The Pittsburgh Pirates have drafted high school right-handed pitcher Travis MacGregor in the second round of the 2016 draft. This is the second prep pitcher the Pirates have taken in their first three picks, following the same formula they had in 2014 when they took Mitch Keller and Trey Supak with early picks. MacGregor is from East Lake high school in Tarpon Springs, Florida, and has a commitment to Clemson. By drafting him early, the Pirates shouldn’t have any issues signing him.
He’s a 6′ 3″ pitcher who saw his fastball jump from the upper 80s to 90-92 MPH, touching 94. Baseball America had him rated 186th overall, while MLB.com and Keith Law didn’t have him in their rankings (ranking up to 200 and 100, respectively). BA did say that MacGregor was a “pop-up” prospect who got better the later scouts saw him. So it’s possible that the Pirates saw improvement throughout the year and had him much higher than the national rankings.
Aside from his fastball, which could still add some velocity as he fills out, MacGregor has a changeup that is potentially average and has feel for a curveball. Both of his secondary pitches need to be developed. He’s another project and a high upside guy, with the fastball giving him a lot of appeal right now at the new velocity.
We will have more on MacGregor and the rest of today’s picks later this evening.