- Round 3 - Fresno State OF Jordan Luplow. He was the Mountain West Player of the Year with a .470 BA in 30 conference games. He's considered a steady rather than especially toolsy player.
- Round 4 - Florida C Taylor Gushue. He was a three year starter for the Gators and the switch-hitter batted .320 with 49 RBIs in 62 games. He's pretty athletic, and has an average arm but with a quick release.
- Round 5 - Florida Gulf Coast University OF Michael Suchy. He hit .318 with eight homers and 49 RBIs in 60 games. Suchy is a big guy - 6'4", 230 lbs - who runs well, has a strong arm, and K's a lot.
- Round 6 - RHP Tyler Eppler from Sam Houston State University. He has a a 6'5" frame, which put him on the Bucco radar. Eppler, despite his size and low nineties heat, is a pitch to contact guy who put up a 3.20 ERA this season and a 9-6 record.
- Round 7 - SS Nelson Jorge of Puerto Rico's International Baseball Academy. The switch hitter sprays liners and is both speedy and a good fielder. Perfect Game sums him up as a "Nice all around player who flashes all the tools." At 18, he's the only non-collegiate pick of the day.
- Round 8 - RHP Austin Coley of Belmont University. He throws in the low nineties and was 5-1 with a 2.92 ERA for the Bruins. At 6'3", he passed the Pirate eyeball test.
- Round 9 - C Kevin Krause from Stony Brook. He was named a Louisville Slugger third-team All-America after hitting hit .354 with eight home runs and 51 RBI. He can also play the outfield.
- Round 10 - RHP Alex McRae from Jacksonville University. He went 5-7 with a 6.06 ERA, and is obviously a guy the Bucs think is projectionable. McRae is 6-3, throws in the low nineties and has a workable slider as his toolkit.
Showing posts with label pirate draft 2014. Show all posts
Showing posts with label pirate draft 2014. Show all posts
Friday, June 6, 2014
Second Day Selections: Rounds 3-10
First Day...One Pick Away
The Pirates pulled a couple of unexpected moves to open the draft, picking prep SS Cole Tucker and OF Connor Joe.
They went more traditional in the following selections, taking a pair of prep pitchers with big frames and big fastballs, Mitch Keller and Trey Supak. They were both taken where expected, and they both fit the Pirate profile, even if Pittsburgh hasn't had much luck developing high school pitchers.
The Pirates reached for their first two picks. The real puzzler is Joe. He was a catcher at San Diego after converting from first base. His bat profiles pretty well for a catcher, with good plate discipline, gap power and a respectable average.
But the Pirates announced that they plan to use him as an outfielder. He projects not so well there (or at first) because of a lack of power and pretty average physical tools. The organization is already knee deep in solid prospects for the pasture, and if they wanted to add to that position, a more toolsy guy, Monte Harrison, was available at that spot.
Personally, we would have taken another prep kid at that slot, Jacob Gatewood, who is a little raw but has the toolkit to be projected as a third baseman with power. But the Bucs picked neither, and we think that pick, with what was available, made the first day a disappointment.
Tucker paired with Gatewood would have addressed positions of need - just about anywhere in the infield - and with the two young fireballers would have made for a strong opening round, at least in potential. But they opted not to go that way. We don't particularly see where Joe fits in organizationally, and that awkward choice gets the Bucs out of the box pretty slowly for the 2014 draft.
There may be a plan in place, and maybe the first two choices were made because the Pirates weren't first-round impressed with the players available at their #24 spot, and opted to get a couple of guys that could help build up the pool so they could at least dabble with some quality depth later. So we'll see what they have up their sleeve in the next couple of days.
They went more traditional in the following selections, taking a pair of prep pitchers with big frames and big fastballs, Mitch Keller and Trey Supak. They were both taken where expected, and they both fit the Pirate profile, even if Pittsburgh hasn't had much luck developing high school pitchers.
The Pirates reached for their first two picks. The real puzzler is Joe. He was a catcher at San Diego after converting from first base. His bat profiles pretty well for a catcher, with good plate discipline, gap power and a respectable average.
But the Pirates announced that they plan to use him as an outfielder. He projects not so well there (or at first) because of a lack of power and pretty average physical tools. The organization is already knee deep in solid prospects for the pasture, and if they wanted to add to that position, a more toolsy guy, Monte Harrison, was available at that spot.
Personally, we would have taken another prep kid at that slot, Jacob Gatewood, who is a little raw but has the toolkit to be projected as a third baseman with power. But the Bucs picked neither, and we think that pick, with what was available, made the first day a disappointment.
Tucker paired with Gatewood would have addressed positions of need - just about anywhere in the infield - and with the two young fireballers would have made for a strong opening round, at least in potential. But they opted not to go that way. We don't particularly see where Joe fits in organizationally, and that awkward choice gets the Bucs out of the box pretty slowly for the 2014 draft.
There may be a plan in place, and maybe the first two choices were made because the Pirates weren't first-round impressed with the players available at their #24 spot, and opted to get a couple of guys that could help build up the pool so they could at least dabble with some quality depth later. So we'll see what they have up their sleeve in the next couple of days.
The Nightcap...Trey Supak
With their final selection of the evening, the Pirates took prep pitcher Trey Supak at #73. He's an 18 year old, 6'5" 210 pound righty, ranked at #99 by Baseball America. Supak's projections are anywhere from a two-to-four starter, so it's probably safe to say the Pirates are looking at another mid-rotation arm.
From LaGrange High in Texas, his fastball sits in the low nineties and his off speed pitches, as is true for many high school pitchers, show potential but need work. One problem is that his heater doesn't have much movement, so his command has to be pinpoint.
But he does have a good base to work from; his mechanics are clean and he has the downward plane that the Bucs love. Jim Benedict and company are pretty good at teaching folk a two seamer, so maybe he'll develop a fastball with hops.
He also has a commitment to local Houston, and it may take a sweet offer to get him to give it up. His allotment is $772,000; we'll see if something in that range is sweet enough.
From LaGrange High in Texas, his fastball sits in the low nineties and his off speed pitches, as is true for many high school pitchers, show potential but need work. One problem is that his heater doesn't have much movement, so his command has to be pinpoint.
But he does have a good base to work from; his mechanics are clean and he has the downward plane that the Bucs love. Jim Benedict and company are pretty good at teaching folk a two seamer, so maybe he'll develop a fastball with hops.
He also has a commitment to local Houston, and it may take a sweet offer to get him to give it up. His allotment is $772,000; we'll see if something in that range is sweet enough.
Mitch Keller In the Second Round
With their #64 pick, the Bucs selected pitcher Mitch Keller from Xavier High School in Iowa. He was chosen in just about the right spot, ranked #76 by Baseball America and considered a second round candidate. He's a 6'3" 200 pound righty.
Keller went 5-5 with a 1.72 ERA and 91 strikeouts in 69-1/3 innings for Xavier. He jumped on the radar after his fastball touched 95 mph and sat in the low nineties during Perfect Game USA's National Pre-Draft Showcase, with a serviceable curve and a raw change up. He's projected as a number three pitcher.
He may be take some work to sign. Keller has an advisor, Jason Wood, who is the agent of his older brother, Jon, a minor league pitcher in the Oriole organization, and a commitment to North Carolina. So he has some leverage and knowledge, but sounds like he's ready to begin his pro career. His slot is $886,800, and the Pirates may have some play money to add if it's needed.
Keller went 5-5 with a 1.72 ERA and 91 strikeouts in 69-1/3 innings for Xavier. He jumped on the radar after his fastball touched 95 mph and sat in the low nineties during Perfect Game USA's National Pre-Draft Showcase, with a serviceable curve and a raw change up. He's projected as a number three pitcher.
He may be take some work to sign. Keller has an advisor, Jason Wood, who is the agent of his older brother, Jon, a minor league pitcher in the Oriole organization, and a commitment to North Carolina. So he has some leverage and knowledge, but sounds like he's ready to begin his pro career. His slot is $886,800, and the Pirates may have some play money to add if it's needed.
Thursday, June 5, 2014
Next...Connor Joe
With their #39 sandwich pick from the Marlins for Bryan Morris, the Bucs pulled another surprise and selected C/1B Connor Joe.
Like Cole Tucker, Baseball America had the six foot, 205 pound 21 year old simmering on the back burner, ranked as #102 on their draft board. He was considered a high second-rounder in a couple of publications, so he's seemingly not so far a reach in this round, although Jacob Greenwood, an infielder that could have helped solidify the Pirate depth chart, was bypassed and taken two picks later by the Brewers.
Joe was San Diego's first baseman as a sophomore in 2013, but this year he made the transition to catcher. The changeover began last summer in the Cape Cod League, where he made All-Star. He wasn't quite a star behind the dish for the Toreros, throwing out just 3-of-23 base stealers.
But he was named the West Coast Conference Player of the Year; his glove may be suspect at this point, but his bat plays. Joe batted .367 with 21 doubles, two triples, nine home runs and led the WCC in RBI with 51. He was also in the running for both the Golden Spike and Johnny Bench Awards.
He's more of a gapper than a long ball threat, and the righty shows great discipline at the plate. Joe drew more walks (18) than whiffs (11) last season. The Pirates will try to keep him behind the dish until he proves himself one way or another, and he can always return to first if that doesn't work out.
This pick was based solely on Joe's stick, which is pretty strong for a catcher. But he has to prove he can stick at the position. Physically and power-wise, he's much better suited to play behind the plate than at first base. Of course, the Pirates list him as an OF/1B, so we'll see where they intend to use him. The 39th selection is worth $1,457,600, and again, the Pirates may be looking for some loose change to spread out in later rounds.
Like Cole Tucker, Baseball America had the six foot, 205 pound 21 year old simmering on the back burner, ranked as #102 on their draft board. He was considered a high second-rounder in a couple of publications, so he's seemingly not so far a reach in this round, although Jacob Greenwood, an infielder that could have helped solidify the Pirate depth chart, was bypassed and taken two picks later by the Brewers.
Joe was San Diego's first baseman as a sophomore in 2013, but this year he made the transition to catcher. The changeover began last summer in the Cape Cod League, where he made All-Star. He wasn't quite a star behind the dish for the Toreros, throwing out just 3-of-23 base stealers.
But he was named the West Coast Conference Player of the Year; his glove may be suspect at this point, but his bat plays. Joe batted .367 with 21 doubles, two triples, nine home runs and led the WCC in RBI with 51. He was also in the running for both the Golden Spike and Johnny Bench Awards.
He's more of a gapper than a long ball threat, and the righty shows great discipline at the plate. Joe drew more walks (18) than whiffs (11) last season. The Pirates will try to keep him behind the dish until he proves himself one way or another, and he can always return to first if that doesn't work out.
This pick was based solely on Joe's stick, which is pretty strong for a catcher. But he has to prove he can stick at the position. Physically and power-wise, he's much better suited to play behind the plate than at first base. Of course, the Pirates list him as an OF/1B, so we'll see where they intend to use him. The 39th selection is worth $1,457,600, and again, the Pirates may be looking for some loose change to spread out in later rounds.
And It's...Cole Tucker
Well, the Bucs threw a bit of a change up to the local mock draft community, GW included, and selected 17 year old SS Cole Tucker in the first real reach of the draft. Baseball America had him ranked #84, so Pittsburgh's brass saw something the others didn't in the lanky infielder.
He played on 2013's gold medal 18-and-under U.S. National Team and had a strong showing in the recent National High School Invitational games, which may have helped pump up his draft slot. Many thought that higher rated Jacob Gatewood or Monte Harrison would be the Pirate selection. Neal Huntington said “We felt he was...the best player available for our board. We did not think he would get to us at 39." Take that, BA!
Tucker is 6'4", 185 pounds, comes out of Mountain Pointe HS in Arizona, and he has a commitment to Arizona. The switch hitter batted .404 with eight doubles, four triples, five HRs, 30 RBI & 13 stolen bases this past season. Like Neil Walker, he's a better hitter from the left side than the right; his swing gets long against lefties.
For a tall kid, he's more a gap guy than banger, though with that frame, you can probably project some power to come with maturity. He's also shown some versatility, playing both second and the outfield, although he is projected to be able to stick at short. His arm is strong and his speed is average, but with an excellent first step in the field.
The basis for the pick is probably projectabilty; he's young and has a frame that should carry some extra muscle as he gets older. He's also a fit for a Bucco need; they're awfully thin in middle infielders, especially in the upper levels. And we can't forget the Pirate preference to go over slot with later picks; they might be able to shave a few shekels from their first round allotment of $1,925,500. If nothing else, they probably won't have any signing issues with Tucker.
He played on 2013's gold medal 18-and-under U.S. National Team and had a strong showing in the recent National High School Invitational games, which may have helped pump up his draft slot. Many thought that higher rated Jacob Gatewood or Monte Harrison would be the Pirate selection. Neal Huntington said “We felt he was...the best player available for our board. We did not think he would get to us at 39." Take that, BA!
Tucker is 6'4", 185 pounds, comes out of Mountain Pointe HS in Arizona, and he has a commitment to Arizona. The switch hitter batted .404 with eight doubles, four triples, five HRs, 30 RBI & 13 stolen bases this past season. Like Neil Walker, he's a better hitter from the left side than the right; his swing gets long against lefties.
For a tall kid, he's more a gap guy than banger, though with that frame, you can probably project some power to come with maturity. He's also shown some versatility, playing both second and the outfield, although he is projected to be able to stick at short. His arm is strong and his speed is average, but with an excellent first step in the field.
The basis for the pick is probably projectabilty; he's young and has a frame that should carry some extra muscle as he gets older. He's also a fit for a Bucco need; they're awfully thin in middle infielders, especially in the upper levels. And we can't forget the Pirate preference to go over slot with later picks; they might be able to shave a few shekels from their first round allotment of $1,925,500. If nothing else, they probably won't have any signing issues with Tucker.
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