The Pittsburgh Pirates have signed their 30th round pick from this year’s amateur draft, left-handed pitcher Will Kendall out of Auburn. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.
Kendall was a junior this season, coming off Tommy John Surgery, which cut short an impressive sophomore season. He was 4-0, 1.88 in six starts and three relief appearances when the injury occurred last year. Kendall had a .226 BAA and 1.02 WHIP last season, though he had just 19 strikeouts in 38.1 innings. As a freshman, he really struggled in his limited time out of the bullpen. In five games, he gave up 16 hits and nine walks over 12.1 innings.
This year, he had the starting job early, then lost it after an 0-5, 7.54 start. In 22.2 innings, Kendall showed an improvement with 17 strikeouts, but was also hit fairly hard, leading to a .315 BAA and 7.54 ERA.
The Pirates have now signed 21 players from this year’s draft class.
