We are now just four days away from the draft, as college teams wrap up their weekend of tournament play. The Pittsburgh Pirates have two high draft picks this Thursday night, so we take a look at some of the players they might consider, as well as notes on a former Pirates draft pick, along with some draft notes below.
From Saturday night, Ryne Stanek and Arkansas, defeated Wichita State by a 3-1 score. He threw 7.1 innings, giving up one run on two hits. Stanek had some control issues despite the strong results, issuing six walks, while striking out three batters. The run came on a solo homer. He threw 114 pitches on the night, 67 for strikes. Stanek got 12 groundball outs and six outs in the air.
He started the season ranked near the top of the draft class, mentioned as a potential #1 pick by a few sources early on. Stanek had some issues with consistency during the season, often running up his pitch counts and limiting his innings. So far this season, he has gone 10-2, 1.39 in 97.1 innings over 16 starts. He has allowed 72 hits and 41 walks, with 79 strikeouts and a .207 BAA. He has been mentioned as a possible pick for the Pirates a few times, including one recent mock draft(see below).
Kris Bryant and San Diego, won their second straight game tonight, beating Cal Poly by an 8-5 score. Bryant went 1-for-3, walking twice and scoring two runs. He is hitting .335 in 61 games, with 31 homers, the most in college baseball. He has 62 RBI’s and 80 runs scored.
Third baseman Colin Moran went 1-for-4, with a walk and RBI, as his team lost 3-2 to Florida Atlantic. North Carolina had a no-hitter going through six innings, but a three-run seventh inning put them a run down and they were unable to come back. The RBI for Moran was his 85th of the season. He also committed his eighth error of the year.
Hunter Renfroe and Mississippi State, took on Central Arkansas tonight. He ended up going 1-for-4 tonight, as his team lost 5-2, their first loss of the tournament. His hit was a single and he is now hitting .345 this year.
Dace Kime from Louisville, threw 4.2 innings today against Oklahoma State. The 2010 draft pick of the Pirates, finished up allowing three runs on eight hits and four walks, striking out four batters. Louisville relievers ended up throwing 4.1 scoreless innings and the bats came alive for 12 runs in the win. Kime threw 98 pitches, 53 for strikes. He has a 3.14 ERA in 66 innings this year, with 79 strikeouts.
Draft Notes
Baseball America has started posting their state-by-state draft reports. California like usual, is a very deep class, with nine rated among the top 32 best players. Another five players on that list have been mentioned as possible first round picks in recent mock drafts. For fans of local players, the state of Pennsylvania has five players ranked in the top 500 and ten other players of note listed.
Sports Illustrated posted their own mock draft, with scout Dave Perkin making the selections. He has the Pirates taking Reese McGuire with the ninth pick and Ryne Stanek five picks later. McGuire has been the popular choice among many experts recently, so that is a strong possibility. One thing Perkin has, is Braden Shipley going tenth overall. He would be someone the Pirates would have to take a long look at if he fell to them. Most feel Shipley will go in the 6-8 range. He has established himself as the third best college pitcher in this draft class.
