The pandemic in 2020 forced the cancellation of baseball all around the country. Major League Baseball opted to still have a draft, despite high school seniors and college juniors not getting the chance to display their skills one final time. This also created a challenge for scouts. As a result, the draft was limited to five rounds.
This was the first draft under Ben Cherington as the Pirates General Manager. The Pirates largely kept the same scouting department they had for years, led by scouting director Joe DelliCarri. This was the draft that would begin their rebuild.
Head of the Class
The Pirates took Jared Jones out of high school in the second round, signing him to an over-slot deal with the 44th overall pick. He has since become one of the best pitching prospects in the game, and one of the better young pitchers in the majors.
Jones has a 3.76 ERA in 79 innings in his MLB debut this year, with a 9.68 K/9 and a 2.51 BB/9. He works with an elite combo of an upper-90s fastball that hits triple-digits, along with a low-90s plus slider that generates a lot of swing and miss. He’s also developing a curveball and a changeup.
Landing a talent like Jones, then developing him to the point where he’s one of the best future pitchers in the game four years later is a huge success story for the Pirates — from the draft through his every pitch in the big leagues. Jones has the potential to be an above-average starter on a conservative grading scale, giving the Pirates a nice long-term rotation option.
The Standouts
Nick Gonzales, 2B –
