Four mock drafts have been updated today, with Baseball America, Baseball Prospectus, Jonathan Mayo, and Keith Law all weighing in for the final time. There has only been one trend in each mock draft: the top seven players will all be gone before the Pirates pick. Mark Appel, Byron Buxton, Kevin Gausman, Mike Zunino, Carlos Correa, Kyle Zimmer, and Albert Almora have been off the board in each mock draft when the Pirates pick eighth.
Jim Callis of Baseball America had David Dahl going to the Pirates with the eighth pick. After originally picking Deven Marrero, Keith Law now agrees that Dahl will be the pick. Kevin Goldstein feels that Mike Zunino could fall to the Pirates, while Jonathan Mayo has Max Fried as the pick.
It seems that there is one general agreement here. If one of Mike Zunino or Albert Almora fall to the Pirates, the Pirates will take that player. That hasn’t happened in any of the mock drafts, with the exception of Goldstein’s, but that’s not to say it can’t happen tonight. After that, it looks like David Dahl has moved up as the top candidate to be taken tonight.
Dahl is a left-handed hitting center fielder with plus speed, a plus arm, and good power potential. He profiles similar to Almora, although Almora is a better bet for power, and has the edge with his work ethic and instincts. Dahl has drawn comparisons to Andy Van Slyke.
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.
why was he never mentioned before this…what made the jump
I mentioned him as a third tier guy in my rankings. I also talked about him in my article in the Prospect Guide. He’s one of those players that is on the same talent level as guys like Fried and Marrero. There’s not much difference between the 8-19 guys, in my opinion, so it comes down to a matter of preference.
I was just thinking about something you said a few weeks ago about how something really small change the perception on a prospect..like Lucas giolito he has an elbow SPRAIN…there is no reason to pass on him…the UCL was not ruptured and he was managed appropriately and shut down for the season…this happens all the time to pitchers and there is a large body of evidence to guide rehabilitation and to say he will be ok
It seems the issue now is Giolito’s asking price. He’s in a good position to ask for a lot, as there’s teams in the middle of the draft with a lot of comp. picks who can move money around easier. Take Toronto, for example. They pick 17th, but they have $8.8 M to spend in the draft, thanks to 5 picks before the second round. If Giolito is looking for top of the first round money, around $5 M, it would be easier for them to make that happen. Same with the Cardinals. They pick 19th, but have $9.1 M to spend thanks to five picks before the second round.
I have this feeling the giolito and fried are going to make their choice together as they are from the same HS and both going to UCLA