The Pittsburgh Pirates have drafted Dartmouth right-handed pitcher Beau Sulser in the tenth round of the 2017 MLB draft. Sulser is a college senior, and it’s likely that he was drafted to save slot money for additional picks. The Pirates did the same thing last year when taking Matt Anderson, giving the right-handed pitcher a $10,000 bonus.
The same move with Sulser would save the Pirates $124,200. If they used that money on a pick after the 11th round, they could sign someone for up to $249,200, since the first $125,000 on each pick after the 10th round doesn’t count toward the bonus pool.
Sulser has split time between the rotation and the bullpen in his college career, and was the Ivy League Pitcher of the Year this year. He posted a 1.40 ERA in 45 innings, with a 52:5 K/BB ratio, making seven starts.
Sulser wasn’t in Baseball America’s top 500, but rated 12th in a three star class in New England. He had Tommy John surgery as a sophomore, but was able to return healthy during his junior year. He works by moving his pitches to either side of the plate, pitching more around the barrel rather than trying to attack hitters.
The main appeal here is the savings the Pirates can get, which they’ll either be able to use on earlier picks, or on guys after the 10th round.