Some afternoon draft notes as I take a break from writing up my draft rankings article. Hat tip to Bucs Dugout and our own Matt Bandi for pointing out a few of these.
**A few conflicting reports on Deven Marrero. Dejan Kovacevic mentions in his chat today that the Pirates will not take Marrero. Keith Law was asked about Dejan’s comment in his chat, and said this was incorrect. Law has been saying that Marrero isn’t a lock, but he points out that Neal Huntington flew to meet with Marrero, which doesn’t usually mean they have no intention of taking a player.
**Kiley McDaniel mentions that prep third baseman Joe DeCarlo is receiving compensation or second round interest from teams, and that the Pirates are one of those teams. DeCarlo was rated the 287th best prospect by Baseball America. He’s a shortstop with a plus arm, but profiles more as a third baseman. He’s got solid power and a good frame at 6′ 0″, 205 pounds.
**Jim Callis has previously mentioned the possibility of Mike Zunino falling to the Pirates with the eighth pick. He said the same thing today on TribLIVE radio. As for as a mixture of talent and need, Zunino would be the best case scenario in this draft for the Pirates. He’s a good hitter, and a good defensive catcher. The Pirates lack catching depth in the system, with Tony Sanchez being the best bet for a two-way option. They also lack strong hitting prospects. Zunino would fill both needs, and is one of the best available on the board, making this a situation where the Pirates would be drafting for talent and filling a need in the process.
