the prep arms they've brought in that a couple will hit it big. And they doubled their number of elite prospects.
A couple of the prior high school kids are coming on, like Robbie Grossman, Colton Cain, Zack Von Rosenberg and Stetson Allie, though none are close yet. So the Bucs are building block by block, trying to speed it up a little by priming the pump. But it's hard to turn high school kids into pros on a dime; they don't know how much they don't know.
A little better evaluation of some player trades might have helped speed the process, but that's why they're called prospects instead of certainties. But the system is in much better shape than it was four years ago from the bottom up and has a couple stars in the making.
The theory is that it takes 5-7 years to rebuild a system, and it's holding true in Pittsburgh. 2014 is looking more and more like the year they're for real.
Showing posts with label pirate draft 2011. Show all posts
Showing posts with label pirate draft 2011. Show all posts
Tuesday, August 16, 2011
Bucs Land Cole And Bell To Cap Strong Draft
Hey, the future just got a heckuva lot brighter for Pittsburgh. According to Jon Heyman of Sports Illustrated, Neal Huntington signed top draftees Gerritt Cole and Josh Bell, making the 2011 draft perhaps the most productive on paper since the current FO took over in 2008. (Here's the Pirate release announcing the signings, including bios.)
And expensive. Say what you may about Bob Nutting, what he doesn't spend on the big league team is made up for with his draft bonuses. Heyman said Cole got $8M while other reports agree that Bell got $5M. The Bucs have spent somewhere in the neighborhood of $16.5M on this years draft according to Tim William's Pirates Prospects draft tracker, and there still may be signings that haven't been announced yet because of the Machiavellian system used by MLB. They overpaid for some guys, but they did reel them in.
But it's money well spent. Gerritt Cole joins Jameson Taillon and Luis Heredia as future ace material, and Bell is the biggest bat signed since Pedro. And with the new Collective Bargaining Agreement threatening to hard slot signing bonuses, this was possibly the Bucs' last chance to haul in high school talent. Six of their top nine picks were prep players, and Huntington landed every one.
While the hard-slotting possibility played a factor in the spending spree, the Bucs also considered that they're not likely to be in the among the first ten selections next season, and the 2012 draft position will cut down the talent pool available and so allow them to throttle back on the draft budget in the future; maybe they'll shift some of the money to Latin America.
Give the management types some props. This may be the best draft they've had since taking over. Last year, the FO added Taillon and Heredia, who may become difference makers, and this year they added Cole and Bell. And that's the kind of players the Bucs need to break their decades of funk.
And expensive. Say what you may about Bob Nutting, what he doesn't spend on the big league team is made up for with his draft bonuses. Heyman said Cole got $8M while other reports agree that Bell got $5M. The Bucs have spent somewhere in the neighborhood of $16.5M on this years draft according to Tim William's Pirates Prospects draft tracker, and there still may be signings that haven't been announced yet because of the Machiavellian system used by MLB. They overpaid for some guys, but they did reel them in.
But it's money well spent. Gerritt Cole joins Jameson Taillon and Luis Heredia as future ace material, and Bell is the biggest bat signed since Pedro. And with the new Collective Bargaining Agreement threatening to hard slot signing bonuses, this was possibly the Bucs' last chance to haul in high school talent. Six of their top nine picks were prep players, and Huntington landed every one.
While the hard-slotting possibility played a factor in the spending spree, the Bucs also considered that they're not likely to be in the among the first ten selections next season, and the 2012 draft position will cut down the talent pool available and so allow them to throttle back on the draft budget in the future; maybe they'll shift some of the money to Latin America.
Give the management types some props. This may be the best draft they've had since taking over. Last year, the FO added Taillon and Heredia, who may become difference makers, and this year they added Cole and Bell. And that's the kind of players the Bucs need to break their decades of funk.
Tuesday, June 7, 2011
The Draft Goes On...
6th round: Dan Gamache, 3B (Auburn) Hit .299/5/29 for the Dawgs. The junior had hammy problems early in the season and a hand injury during the latter stages. Good D, good speed, not much power.
7th round: Jake Burnette, RHP (Buford HS - GA) 6'4", 175 pounds, fastball is 88-91 MPH and he throws three pitches. He has a scholarship to Georgia Tech.
8th round: Jason Creasy, RHP (Clayton HS - NC) Tall (6'4"), he throws in the upper eighties. Creasy was signed by NC State.
9th round: Clayton Holmes, RHP (Slocomb HS - AL) Good value pick; he was ranked 140th by Baseball America. Holme's a big kid (6'5", 210) whose heater hits 90-93, but he has control issues and funky mechanics. His college commitment is to Auburn.
10th round: Taylor Lewis, CF (Maine) Lefty speedster, hit .287 and stole 20 bases. Line drive, gap-style hitter who is a good fielder with an average arm.
11th round: Jo-El Bennett-Lowe, CF (Houston Academy - AL) He hit .421 with seven homers in 2010 (can't find 2011 stats). Lowe signed with Troy.
12th round: Candon Myles, CF (South Grand Prairie HS - TX) Great base stealer with 30 this season and hit .500; also football QB. He signed with Howard College to play baseball.
13th round: Brandon Platts, RHP (Mason City HS - IA) Another big pitcher, 6'4", 215 lbs, throws three pitches. He's committed to Mizzou.
14th round: Jordan Dunatov, CF (Horizon HS - AZ) He's a 6'5" outfielder/pitcher with a power arm & bat; the Pirates chose him as a position player. He's an Oregon State recruit.
15th round: Kody Watts, RHP (Skyview HS - WA) 90-92 MPH fastball, plus curve. He's fairly highly rated, and has a scholarship to Portland.
16th round: Eric Scoglund, LHP (Sarasota HS - FL) Has a high eighties heater and good curve, but broke a finger during the season. He's a Central Florida signee.
17th round: Aaron Brown, OF (Chatsworth HS - CA) Lefty contact hitter, college may polish his swing. He's a Pepperdine recruit.
18th round: Josh Poytress, LHP (Fresno State) The southpaw was 7-3 with a 2.85 ERA in his junior year; may stay in college for a better draft slot in 2012.
19th round: Mike Nunez, RHP (Salmen HS - LA) 6'4" and lanky, he throws 87-88 and is considered projectable because of his frame. He's committed to Southern Miss.
20th round: Trea Turner, SS (Park Vista HS - FL) Hey, a middle infielder, whatta ya know? He hit .456 and is a NC State recruit.
21st round: Alex Fuselier, OF (Louisiana Lafayette) The LH junior hit .308 with 14 stolen bases as the Cajuns' leadoff hitter.
22nd round: Michael Jefferson, LHP (Louisiana Tech): The senior was the ace of the staff, with a 6-4 record and 3.56 ERA, holding opponents to a .223 batting average. He has a 90 MPH fastball and slow curve.
23rd round: Jordan Cooper, RHP (Kentucky) The Bucs must like him; they originally drafted him in 2009. A sophomore, he's likely to pass again.
24th round: Brian Sharp, SS (California Baptist) He was the conference Player of the Year twice. The junior hit .352 and stole 31 bases this season.
25th round: Josh Martin, RHP (Samford) A 6'5" junior swingman, he went 6-2 with a 2.76 ERA.
26th round: Nick Flair, SS (Belle Chasse HS - LA) He hit .619/11/56 and was the Metro Player of the Year. Flair signed with LSU - Eunice.
27th round: Ryan Hornback, C (San Jacinto JC) Offensive-minded catcher, was drafted last year and passed. He's an Ol' Miss recruit.
28th round: Brandon Zajac, LHP (Walker Valley HS - TN) Throws a 93 MPH heater with a curve and change. He has a commitment to Tennessee.
29th round: Kirk Singer, SS (Long Beach State) The line on the junior: strong arm, plus defender, questionable stick.
30th round: Matt Benedict, RHP (Western Carolina) The senior was 2-4 with a 4.01 ERA
7th round: Jake Burnette, RHP (Buford HS - GA) 6'4", 175 pounds, fastball is 88-91 MPH and he throws three pitches. He has a scholarship to Georgia Tech.
8th round: Jason Creasy, RHP (Clayton HS - NC) Tall (6'4"), he throws in the upper eighties. Creasy was signed by NC State.
9th round: Clayton Holmes, RHP (Slocomb HS - AL) Good value pick; he was ranked 140th by Baseball America. Holme's a big kid (6'5", 210) whose heater hits 90-93, but he has control issues and funky mechanics. His college commitment is to Auburn.
10th round: Taylor Lewis, CF (Maine) Lefty speedster, hit .287 and stole 20 bases. Line drive, gap-style hitter who is a good fielder with an average arm.
11th round: Jo-El Bennett-Lowe, CF (Houston Academy - AL) He hit .421 with seven homers in 2010 (can't find 2011 stats). Lowe signed with Troy.
12th round: Candon Myles, CF (South Grand Prairie HS - TX) Great base stealer with 30 this season and hit .500; also football QB. He signed with Howard College to play baseball.
13th round: Brandon Platts, RHP (Mason City HS - IA) Another big pitcher, 6'4", 215 lbs, throws three pitches. He's committed to Mizzou.
14th round: Jordan Dunatov, CF (Horizon HS - AZ) He's a 6'5" outfielder/pitcher with a power arm & bat; the Pirates chose him as a position player. He's an Oregon State recruit.
15th round: Kody Watts, RHP (Skyview HS - WA) 90-92 MPH fastball, plus curve. He's fairly highly rated, and has a scholarship to Portland.
16th round: Eric Scoglund, LHP (Sarasota HS - FL) Has a high eighties heater and good curve, but broke a finger during the season. He's a Central Florida signee.
17th round: Aaron Brown, OF (Chatsworth HS - CA) Lefty contact hitter, college may polish his swing. He's a Pepperdine recruit.
18th round: Josh Poytress, LHP (Fresno State) The southpaw was 7-3 with a 2.85 ERA in his junior year; may stay in college for a better draft slot in 2012.
19th round: Mike Nunez, RHP (Salmen HS - LA) 6'4" and lanky, he throws 87-88 and is considered projectable because of his frame. He's committed to Southern Miss.
20th round: Trea Turner, SS (Park Vista HS - FL) Hey, a middle infielder, whatta ya know? He hit .456 and is a NC State recruit.
21st round: Alex Fuselier, OF (Louisiana Lafayette) The LH junior hit .308 with 14 stolen bases as the Cajuns' leadoff hitter.
22nd round: Michael Jefferson, LHP (Louisiana Tech): The senior was the ace of the staff, with a 6-4 record and 3.56 ERA, holding opponents to a .223 batting average. He has a 90 MPH fastball and slow curve.
23rd round: Jordan Cooper, RHP (Kentucky) The Bucs must like him; they originally drafted him in 2009. A sophomore, he's likely to pass again.
24th round: Brian Sharp, SS (California Baptist) He was the conference Player of the Year twice. The junior hit .352 and stole 31 bases this season.
25th round: Josh Martin, RHP (Samford) A 6'5" junior swingman, he went 6-2 with a 2.76 ERA.
26th round: Nick Flair, SS (Belle Chasse HS - LA) He hit .619/11/56 and was the Metro Player of the Year. Flair signed with LSU - Eunice.
27th round: Ryan Hornback, C (San Jacinto JC) Offensive-minded catcher, was drafted last year and passed. He's an Ol' Miss recruit.
28th round: Brandon Zajac, LHP (Walker Valley HS - TN) Throws a 93 MPH heater with a curve and change. He has a commitment to Tennessee.
29th round: Kirk Singer, SS (Long Beach State) The line on the junior: strong arm, plus defender, questionable stick.
30th round: Matt Benedict, RHP (Western Carolina) The senior was 2-4 with a 4.01 ERA
Bucco Rounds 3-5
The Pirates took Alex Dickerson in the third round, an outfielder from Indiana. He was the Big Ten Triple Crown winner and Player of the Year in 2010, but a back injury limited him to not-too-shabby .367/9/49 line in 2011. Dickerson holds the Hoosier career HR mark with 47.
He's not very fast, and the lefty projects as a first baseman in the show. Dickerson was ranked #42 by Baseball America, so Pittsburgh now has drafted three of the top fifty prospects according to the magazine. Dickerson is a senior and should come to terms quickly enough to play some ball this summer.
The Bucs seemed to reach a bit in the fourth round, taking RHP Colten Brewer of Canton HS in Texas, unranked by BA. He was 8-1 with an 1.36 ERA in 56-2/3 innings, walking 20 and whiffing 89. Brewer has a sinking heater, thrown around 90-92, but has yet to develop a dependable breaking pitch. He's a big kid that the Bucs would take on as a development project. The righty has a commitment to Weatherly JC, so he should be signable.
In the fifth round, the Buccos opted for 6'7" RHP Tyler Glasnow, of Hart HS. His stat line is 8-1 with an 1.25 ERA in 67 innings in 2011, with a 99K's and 40 walks. The big guy is only 17, and can already bring it 92-93 MPH. He has a commitment to Portland, and will require overslot to sign.
-- The Mets took Cory Mazzoni of NC State early in the second round. He was the Player of the Year for Seneca Valley HS in 2007, when as a junior he led the Raiders to the state championship. He was 4-6 with a 3.61 ERA and 116 strikeouts in 100 innings with the Wolfpack.
-- The Nats keep going big-time; they selected LHP Matt Purke of TCU in the third round to go with Anthony Rendon. Ted Lerner must be related to Midas.
-- The Brewers chose RHP Andrew Gagnon in the third round. He was drafted in the 10th round by the Pirates in 2008 as a high schooler but opted to attend Long Beach State.
-- Justin Bianco, a CF'er for Peters Township HS, was a third round pick of the Arizona Diamondbacks. The lefty was a Pitt recruit and helped take the Indians to the WPIAL AAAA championship game. He had a batting line of .582/2/29 this year.
-- The Dodger's claimed Plum's RHP Scott McGough, drafted by the Pirates in the 46th round of 2008 when he was a prep player, but who went on to Oregon instead. The junior reliever was 3-6-5 with a 3.59 ERA and 62 K's in 57-2/3 innings. McGough is a fastball (92-94)/slider pitcher.
He's not very fast, and the lefty projects as a first baseman in the show. Dickerson was ranked #42 by Baseball America, so Pittsburgh now has drafted three of the top fifty prospects according to the magazine. Dickerson is a senior and should come to terms quickly enough to play some ball this summer.
The Bucs seemed to reach a bit in the fourth round, taking RHP Colten Brewer of Canton HS in Texas, unranked by BA. He was 8-1 with an 1.36 ERA in 56-2/3 innings, walking 20 and whiffing 89. Brewer has a sinking heater, thrown around 90-92, but has yet to develop a dependable breaking pitch. He's a big kid that the Bucs would take on as a development project. The righty has a commitment to Weatherly JC, so he should be signable.
In the fifth round, the Buccos opted for 6'7" RHP Tyler Glasnow, of Hart HS. His stat line is 8-1 with an 1.25 ERA in 67 innings in 2011, with a 99K's and 40 walks. The big guy is only 17, and can already bring it 92-93 MPH. He has a commitment to Portland, and will require overslot to sign.
-- The Mets took Cory Mazzoni of NC State early in the second round. He was the Player of the Year for Seneca Valley HS in 2007, when as a junior he led the Raiders to the state championship. He was 4-6 with a 3.61 ERA and 116 strikeouts in 100 innings with the Wolfpack.
-- The Nats keep going big-time; they selected LHP Matt Purke of TCU in the third round to go with Anthony Rendon. Ted Lerner must be related to Midas.
-- The Brewers chose RHP Andrew Gagnon in the third round. He was drafted in the 10th round by the Pirates in 2008 as a high schooler but opted to attend Long Beach State.
-- Justin Bianco, a CF'er for Peters Township HS, was a third round pick of the Arizona Diamondbacks. The lefty was a Pitt recruit and helped take the Indians to the WPIAL AAAA championship game. He had a batting line of .582/2/29 this year.
-- The Dodger's claimed Plum's RHP Scott McGough, drafted by the Pirates in the 46th round of 2008 when he was a prep player, but who went on to Oregon instead. The junior reliever was 3-6-5 with a 3.59 ERA and 62 K's in 57-2/3 innings. McGough is a fastball (92-94)/slider pitcher.
Day Two - Bucs Take Bell
Round two begins; the Pirates have some interesting and talented choices available to them; TCU's injured Matt Purke and preppies Josh Bell and Daniel Norris, both who swore they were gonna honor their college commitments.
All three want big dollars; LHP Purke is said to want early first-round money in spite of his bum wing, and so do the high school kids. OF Bell was looking for Jameson Taillon money ($6.5M) while LHP Norris was said to be seeking $4M. But this is possibly the last draft year without a slot, so we'll see what the Bucs' budget dictates; we realize it's not limitless.
It's a hard call; on one side, they will drop a considerable percentage of their allotted 2011 draft dollars on Gerrit Cole while on the other, it's maybe the last chance to steal some talent. They did drop over $2M on Stetson Allie in the second round in 2010. And hey, if they don't sign the kid they want, the team will get a compensatory pick next year.
At noon, the Bucs selected...Josh Bell. The Texas high schooler (Jesuit College Prep) signed with the University of Texas and was said to have sent the MLB offices a letter saying was he was committed to Austin. His HS line in 2011 was .548/13/54.
He's a switch-hitter who has plus average/power from both sides and is thought to be the best HS bat in the draft. Bell has an average arm and speed, so he projects as a corner outfielder, where his glove is considered average/above average.
He has huge upside. In this draft, he was rated a top 25, first round player. Bell is exactly the kind of kid the Pirates need in their system, although he's probably unsignable - if college wasn't enough, he's also a Scott Boras client. But hey, we'll see what becomes of it. Nothing ventured, nothing gained.
All three want big dollars; LHP Purke is said to want early first-round money in spite of his bum wing, and so do the high school kids. OF Bell was looking for Jameson Taillon money ($6.5M) while LHP Norris was said to be seeking $4M. But this is possibly the last draft year without a slot, so we'll see what the Bucs' budget dictates; we realize it's not limitless.
It's a hard call; on one side, they will drop a considerable percentage of their allotted 2011 draft dollars on Gerrit Cole while on the other, it's maybe the last chance to steal some talent. They did drop over $2M on Stetson Allie in the second round in 2010. And hey, if they don't sign the kid they want, the team will get a compensatory pick next year.
At noon, the Bucs selected...Josh Bell. The Texas high schooler (Jesuit College Prep) signed with the University of Texas and was said to have sent the MLB offices a letter saying was he was committed to Austin. His HS line in 2011 was .548/13/54.
He's a switch-hitter who has plus average/power from both sides and is thought to be the best HS bat in the draft. Bell has an average arm and speed, so he projects as a corner outfielder, where his glove is considered average/above average.
He has huge upside. In this draft, he was rated a top 25, first round player. Bell is exactly the kind of kid the Pirates need in their system, although he's probably unsignable - if college wasn't enough, he's also a Scott Boras client. But hey, we'll see what becomes of it. Nothing ventured, nothing gained.
Monday, June 6, 2011
Cole It Is
At 7:08, the Bucs selected RHP Gerrit Cole of UCLA, as widely predicted. Welcome to the club; nice rotation falling in place for 2013-14 if the stars align right.
The big story is Anthony Rendon's free-fall. The slugging third baseman was selected sixth by the Nats, behind high school CF'er Bubba Starling, after being pretty much anointed the consensus two pick by the draft pundits. That bum shoulder sure lightened his pocketbook.
His medical reports must have been worrisome, but obviously not to Washington. In the past three years, they've added Steven Strasburg, Bryce Harper & Anthony Rendon to their system, and that's a handful of talent. Don't forget that with Ryan Zimmerman at third, they could slide him to second without a worry.
The Pirates are done for tonight; they lead off tomorrow with the first pick of the second round, number sixty-one overall.
The big story is Anthony Rendon's free-fall. The slugging third baseman was selected sixth by the Nats, behind high school CF'er Bubba Starling, after being pretty much anointed the consensus two pick by the draft pundits. That bum shoulder sure lightened his pocketbook.
His medical reports must have been worrisome, but obviously not to Washington. In the past three years, they've added Steven Strasburg, Bryce Harper & Anthony Rendon to their system, and that's a handful of talent. Don't forget that with Ryan Zimmerman at third, they could slide him to second without a worry.
The Pirates are done for tonight; they lead off tomorrow with the first pick of the second round, number sixty-one overall.
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