The Pittsburgh Pirates have drafted right-handed pitcher Jonathan Brubaker from Akron in the sixth round. Brubaker wasn’t in the Baseball America top 500, and there wasn’t a ton of information on him. He seems to go by “JT”. He tops out at 94 MPH with his fastball, and flashes a plus slider, although both pitches have been inconsistent. He’s got an easy delivery and clean mechanics.
At this point in the draft, you’re basically drafting tools that you can develop. Brubaker is 6′ 4″, 175 pounds and can touch mid-90s, so he’s your typical projectable pick. The slider gives him a potential out pitch. The Pirates tend to draft the fastball and the frame, with the hope that they can develop the secondary stuff and teach good fastball command.
Expect Brubaker to go to Morgantown, where he will likely get a lot of innings in the rotation to work on his game. He will join fellow day two picks Jacob Taylor and Brandon Waddell in that rotation once he signs. It’s possible that this will be an under-slot signing (slot is $246,500), aimed at saving money for an over-slot guy on day three. There have been reports that he could develop into a back of the rotation starter, although the fastball/slider combo definitely gives him a backup to be a reliever if the changeup doesn’t work out.
