Tuesday Draft Signings

• Per Jim Callis of MLB.com: Second-rounder Matt Gorski, Indiana OF, signed with the Pirates for $1M (slot value was $1,243,600). Callis writes that he's got a chance to be 20-20 CF with a solid arm.
• Supplemental second rounder, Houston 3B Jared Triolo agreed to a $870,700 (full slot value).
• Third round Arizona CF Matt Fraizer inked a $525K deal (slot value was $610,800). He hit .412/.452/.565 in injury-shortened season.
• LHP Nick Lodolo of TCU signed with the Reds for $5,432,400. The Pirates drafted him in 2016 out of HS in the second round and offered him $1.75M per reports, the max they had available remaining in the pool, so he made a wise financial choice to pass.
• Per the Tribune Review's Kevin Gorman, the Pirates also signed seventh-rounder USC OF Blake Sabol; Sacramento State eighth-rounder RHP Austin Roberts and 10th-rounder Cameron Junker, RHP from Notre Dame. No numbers are out on them.

All six players were assigned to the Pirates’ Class A short-season affiliate, the West Virginia Black Bears of the NY-PA League.

Draft Last Day: The Preppies & the Dark Horses

The slot for the third day's lucky winners is $125,000. It's rare for anyone but early picks & HS overdrafts to sniff that amount. Here are a few of the third-day grabs who stand out:

• Toledo Central Catholic HS (OH) CF Jase Bowen, a two-sport speedster w/a two-sport commitment to Michigan State. (11th round)
• IF Aaron Shackelford of Masters U (CA) led the NAIA with 36 HR/99 RBI this year and was the NAIA PoY. (14th round)
• C Eli Wilson of the Minnesota Gophers was taken in the 16th round. Eli's claim to fame is being the is the son of old Mariner C Dan Wilson, who strapped it on for 14 seasons. (16th round)
• The big kahuna is CF Jasiah Dixon of Orange Lutheran HS (CA), who was ranked in BA's Top 200. He's committed to Southern Cal, and unless the Bucs free up bunch of bucks, that's where he'll be next season. (23rd round)

The other guys who were Pirates prep picks were:

• RHP Ryan Harbin of Bartow HS (FL), who is committed to State College of Florida.  (17th round)
• 1B/C Will Simpson of Skyline HS (WA), who is a Washington State commit. (18th round)
• 1B/OF/RHP Deion Walker of Hillgrove HS (GA). He's headed to Chattahoochee Valley CC. (35th round)
• LHP Chris Gordon of Liberty Christian Academy (VA) with a commitment to Liberty U. (39th round)

Their chances depend on what it costs the Bucs to sign the head-of-the-list gang, determining the money in play for the pups. The Pirates, btw, chose 17 pitchers (just three lefties) and six catchers as they look to restock the battery positions.

Draft Day Two (Rounds 3-10) A Crop of College Kids

TODAY'S PICKS:

CF Matt Frazier of Arizona went in the third round ($610,100; slot # 95). He's coming off a broken hand suffered in March; he didn't come back until May, so the Bucs may have stolen a stick here. Matt was originally taken in the late rounds of 2016 out of HS by the A's but went to 'Zona instead.

RHP JC Flowers of Florida State was picked in the fourth round ($460,000; slot #124). He touches 96 and is projected as a reliever. JC was an all-around guy; he also played center field and was a wide receiver for the football squad. (EDIT - the Bucs plan to use him as a starter)

RHP Grant Ford of Nevada was chosen in the fifth round ($343,400; slot #154). He's also projected to be a bullpen arm, which is where he played exclusively in 2019. Grant broke out after a wild child 2018 season, finding his command this season.

RHP Will Matthiesen of Stanford was taken in sixth round ($263,700; slot #184). He in the Pirates classic mold as a twirler at 6'-7". He's another tosser that spent most of his time as a reliever, though The Cardinal transitioned him into a starting role as this season went on. Will's handy with the lumber; he was also a DH and hit over .300. Clint do love to pinch hit his pitchers... (EDIT - In fact, the Pirates plan to use him as an OF'er)

C Blake Sabol of Southern Cal was the seventh round pick ($206,500; slot #214). He's a .270 hitter who's athletic; he played in the outfield some in 2018 before taking over the catcher's job full time. Blake looks like another glove-first receiver, fitting the Pirates schematic. He was drafted late in 2016 by the Indians, opting for the Trojans instead.

RHP Austin Roberts of Sacramento State was next up, picked on the eighth round ($168,500; slot #244). He's closed and started for the Hornets; the Bucs are sure looking hard at college bullpen guys today, trying, we assume, to shore up an organizational thin spot.

SS Ethan Paul of Vandy checked in as the ninth round ($152,300; #274) choice. Interesting pick; the Pirates drafted him last year in the 26th round and couldn't sign him. They like him; we'll see how he likes them (or more specifically, their offer, tho as a senior, he doesn't have much leverage). He played three years at second, sliding over to short in 2019, where he looked solid (he came to Vandy as a SS). Paul hit .325 as a senior, so he's not all leather.

RHP Cameron Junker was the tenth round ($143,900; #304) selection that closed out the day. He was a true starter for the Irish and halved his ERA this season after having a very good 2018 in Cape Cod (6-1/2.28 in eight starts). He's a pitch-to-contact guy; we'll see if he's a late bloomer or not.

Draft Night: HS Hotshots, College Bats on First Day

And with their first selection (#18 overall) the Pirates pick...RHP Quinn Priester. A multi-sport high school kid (he's 18) w/a four-seamer, two-seamer and big curve, the Cary-Grove (IL) HS hurler is committed to TCU. He's 6'-3", 200 pounder who throws in the low-to-mid 90's and touches 96-97. Quinn fills up the strike zone and has an easy, repeatable three-quarter delivery, so while raw, he's not a total project. The Pirates apparently had him on their short list; several sources had him linked to the Bucs. Priester's projected as a middle-of-the-pack starter. The slot value for this position is $3,481,300.

Quinn Priester photo via Pittsburgh Pirates

At #37 in the compensation round, the Bucs went for OF Sammy Siani, 18, from Philly's Penn Charter HS (PA). The LH is a Duke commit and the brother of Reds minor-league CF Michael Siani, a 4th rounder last year. Siani's not the biggest guy (5'-11", 170 lbs) but is speedy and should be able to hold down CF, can run the bases, steal a few sacks and is a gap hitter who is expected to grow into some power. Slot value for the comp round is $1,999,300.

In the second round, at selection #57, Pittsburgh took Indiana OF Matt Gorski. The 6'-4",195 lb, junior hit .279 while slugging .516 w/12 home runs, and has speed, pop and a good arm. He was a reach in this round, so it's likely he's going to an get under-slot bonus; the slot value for this pick is $1,243,600.

The competitive balance round, #72 on the board, was used on Houston 3B Jared Triolo, the highest-drafted Cougar since Brad Lincoln was selected fourth overall in 2006 by the Pirates, and hopefully he has a little more impact. He's a big guy at 6'-3", 212 lbs, and hit .332 with seven home runs; the Bucs hope to free up some more power from his stick. The slot value for this spot is $870,700; like Gorski, he was taken a round or two sooner than projected.

Second chance pays off: LHP Nick Lodolo passed on the Pirates out of high school as the 41st overall pick in 2016 to attend TCU. Looks like a good choice; the Reds selected Lodolo with the #7 pick of the first round last night; that should bump his bonus nicely.