The 2024 MLB Draft concludes today with rounds 11-20. For all of the picks in the first ten rounds, check out my columns from day one (rounds 1-2) and day two (rounds 3-10). You can also follow the site’s Draft Pick Signing Tracker.
Follow all of the Pittsburgh Pirates picks below.
11th Round: Jacob Bimbi, LHP, Western Kentucky
Age: 22 | DOB: 6/5/02 | HT: 6′ 0″ | WT: 185 | B/T: L/L
Scouting Report
Bimbi spent one year at Western Kentucky, with a 6.09 ERA in 54.2 innings, along with a 71:25 K/BB ratio. He transferred from Tennessee, where he pitched 15 games in the bullpen in 2023, with a 5.27 ERA and a 22:9 K/BB. He had Tommy John surgery in July 2020, and didn’t get much time on the mound prior to his role this year. He throws a fastball, curveball, changeup, and slider. He was hitting 94 MPH after the surgery. The Pirates are getting a pitcher with velocity and a four pitch mix, without a lot of development time in college ball.
12th Round: Camden Janik, C, Illinois
Age: 22 | DOB: 7/16/2002 | HT: 5′ 10″ | WT: 195 | B/T: R/R
Scouting Report
Janik took a step forward in his sophomore season with Illinois, and continued progressing this past year. He hit .308/.435/.514 in 2023, getting his first extended playing time across 230 plate appearances. This included a 35:34 K/BB ratio. Janik took a step forward this year, batting .356/.440/.533 in 266 plate appearances, with an impressive 11:29 K/BB. He was drafted as a catcher, where he put up a 44% caught stealing on 16 attempts in 70 innings in this year’s Cape Cod league. He’s got a plus arm, and a strong build, which projects well to stick behind the plate. At the plate, the fact that he was one of the hardest NCAA hitters to strike out this year should translate well to pro ball.
13th Round: Matt McShane, RHP, Saint Joseph’s
Age: 21 | DOB: 11/17/2002 | HT: 6′ 4″ | WT: 220 | B/T: R/R
Scouting Report
McShane pitched as a reliever for Saint Joseph’s the last three years. He had a 3.95 ERA in 43.1 innings this year across 20 appearances, with a 57:18 K/BB. He’s also pitched in the Cape Cod league the last two years. He had better results in 2023, when he had a 1.40 ERA in 19.1 innings, with a 25:8 K/BB. McShane can hit mid-90s with his fastball, while throwing a low-80s slider and a mid-80s changeup. He’s shown decent control and a good ability to get strikeouts in his three years in the bullpen.
14th Round: Ian Farrow, OF, Florida Gulf Coast
Age: 21 | DOB: 7/26/2002 | HT: 6′ 2″ | WT: 215 | B/T: R/R
Scouting Report
Farrow had an interesting college career. He started at Florida Gulf Coast University, where he set the school’s single-season home run record in 2022, hitting 21 homers. After that season, he played in the Cape Cod League, followed by a transfer to Miami. He hit well in Miami, batting .291/.385/.555 with seven homers. Farrow didn’t get much playing time, with 130 plate appearances. He then transferred back to FGCU for his senior season, batting .375/.504/.750 with 15 homers in 231 plate appearances. Farrow has split between the corner outfield spots in his career, and will be an interesting bat to follow with good results from a smaller conference.
15th Round: Ethan Lege, 3B, Ole Miss
Age: 23 | DOB: 3/12/2001 | HT: 6′ 1″ | WT: 215 | B/T: R/R
Scouting Report
Lege transferred to Mississippi ahead of the 2023 season. His first year didn’t produce great numbers, but he did have good plate patience. His offense took a step forward in 2024, batting .323/.424/.645 with 13 homers in 191 plate appearances. He also walked 22 times and only struck out 16 times. He’s an outfielder who has also played second and third base. He spent most of 2023 at third base, and most of 2024 in left field. The emergence of the bat from the fifth-year senior, and the advanced plate patience, are good trends heading into pro ball.
16th Round: Brian Curley, RHP, VCU
Age: 21 | DOB: 6/1/2003 | HT: 5′ 10″ | WT: 200 | B/T: R/R
Scouting Report
Curley showed improvements in his second year with VCU, putting up a 2.87 ERA in 78.1 innings across 19 appearances out of the bullpen. At four innings per appearance, he was a reliever with the chance to go longer. He struck out 78 and walked 35. His fastball sits 93-96 MPH. After the season, Curley announced a commitment to Georgia for the 2025 season. He could build his draft value for next year working as a Division I starter, and he’s a draft eligible sophomore, so he won’t be as easy of a signing for the Pirates like the rest of their day three college picks.
17th Round: Andrew Patrick, OF, Wright State
Age: 21 | DOB: 1/19/2003 | HT: 6′ 4″ | WT: 195 | B/T: R/R
Scouting Report
Patrick had his best season as a sophomore with Wright State in 2023, batting .326 with 20 homers and 31 stolen bases. He didn’t repeat that success in 2024, batting .244/.373/.488 with eight homers and 17 stolen bases in 154 plate appearances. Patrick had an injury at the start of the season, and that could have held him back. He still showed promising speed on the bases, with some power, and decent plate patience. He played in the MLB Draft League after the season, batting .259 with a .771 OPS. He played most of his time in center field, but has also played the corner outfield spots, third base, and some time at shortstop. If he can return to his 2023 hitting, prior to the injury, he’ll be an interesting bat to follow. That would mostly involve improving his contact skills to go with the power and speed. Patrick was rated as the 284th best prospect in the draft by Baseball America.
18th Round: Jake Shirk, RHP, Wright State
Age: 22 | DOB: 6/5/2002 | HT: 6′ 2″ | WT: 200 | B/T: R/R
Scouting Report
Shirk throws from a three-quarter overhand slot, using a four-seam, sinker, slider, and changeup. The four-seam sits 92-93 MPH, touching 94, while the sinker has arm-side run and drop, sitting around 90. His slider is a slurve in the low-80s. His changeup is his best pitch. He spent three years in the Wright State rotation, serving as their Friday starter in 2024. He had a 6.41 ERA in 78.2 innings, but showed good control with 17 walks, and struck out 64. He performed best as a freshman pitching out of the bullpen. Shirk has an advanced mix of pitches, good control, and could at least work as a reliever in pro ball.
19th Round: Joe Vogatsky, RHP, James Madison University
Age: 22 | DOB: 12/27/2001 | HT: 6′ 0″ | WT: 215 | B/T: R/R
Scouting Report
Vogatsky saw his best college results in his last two seasons at JMU, after switching to the bullpen. He threw 29.2 innings in relief in 2023, posting a 3.34 ERA and a 36:15 K/BB. He worked on improving his slider, while also working on a curveball and changeup. The slider is his best pitched, paired with a 95 MPH fastball. He was drafted in the 14th round by Toronto last year, but returned to school and put up a 3.49 ERA in 49 innings, with a 48:23 K/BB. He should get work as a reliever in the lower levels, working off his velocity and refined breaking stuff.
20th Round: Taylor Penn, RHP, Woodford County HS
Age: 18 | DOB: 3/17/2006 | HT: 6′ 5″ | WT: 190 | B/T: R/R
Scouting Report
Penn is a pitcher from the prep ranks in Kentucky, with a commitment to go to Western Kentucky this fall. He had an 0.40 ERA in 52 innings off the mound this year, with an 89:6 K/BB ratio. His fastball sits upper-80s, getting up to 92, with a tall projectable frame that could allow added velocity as he fills out. He also throws a slider in the mid-70s. He also played on the left side of the infield, and hit .371/.451/.581 with two homers and six stolen bases this year. He’d be a development project to sign if the Pirates have slot money remaining.
