The Pittsburgh Pirates have officially announced three more signings from their 2023 draft class. The latest signings are sixth round left-handed pitcher Hunter Furtado, seventh round left-handed pitcher Jaden Woods, and 14th round right-hander Garrett McMillan.
We’ve previously heard about the signings of Woods, who signed for slot, and the deal with McMillan, which was the maximum $150,000 for a player after the tenth round. Furtado is the newest name, and was teammates with McMillan at Alabama.
6TH ROUND: HUNTER FURTADO, LHP, ALABAMA
Furtado posted a 4.75 ERA in 36 innings with Alabama this year, striking out 38 and walking 17. He worked mostly out of the bullpen, making two starts, though he started in the Cape Cod league in 2022. Furtado features a 93-96 MPH fastball, topping out at 98. His pitch comes from a high arm slot, giving the fastball a lot of strong action up in the zone, and his secondary stuff plenty of action. His best pitch is a plus slider with tilt, and he also has a swing and miss changeup. His struggle is staying in the flow of his mechanics. With a plus fastball from the left side, combined with two swing and miss pitches, Furtado has the makings of a guy who could pitch in an MLB bullpen in the future. He should get plenty of innings with the Pirates, allowing him to work on maintaining consistency with his mechanics.
