Baseball America has released their first mock draft for the 2013 draft. We’re a month away from the actual draft, so a lot will probably change between now and then. The Pirates pick 9th and 14th in the draft, and Baseball America has them taking two college players with the picks.
With the ninth pick, the Pirates are projected to take Colin Moran, third baseman from the University of North Carolina. Jim Callis notes that the Pirates were on Moran more than most teams in high school. He also notes that Trey Ball and Reese McGuire are being mentioned at number nine.
The 14th pick is interesting. The Pirates are projected to take Sean Manaea, who is a college pitcher that was seen to be a potential first overall pick in this year’s draft. Manea is a Scott Boras client, and has seen his stock fall due to his stuff seeing a drop off this year. Callis notes that the Pirates could take Trey Ball at number nine and go with a college bat like Mississippi State outfielder Hunter Renfroe or Notre Dame third baseman Eric Jagielo. Renfroe is projected to go 15th overall.
One interesting player in the draft is Austin Meadows. Baseball America has him dropping to 12th overall. He opened the year as the top high school talent in the draft, but has dropped in the rankings due to low power production. He could still be a five tool talent, and would be very tempting for the Pirates if he was available at number nine.
