The Pittsburgh Pirates drafted RHP Neil Kozikowski from Avon Old Farms School in the eighth round of the MLB draft. Kozikowski is a 6′ 4″, 180 pound RHP with a commitment to VCU. He throws his fastball 86-88 MPH, topping out at 90, and has touched 92 MPH with a tall, projectable frame and clean arm action. He has a changeup with late sink, and a solid slider.
Kozikowski wasn’t ranked by Baseball America in the top 500. He has a college commitment, but seems like a reach for the top ten rounds. It seems that the Pirates are saving money at this pick. If they do the same with the next two picks, they could spend around $500,000 after the 10th round on over-slot picks. If they also wanted to go up to 4.9% over their bonus pool they could spend close to $1 M in over-slot picks. We’ll have to see what happens with the next picks. UPDATE: Thinking about it more, Kozikowski has a good commitment, is a projectable arm, and has already touched 92. It seems less likely that he’d be under slot, and more likely that he’d require the full slot amount.
Here is a video of Kozikowski:
