The Pittsburgh Pirates had an interesting trend on day two of the draft.
A lot of the players picked by the Pirates had seen a decline in value from a previous high point. Some of them had down years in 2024. Some of them have seen their values decline since they were last eligible for the draft. Some of them are dealing with injury concerns.
The common trend is that there’s upside to be had with each of these players, if the Pirates can find a way to reverse the negative trend. Not every player will see their trend reversed, but only a few need to be successful for this draft to be a success. But the Pirates already know with most of these players that there’s a higher upside they’ve already reached in the past.
Or, in the words of Charles Xavier: “Just because someone stumbles and loses their path, doesn’t mean they’re lost forever.”
Click the names of the players below to read their full draft report.
Down Years in 2024
There were three picks on day two who had down years in 2024. Two of those picks are players who could have gone in the first two rounds in 2021, but opted to go to college instead, only to see their values drop.
Third rounder Josh Hartle is a left-handed pitcher from Wake Forest. He had a chance to go in the first two rounds in 2021, but removed his name from the draft to attend college. He took a step forward in 2023, posting a 2.81 ERA in 102.1 innings in his move to the rotation. He didn’t repeat those numbers in 2024, with a 5.79 ERA in 74.2 innings.
The Pirates will try to get Hartle back to what was working last year. He had control issues this year, dropping from his normal plus grades. He also changed his pitch mix, using a cutter more often, and his fastball less often.
Fifth round outfielder Will Taylor is a similar situation to Hartle. Taylor turned down first round money in 2021, opting to go to Clemson as a two-sport player. He spent two years as a slot receiver, but that time was mostly spent recovering from two surgeries to repair an ACL injury he suffered his freshman year on a special teams play. The injury also lowered his speed grades from plus-plus to above-average at best.
The 2024 season was the first one where Taylor only focused on baseball. His numbers took a step back, and he went down with a broken wrist in April, ending his season early. He profiles as a center fielder, but will need to develop in-game power, while recovering his value from his injuries.
