The Pittsburgh Pirates have announced the signing of five more picks from their 2024 MLB draft class, including fifth round outfielder Will Taylor. According to Jim Callis, the Pirates signed Taylor to an over-slot deal of $500,000, which is more than the $471,400 slot price for the 145th overall pick.
Taylor was seen as a first rounder in 2021 out of high school, and was rumored to turn down first round money to go to Clemson as a two-sport player. He tore his ACL playing football during his freshman year, eventually needing two surgeries to repair the injury. This also lowered his speed from 70-grade to 55-grade, which is still above-average. The former elite speed drove his former value as a first rounder.
Taylor hit .230/.465/.480 with seven homers in 145 plate appearances during his junior year, before going down with a broken wrist in April. He performed better as a sophomore, hitting .362/.489/.523. Even with the injury history, Taylor has the upside to be an above-average center fielder, with an average arm and his current above-average speed potential. The Pirates will need to develop the bat, where he has fringe-average power and the chance for average contact. He was a two-time state wrestling champion in high school, displaying good core strength that could benefit the power development. He makes good decisions to limit his swings to within the strike zone, but misses on breaking and off-speed pitches.
There’s upside here, with a good path for Taylor to remain in center field, and promising tools to develop on the hitting side.
The Pirates also signed 12th round catcher Camden Janik, 13th round right-handed pitcher Matt McShane, 18th round right-handed pitcher Jake Shirk, and 19th round right-handed pitcher Joe Vogatsky.
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.
Janik was one of my favorite day three picks, due to the plate patience and the skills displayed behind the plate.
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.
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.
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 pitch, 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.
Baseball America highlighted Vogatsky as one of the most interesting picks the Pirates made on day three, noting that he’s touched 96-97 MPH with his fastball, along with a low-80s slider, a curveball, and a changeup.
The Draft Pick Signing Tracker has been updated with the moves and bonus information. The Pirates have now signed 15 of their 21 players from the draft class. After the over-slot bonus to Taylor, they have $150,600 to go over-slot without incurring a penalty. They can spend $850,625 over their bonus pool without losing a future draft pick.
