The Pirates announced some draft signings yesterday. Inked and assigned were LHP Cody Dickson, (4th round, Sam Houston State), RHP Chad Kuhl, (9th round, Delaware),
and IF Beau Wallace (12th round, Hinds CC).
The 17th, 18th, and 19th round picks - RHP Justin Topa
(LIU-Brooklyn), OF Jeff Roy (Rhode Island) and RHP Brett
McKinney (Ohio State) - also signed, along with IF Michael Fransoso (27th round, Maine). Those six will report to the Jamestown Jammers, the college-level rookie league.
IF Adam Landecker (21st round, Southern Cal), LHP Cameron Griffin (23rd round, Stetson)
and OF Justin Maffei, (25th round) also inked deals and will report to
the rookie ball Gulf Coast League.
According to Baseball America's Draft Database, Dickson signed for $375,000 (slot - $429,200) and Kuhl for $145,200, exactly at slot. They also show thirteenth round pick Danny Collins, a slugging 1B from Troy, as signed, but that's not been confirmed by the Pirates.College guys don't have a lot of leverage, unless they're willing to take the Mark Appel route; the high school kids have options, so they come along a little later.
Other reports from either the social or mainstream media claim that another handful of high-round guys are actively negotiating with the Bucs. We'd expect them to do pretty well in cleaning up the Top Ten guys; afterward, it gets a little dicey, depending on the remaining over/under pool money.
Showing posts with label pirate draft 2013. Show all posts
Showing posts with label pirate draft 2013. Show all posts
Friday, June 14, 2013
Friday, June 7, 2013
And the Draft Rolls On...Rounds 3-10
3rd round/87th overall: OF JaCoby Jones (LSU). The kid can fly, with a line was .273 BA, 38 runs, 10 doubles, 5 home runs, 29 RBIs and 12 stolen
bases in 15 tries; he also struck out at a 40% rate for the Tigers. Jones plays second for LSU, but the Bucs announced they were projecting him as a CF'er. He's a choice based mostly on impressive physical tools rather than performance.
4th round/119th overall: LHP Cody Dickson (Sam Houston State). Tall, projectable lefty...sound familiar? He throws a low nineties fastball that touches 95, a plus curveball and a changeup that could become a plus pitch. Jones has had control issues during his career, with a 9-5/4.26 ERA but averaging a K per frame. He's another fairly hard throwing southpaw the Bucs have added to the organization in a draft that was supposed to be deep in LHP, a need for Pittsburgh's lower levels.
5th round/149th overall: SS Trae Arbet (Great Oaks HS). Arbet was named a second-team high school All-American by Rawlings and considered one of the top ten SS in the draft, although scouts aren't sure if he can hang there or will have to move to second. He hit .309 with eight doubles, two triples and two homers, but his stick is a question mark at the pro level, with a long swing and mainly gap power.
6th round /179th overall: SS Adam Frazier (Mississippi State). He hit .352 with 16 doubles and six triples, but is pretty much a singles guy at the dish, having never homered in a college game. Frazier's calling card is his mitt; he led the SEC with 210 assists and took part in 54 DP, making the SEC's all-defense team, but is considered more reliable more than rangy. He projects as a potential utility player.
7th round/209th overall: RHP Buddy Borden (UNLV). MLB.com's report is "His fastball in the low-90s and has been clocked as high as 96 mph. Borden also throws a curveball and a changeup, both of which have the potential to be Major League-average offerings." He was 8-1/2.19 in a breakout junior campaign and was selected as the Mountain West's Co-Pitcher of the year with Nevada Reno's Braden Shipley. Borden has to develop both his offspeed pitches to stick as a starter.
8th round/239th overall: RHP Neil Kozikowski (Avon Old Farms HS). He's a 6'3" projectable pitcher (surprise), with a fastball timed in the upper eighties that's hit 90, and he also throws a change and slider/cutter. Connecticut isn't exactly a baseball hotbed, so we'll see what develops.
9th round/269th overall: RHP Chad Kuhl (Delaware). He's 6'3" and features a sinker in the low nineties. What more do you need to know? Oh, OK - Kuhl tosses a change and a curve also, and went 10-2/3.75 for the Blue Hens.
10th round/299th RHP Shane Carle (Cal State - Long Beach). He's 6'4" and his bread and butter is a sinking fastball - you've heard this before? - that sits in the upper eighties but can hit 94. Carle's off speed stuff isn't considered MLB quality, so he looks like a guy who's headed to the bullpen.
Today should set up some over slot selections for tomorrow; looks like there will be a few guys here that the Pirate FO can sign on the cheap to leave some play money in the pool, which is how they rolled with the new draft rules last season.
4th round/119th overall: LHP Cody Dickson (Sam Houston State). Tall, projectable lefty...sound familiar? He throws a low nineties fastball that touches 95, a plus curveball and a changeup that could become a plus pitch. Jones has had control issues during his career, with a 9-5/4.26 ERA but averaging a K per frame. He's another fairly hard throwing southpaw the Bucs have added to the organization in a draft that was supposed to be deep in LHP, a need for Pittsburgh's lower levels.
5th round/149th overall: SS Trae Arbet (Great Oaks HS). Arbet was named a second-team high school All-American by Rawlings and considered one of the top ten SS in the draft, although scouts aren't sure if he can hang there or will have to move to second. He hit .309 with eight doubles, two triples and two homers, but his stick is a question mark at the pro level, with a long swing and mainly gap power.
6th round /179th overall: SS Adam Frazier (Mississippi State). He hit .352 with 16 doubles and six triples, but is pretty much a singles guy at the dish, having never homered in a college game. Frazier's calling card is his mitt; he led the SEC with 210 assists and took part in 54 DP, making the SEC's all-defense team, but is considered more reliable more than rangy. He projects as a potential utility player.
7th round/209th overall: RHP Buddy Borden (UNLV). MLB.com's report is "His fastball in the low-90s and has been clocked as high as 96 mph. Borden also throws a curveball and a changeup, both of which have the potential to be Major League-average offerings." He was 8-1/2.19 in a breakout junior campaign and was selected as the Mountain West's Co-Pitcher of the year with Nevada Reno's Braden Shipley. Borden has to develop both his offspeed pitches to stick as a starter.
8th round/239th overall: RHP Neil Kozikowski (Avon Old Farms HS). He's a 6'3" projectable pitcher (surprise), with a fastball timed in the upper eighties that's hit 90, and he also throws a change and slider/cutter. Connecticut isn't exactly a baseball hotbed, so we'll see what develops.
9th round/269th overall: RHP Chad Kuhl (Delaware). He's 6'3" and features a sinker in the low nineties. What more do you need to know? Oh, OK - Kuhl tosses a change and a curve also, and went 10-2/3.75 for the Blue Hens.
10th round/299th RHP Shane Carle (Cal State - Long Beach). He's 6'4" and his bread and butter is a sinking fastball - you've heard this before? - that sits in the upper eighties but can hit 94. Carle's off speed stuff isn't considered MLB quality, so he looks like a guy who's headed to the bullpen.
Today should set up some over slot selections for tomorrow; looks like there will be a few guys here that the Pirate FO can sign on the cheap to leave some play money in the pool, which is how they rolled with the new draft rules last season.
Thursday, June 6, 2013
Bucs Add LHP Blake Taylor
The Pirates last pick of the evening, #51 overall in the second round, was LHP Blake Taylor from Dana Hills High in California. He's another in a line of big - 6'3", 220 lbs - projectable pitchers the FO loves, even if he put up a 2-3 record and 2.57 ERA in 11 HS appearances. His school finished last in its conference, so it's not like he had a lot of support.
He has two pitches, a fastball that sits 88-92 MPH and touches 95, which is pretty nice velocity for a young southpaw, and a curve that's good now and on track to became an above average pitch. The 17 year old will have to come up with a third pitch; he throws an occasional changeup now.
Taylor worked on a strict pitch count in school - he sat out 2012 because he transferred - so hasn't worked many innings, and sometimes encounters control problems. But fastball command is the first item on the agenda for all young Pirate pitchers, and learning a changeup is generally second, so those aren't huge concerns to the front office.
The Pirates picked him right about where he was projected by the draft services, and he does have a scholarship in hand to Hawaii as leverage. He's projected as a potential mid-rotation guy, and the Pirates aren't overloaded with LHP in their lower levels, so he's a pretty solid selection. But he will be a project, and it would be a plus for both sides to get him signed quickly for some rookie ball exposure in the GCL.
It's been a night for preppies, reaffirming the Pirates commitment to trawling for upside and stocking players for the long haul.
He has two pitches, a fastball that sits 88-92 MPH and touches 95, which is pretty nice velocity for a young southpaw, and a curve that's good now and on track to became an above average pitch. The 17 year old will have to come up with a third pitch; he throws an occasional changeup now.
Taylor worked on a strict pitch count in school - he sat out 2012 because he transferred - so hasn't worked many innings, and sometimes encounters control problems. But fastball command is the first item on the agenda for all young Pirate pitchers, and learning a changeup is generally second, so those aren't huge concerns to the front office.
The Pirates picked him right about where he was projected by the draft services, and he does have a scholarship in hand to Hawaii as leverage. He's projected as a potential mid-rotation guy, and the Pirates aren't overloaded with LHP in their lower levels, so he's a pretty solid selection. But he will be a project, and it would be a plus for both sides to get him signed quickly for some rookie ball exposure in the GCL.
It's been a night for preppies, reaffirming the Pirates commitment to trawling for upside and stocking players for the long haul.
The Envelope, Please...Meadows & McGuire In the First Round
The picks before the Bucs, who are at #9 and #14 in tonight's first round:
1 - RHP Mark Appel (Stanford) to the Astros;
2 - 3B Kris Bryant (San Diego) to the Cubs;
3 - RHP Jonathan Gray (Oklahoma) to the Rockies;
4 - RHP Kohl Stewart (St. Pius X HS) to the Twins;
5 - OF Clint Frazier (Loganville HS) to the Indians;
6 - 3B Colin Moran (North Carolina) to the Marlins;
7 - LHP Trey Ball (New Castle HS) to the Red Sox;
8 - SS Hunter Dozier (Stepen Austin) to the Royals, in the first stretch of the night; he was considered a marginal first round talent.
And the Bucs picked *tada* Austin Meadows, a high school outfielder from Grayson HS in Georgia. The 18 year old lefty is big (6'3", 210) and raw, and requires some coaching up, but was considered by many services to be a potential top five selection. MLB Network's John Hart compared him to Jay Bruce.
He doesn't come with a blowout five tool package, but across the board all his tools are above average to plus, making him a pretty complete player. Meadows is a kid that should bat for average (he hit .535 with 14 doubles, a triple, four HRs and 28 RBI as a senior) and power. He's considered a top notch defender with a chance to stick in center field (he may grow into a corner OF'er), owning the kind of profile that the Pirates look for in their OF candidates. In comparing him to the Pirates' last high round OF prep selection Josh Bell, Jim Callis of Baseball America tweeted that Bell has a better bat, but Meadows has better all-around tools.
The draft went on:
10 - RHP Phil Bickford (Oaks Christian HS) to the Blue Jays;
11 - 1B Dominic Smith (Serra HS) to the Mets;
12 - 1B/3B DJ Peterson (New Mexico) to the Mariners;
13 - OF Hunter Renfroe (Mississppi State) to the Padres.
The Bucs next pick was catcher Reese McGuire from Kentwood High School in Washington, who many had going to Pittsburgh as the ninth selection, so the brass should be happy with their early haul. Meadows fell to them yet they still got their original man. He hit .436 with 13 doubles, three triples, four home runs and 20 RBI in his final prep season. McGuire is also an 18 year old lefty hitter (throws right) who is 6'1", 210 pounds.
He was thought to be by many the top catching prospect in the 2013 draft class, athletic, good technically behind the plate, blessed with a rocket arm and has been calling his own games throughout HS. McGuire will also take some time to percolate through the system.
Now comes the hard part - signing them. Neither will be cheap, and both have major college scholarships in their pockets. The slot amount for Meadows is $3,029,600, and for McGuire it's $2,569,800, so let's hope that's in their price range...but don't be surprised if it's not, especially in Meadows' case.
The Pirates continued their quest for upside players rather than going the safer college route. There's more risk and time involved from draft to the show for prep players, but it's the road that the smaller revenue clubs have to travel to become successful.
1 - RHP Mark Appel (Stanford) to the Astros;
2 - 3B Kris Bryant (San Diego) to the Cubs;
3 - RHP Jonathan Gray (Oklahoma) to the Rockies;
4 - RHP Kohl Stewart (St. Pius X HS) to the Twins;
5 - OF Clint Frazier (Loganville HS) to the Indians;
6 - 3B Colin Moran (North Carolina) to the Marlins;
7 - LHP Trey Ball (New Castle HS) to the Red Sox;
8 - SS Hunter Dozier (Stepen Austin) to the Royals, in the first stretch of the night; he was considered a marginal first round talent.
And the Bucs picked *tada* Austin Meadows, a high school outfielder from Grayson HS in Georgia. The 18 year old lefty is big (6'3", 210) and raw, and requires some coaching up, but was considered by many services to be a potential top five selection. MLB Network's John Hart compared him to Jay Bruce.
He doesn't come with a blowout five tool package, but across the board all his tools are above average to plus, making him a pretty complete player. Meadows is a kid that should bat for average (he hit .535 with 14 doubles, a triple, four HRs and 28 RBI as a senior) and power. He's considered a top notch defender with a chance to stick in center field (he may grow into a corner OF'er), owning the kind of profile that the Pirates look for in their OF candidates. In comparing him to the Pirates' last high round OF prep selection Josh Bell, Jim Callis of Baseball America tweeted that Bell has a better bat, but Meadows has better all-around tools.
The draft went on:
10 - RHP Phil Bickford (Oaks Christian HS) to the Blue Jays;
11 - 1B Dominic Smith (Serra HS) to the Mets;
12 - 1B/3B DJ Peterson (New Mexico) to the Mariners;
13 - OF Hunter Renfroe (Mississppi State) to the Padres.
The Bucs next pick was catcher Reese McGuire from Kentwood High School in Washington, who many had going to Pittsburgh as the ninth selection, so the brass should be happy with their early haul. Meadows fell to them yet they still got their original man. He hit .436 with 13 doubles, three triples, four home runs and 20 RBI in his final prep season. McGuire is also an 18 year old lefty hitter (throws right) who is 6'1", 210 pounds.
He was thought to be by many the top catching prospect in the 2013 draft class, athletic, good technically behind the plate, blessed with a rocket arm and has been calling his own games throughout HS. McGuire will also take some time to percolate through the system.
Now comes the hard part - signing them. Neither will be cheap, and both have major college scholarships in their pockets. The slot amount for Meadows is $3,029,600, and for McGuire it's $2,569,800, so let's hope that's in their price range...but don't be surprised if it's not, especially in Meadows' case.
The Pirates continued their quest for upside players rather than going the safer college route. There's more risk and time involved from draft to the show for prep players, but it's the road that the smaller revenue clubs have to travel to become successful.
Draft Day Is Here
Yep, it's tonight. The 2013 First-Year Player Draft will kick off with the Draft preview show on the MLB
Network at 6, with round 1-3 beginning at 7. Rounds 3-10 will be on Friday, and
Rounds 11-40 will be on Saturday.
The Pirates have $8,884,600 to work with, divvied up like this:
You remember how that works; the total for the 10-round pool is the key number, not the slots. If you don't sign someone, his slotted pool money is subtracted from the pot. So the FO has $8.88M to work with if they sign all 11 of their top picks, less if they don't. Guys signed after the 10th round max out at $100K; any bonus over that is subtracted from the top ten pool. Go over that limit and the penalties are pretty draconian.
The players available are a mixed bag. It's not a particularly deep draft, so the Pirates have a lot of possibilities with the ninth and 14th picks.
Among the college guys who may fall within the Bucs draft range are third baseman Colin Moran of NC and New Mexico's DJ Peterson, both described as pure hitters. Indiana State southpaw Sean Manaea, whose stock has fallen a bit, and OF Hunter Renfroe of Mississippi State, a RH power guy, are also in the mix. Two other college arms, RH Ryne Stanek of Arkansas and Braden Shipley of Nevada, are also possibilities. College players are the safer selections because of their track record and they're on a faster track to the show.
But the greater upside is with the high school guys. The question is do the Pirates want to continue to spend years in development before getting a finished product? It worked out pretty well for Cutch and Neil Walker, but there are a lot of prep horror stories in the Pittsburgh draft annuls. And even the best have a four or five year incubation period. Walker spent six years in the system before cracking the lineup in 2010 and it took Cutch four years to nail down his MLB gig.
High school outfielders Clint Frazier and Austin Meadows, catcher Reese McGuire, LHP Trey Ball, and SS JP Crawford are guys who are mentioned as players the Bucs have been scouting, and 1B Dominic Smith is another name to watch.
It'll be interesting. We think the Bucs may work on building position depth this year, both because of the pitching talent available and the state of their system; they could particularly use corner guys and a SS. But a lot will depend on who falls when and where, especially in a year when there is no real clear cut talent tiers.
The Pirates have $8,884,600 to work with, divvied up like this:
| Round | Overall | Slot |
|---|---|---|
| 01 | 009 | $3,029,600 |
| 01 | 014 | $2,569,800 |
| 02 | 051 | $1,065,400 |
| 03 | 087 | $612,000 |
| 04 | 119 | $429,200 |
| 05 | 149 | $321,400 |
| 06 | 179 | $240,600 |
| 07 | 209 | $180,400 |
| 08 | 239 | $155,400 |
| 09 | 269 | $145,200 |
| 10 | 299 | $135,600 |
The players available are a mixed bag. It's not a particularly deep draft, so the Pirates have a lot of possibilities with the ninth and 14th picks.
Among the college guys who may fall within the Bucs draft range are third baseman Colin Moran of NC and New Mexico's DJ Peterson, both described as pure hitters. Indiana State southpaw Sean Manaea, whose stock has fallen a bit, and OF Hunter Renfroe of Mississippi State, a RH power guy, are also in the mix. Two other college arms, RH Ryne Stanek of Arkansas and Braden Shipley of Nevada, are also possibilities. College players are the safer selections because of their track record and they're on a faster track to the show.
But the greater upside is with the high school guys. The question is do the Pirates want to continue to spend years in development before getting a finished product? It worked out pretty well for Cutch and Neil Walker, but there are a lot of prep horror stories in the Pittsburgh draft annuls. And even the best have a four or five year incubation period. Walker spent six years in the system before cracking the lineup in 2010 and it took Cutch four years to nail down his MLB gig.
High school outfielders Clint Frazier and Austin Meadows, catcher Reese McGuire, LHP Trey Ball, and SS JP Crawford are guys who are mentioned as players the Bucs have been scouting, and 1B Dominic Smith is another name to watch.
It'll be interesting. We think the Bucs may work on building position depth this year, both because of the pitching talent available and the state of their system; they could particularly use corner guys and a SS. But a lot will depend on who falls when and where, especially in a year when there is no real clear cut talent tiers.
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