Jonathan Mayo has released his latest mock draft, this time previewing the first 20 picks in the draft. Last time he had Deven Marrero going to the Pirates. This time he’s got prep left hander Max Fried.
This is the first mock draft from Mayo, Keith Law, or Baseball America that has had someone other than Marrero. Mayo mentions that the talk of Marrero going to the Pirates hasn’t gone away, but adds that his hitting issues this season, plus the Pirates’ tendency to go for high upside arms, could justify this pick.
The top seven in order were Mark Appel, Byron Buxton, Mike Zunino, Kevin Gausman, Kyle Zimmer, Albert Almora, and Carlos Correa. If that was the top seven in the actual draft, I’d probably prefer Fried over Marrero, although I don’t think Marrero would be as big of a reach as he would over Almora, and I’d definitely take Correa if he fell to eighth.
Tim started Pirates Prospects in 2009 from his home in Virginia, which was 40 minutes from where Pedro Alvarez made his pro debut in Lynchburg. That year, the Lynchburg Hillcats won the Carolina League championship, and Pirates Prospects was born from Tim's reporting along the way. The site has grown over the years to include many more writers, and Tim has gone on to become a credentialed MLB reporter, producing Pirates Prospects each year, and will publish his 11th Prospect Guide this offseason. He has also served as the Pittsburgh Pirates correspondent for Baseball America since 2019. Behind the scenes, Tim is an avid music lover, and most of the money he gets paid to run this site goes to vinyl records.
Is the last sentence english? If so, what does it mean?
This is who i would take if I had the choice…his curveball looks unhittable and he has good velocity now at 92-94 mph..and he is LEFT HANDED..
I’d draft Bryce Harper cousin, if he has any.
If we take another prep pitcher I am going to lose it.
There are not a lot of bats, especially college bats, in this draft worthy of taking at 1-8. It’s not a great draft in general, especially compared to last year. The Pirates have to hope one of the above listed 7 falls to them (someone will do something wacky).
If not, I would be fine with Fried. I can’t get excited about Marrero.
The Pirates will just have to load up on bats later in the draft, especially 1S and Round 2.
Hey, remember the Steeler philosophy. Take the best athlete available. We suddenly have a bunch of Major League pitching talent and some very close to coming from the minors as well. Just because Huntington is not pulling the trigger now on a trade does not mean something nice will not happen in July. No one will give up much now in a trade simply cause the contenders are not desperate enough to give up anything to grab a pitcher. Everyone wants to see what they have first in house. When it does not work, then look outside. Someone will want Bedard or Hanrahan or Burnett or Lincoln or a combination of some relievers and starters. Whether or not we compete this year or even hit the magical .500 is not as important as when we make a trade now it is not for just a short term piece. We still need some long term answers. You look short term if you think you can compete for a championship not just looking to make .500