There’s no way you could classify Pittsburgh Pirates first round pick Konnor Griffin as a sleeper. The ninth overall pick had the best assortment of tools in the 2024 draft, with a lot of potential 70-grades, and the chance to be a plus power/speed/defense center fielder.
The Pirates received positive grades for their 2024 draft, due to the selection of Griffin, along with several other high upside prep picks in their first five picks.
What I liked about the middle rounds of the draft is they took several players who are coming off down seasons, but who each had much higher upsides heading into the year. If the Pirates can turn some of those players around, they’ll end up with some mid-round steals.
Here are some of the bigger potential sleepers from the Pirates’ 2024 draft.
3rd Round: Josh Hartle
Heading into the season, Josh Hartle looked like he could be a first round talent. The left-handed starter from Wake Forest had a 2.81 ERA in 102.1 innings last year, with a 140:24 K/BB. He didn’t repeat that in 2024, with a 5.79 ERA in 74.2 innings.
Hartle saw a decline with his stuff, and there are a few possible reasons. One that has been mentioned by multiple outlets is that he put too much emphasis on a new cutter this year. The extreme usage of the pitch could have hurt his fastball, which isn’t an elite pitch, but works well with his potential plus control. The control also took a step back.
Three years ago, Hartle was seen as a first/second rounder out of high school, before removing his name from the draft to attend a strong pitching program at Wake Forest. He’s got a five-pitch mix, with his fastball being fringe-average, sitting around 90 MPH. He relies on his secondary stuff to get results.
If the Pirates can refine the secondary, and get his control back on track, Hartle could emerge as a future MLB starting pitcher.
6th Round: Matt Ager
