The Pittsburgh Pirates selected prep outfielder Sammy Siani from William Penn Charter School in Pennsylvania with the 37th overall pick of the 2019 draft on Monday night. He’s an 18-year-old, lefty hitting/throwing center fielder, who was ranked 43rd overall by MLB Pipeline. He draft slot amount is $1,999,300.
Siani stands in at 6’0″, 195 pounds. He gets above average grades for both his hitting and his running, while his defense is average and his power is slightly below average. MLB Pipeline thinks he may move to left field in the future, though others have said he’s one of the top defensive prep outfielders in the draft. His selling point is the consistent hard contact made from the left side. He could add some power in the future, but it’s unlikely that he develops into a power hitter. Instead, he’s a high on base guy with speed and defense, who could contribute double digit homers. He has a track record of success against some strong pitchers and because he’s from Pennsylvania, known in baseball terms as a cold weather state, he could have untapped potential when he gets more reps at the plate.
Here’s a video from Perfect Game of the Duke commit, who was selected with the compensation pick that the Pirates received for not signing Gunnar Hoglund last year.
Here’s a second video from Prospect Live
