PITTSBURGH — The MLB Draft’s third through tenth rounds continued on Tuesday, with the Pirates holding eight selections.
Compared to the first day, the stakes are lower. The signing bonuses decline from several million on day one to just a little over $125,000 by the end of the second day. Third day picks can be paid a maximum of $125,000 before their signing counts toward the overall bonus pool.
But just because the money isn’t the same, that doesn’t mean that quality players aren’t frequently found in the lower rounds. The Pirates have had some successes in those rounds recently. Adam Frazier and Chad Kuhl were taken in the sixth and ninth rounds in 2013. Jacob Stallings and Max Moroff came in the seventh and 16th rounds of 2012.
But just because the players are still talented doesn’t mean they’re guaranteed to make it, especially as they battle through the system with their higher-pedigree brethren.
Moroff was the fourth shortstop taken by the Pirates in 2012, and that doesn’t account for the international players that joined him when he signed to an over-slot bonus just before the deadline. His first pro year, he spit time three ways in the GCL. By his second season, he skipped a level and emerged as the dominant shortstop with the West Virginia Power.
“I definitely would say I had to prove myself a little extra,” Moroff said Tuesday. “That something I really didn’t have to think about. I always worked hard no matter what the case may have been. But I would say I had to work harder.”
The other option a lot of those players are facing is going to college and taking their turn in the draft in anther two or three years.
“I just wanted to get out there and play,” said Moroff, who declined an offer to play at UCF in order to sign with the Pirates. “It was fun. I remember my first hit, my first home run. I’m happy with my decision. If I waited the two or three years if I went college, I might have been drafted a little bit higher. That’s the only thing. I went through the system pretty fast, I think.”
Moroff said it didn’t take very long for the labels attached to a player based on where they came from and how much money they made.
“It starts at the lowest level — in the GCL,” he said. “If you can play, you can play. If you can’t, you’re going to either repeat or you won’t be around. You have to prove you can play at every level.”
For manager Clint Hurdle, the draft represents a different challenge. Of course, he pays attention to the players taken in the upper rounds of the draft. But he doesn’t get to have eyes on the whole field of prospects until after the season during instructional leagues. That’s when he takes the time to find out more about those less-heralded players.
“There’s some kids that I didn’t get a whole lot of information on (beforehand) that I’ll come away and say, ‘I kinda like this kid. Can we check up on him?’” Hurdle said.
Hurdle also said that, for him, it’s important to look beyond the box score when evaluating how guys are doing.
“I call our managers once a week. That’s really how I get most of my information” he said. “You listen to people, you use your eyes and then you follow up and ask questions.”
STARTING LINEUP
Gm 65: #Pirates (29-35) vs.
NOTES
Hurdle said catchers Chris Stewart and Francisco Cervelli worked out before the game. Cervelli is eligible to come off the seven-day disabled list on Wednesday. Stewart has performed running drills, but only in straight lines. … Gerrit Cole will look to break a streak of four straight subpar starts. He hasn’t thrown into the sixth inning since May 17 and has a 10.71 ERA in that time.
