Baseball America released their 2013 draft grades, and the Pittsburgh Pirates topped the list as having the best draft this year. These grades are extremely preliminary, as they only involve half a season of results, and ultimately a draft is graded based on how many major leaguers it produces. But for now it’s good to see the Pirates off to a hot start.
Austin Meadows, taken ninth overall by the Pirates, was named the third best pure hitter in the draft. The outfielder was also graded as having the best pro debut of all high school players in the draft, and he was named fourth closest to the majors of high school picks. Meadows combined for a .316/.424/.554 line in 177 at-bats between the GCL and the NYPL, hitting seven homers in the process.
Reese McGuire, taken 14th overall, was named the best defensive player in the draft due to his skills behind the plate. McGuire was also graded with the fifth best pro debut of high school picks. McGuire hit for a .323/.380/.380 line in 192 at-bats between the GCL and the NYPL. He also threw out 44% of base stealers in 41 attempts.
The draft grade is heavily based on Meadows and McGuire, but there were other players that contributed to a strong class. 16th round pick Billy Roth was named the fourth best late-round pick. The right-handed pitcher had a 3.26 ERA in 19.1 innings in the GCL, with a 10:9 K/BB ratio.
