23.2 F
Pittsburgh

Pirates Select RHP Elijah Birdsong with Their 18th Round Pick

Published:

With their 18th round pick in the 2022 MLB draft, the Pittsburgh Pirates selected right-handed pitcher Elijah Birdsong out of Pacific.

Birdsong stands 6’2″, 200 pounds and he turns 23 in October. He pitched three years at Pacific with a high ERA each season, and he missed the 2021 season due to Tommy John surgery. He had a 7.20 ERA in 20 innings as a freshman. His 2020 season, shortened due to the pandemic, saw him give up five runs in seven innings. This year he had a 5.68 ERA in 44.1 innings over nine starts and two relief appearances, finishing with a 1.38 WHIP and a 37:19 SO/BB ratio. His fastball was sitting 90-93 MPH as a starter this season. He rated well coming out of high school and has added about 4-5 MPH during his college career.

Liked this article? Take a second to support Pirates Prospects on Patreon!
Become a patron at Patreon!
John Dreker
John Dreker
John started working at Pirates Prospects in 2009, but his connection to the Pittsburgh Pirates started exactly 100 years earlier when Dots Miller debuted for the 1909 World Series champions. John was born in Kearny, NJ, two blocks from the house where Dots Miller grew up. From that hometown hero connection came a love of Pirates history, as well as the sport of baseball. When he didn't make it as a lefty pitcher with an 80+ MPH fastball and a slider that needed work, John turned to covering the game, eventually focusing in on the prospects side, where his interest was pushed by the big league team being below .500 for so long. John has covered the minors in some form since the 2002 season, and leads the draft and international coverage on Pirates Prospects. He writes daily on Pittsburgh Baseball History, when he's not covering the entire system daily throughout the entire year on Pirates Prospects.

Related Articles

Latest Articles