Jonathan Mayo from MLB Pipeline has a brand new mock draft up with just over two weeks until the Pittsburgh Pirates make the first overall selection on July 9th. This is the first mock draft from Pipeline that doesn’t have the Pirates selecting LSU outfielder Dylan Crews.
After his big performance during the College World Series on Thursday night, Paul Skenes is now the Pipeline selection for the Pirates. The LSU right-handed pitcher threw eight shutout innings against Wake Forest on two hits, one walk and nine strikeouts.
LSU now takes on Florida in the best-of-three championship series. That means Skenes and Crews will be going up against outfielder Wyatt Langford, another top five prospect in this draft class.
Mayo mentions in the article for the mock draft that the Pirates are still considering the top five players. That includes the previously mentioned trio, along with prep outfielders Max Clark and Walker Jenkins. Their decision could come down to the player that helps the draft class the most with their bonus requirements.
The Pirates have the largest bonus pool this year. They have five players at the top who have all been said to have first overall pick potential in most years. They are going to get a great pick regardless of who they pick from that group. If one offers significant savings over the rest, then the Pirates would have the added bonus pool space to make more over-slot picks after the first round.
If you’ve followed the bonus pool era Pirates in the draft, you know that they spend as much as they can on the draft, including sometimes paying tax on the 5% overage that’s allowed before a team loses a draft pick. That means that the Pirates should be able to really stack their farm system this year.
There’s also the possibility that the Pirates really value one of these players above the rest. They would still have plenty of room left in their bonus pool if they paid slot value to their pick. If that’s the case, they aren’t tipping their hand.
We are 16 days away from finding out who they will pick. The championship series of the College World Series could help them make that decision. Game one is Saturday night at 7 PM ET.
