The MLB draft has always been the biggest event on this site. The site always sees a big boost in readers during the draft, and many of you decide to stick around each year, growing the audience for the future. We thank you for that. As the site has grown, the coverage of the draft has also grown. So to help you out, here is a guide for how to follow the draft on Pirates Prospects, both on draft day and after the draft is over.
Leading Up to the Draft
All of our draft coverage to date can be found in the 2014 Draft section of the site. We’ve been keeping track of the 2014 draft for most of the last year, so you can go back and see how the rankings have changed and how players have looked at different points throughout the year.
You can also check out our Top 100 Tiered Rankings to get an idea of the talent that will be available when the Pirates pick. We also have a Draft Primer, previewing the early picks and the talent available for the Pirates.
Also, we have a special 2014 draft sale in our store, where you can get a discount on the 2014 Prospect Guide, or Pirates Prospects shirts. Just use the code “2014DRAFT” when ordering and you can save 24% off your order!
The Days of the Draft
You can follow the draft on MLB.com, which will have a live stream all three days. Here is the schedule for each day.
Thursday – Rounds 1-2 (7 PM)
Friday – Rounds 3-10 (1 PM)
Saturday – Rounds 11-40 (1 PM)
We will be following along with each pick. John Dreker and I will be discussing the draft on Twitter, so follow us on there for input (@timwilliamsP2 and @JohnDreker). Also, while you’re at it, follow the site account (@pirateprospects). You can also follow the site on Facebook. I can’t promise I’ll be updating the Facebook page with my thoughts during the draft, but it will alert you whenever there’s a new article posted on the site, including player pages for each draft pick.
When the Pirates make a pick, we will post an article to the site with information and analysis on the selection. We will also post their player page on the site, giving a scouting report, stats, and any other information we can find on the pick. You can check that out by visiting the player page section, linked here, or found by clicking “Player Pages” at the top of any page.
At the end of each day we will be analyzing the draft, and will have complete recaps on all of the picks that day. We will also preview days two and three, updating the draft boards and looking at who is left after the dust settles from days one and two.
After the Draft
When the draft is over, the coverage picks up. The draft pick signing deadline is July 18th at 5 PM. Bookmark the 2014 Draft Pick Signing Tracker to keep track of all of the picks that have signed. You can also use the tracker to see how much the Pirates have remaining in their bonus pool, and how much over-slot money they have remaining before any draft pick penalties.
When players have agreed to sign, or officially sign, we will report the news on the site. Each year we break more draft signings than any other outlet, so most of the time you’ll hear about draft signings here before anywhere else. You can follow the signings, and any other transaction in the system, on the transactions section of the site.
Tim started Pirates Prospects in 2009 from his home in Virginia, which was 40 minutes from where Pedro Alvarez made his pro debut in Lynchburg. That year, the Lynchburg Hillcats won the Carolina League championship, and Pirates Prospects was born from Tim's reporting along the way. The site has grown over the years to include many more writers, and Tim has gone on to become a credentialed MLB reporter, producing Pirates Prospects each year, and will publish his 11th Prospect Guide this offseason. He has also served as the Pittsburgh Pirates correspondent for Baseball America since 2019. Behind the scenes, Tim is an avid music lover, and most of the money he gets paid to run this site goes to vinyl records.
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