Today at 1PM, the MLB draft will restart with the third round picks. The Pirates will make the 28th selection of the day, which will be the 105th overall pick. After that, they select every 30 picks until the tenth round is complete. On Saturday, they will finish up the rest of the draft with the last 30 rounds. In our tiered draft rankings article, we listed 107 names total, so there are obviously a good deal of players left on that list with only 77 picks being made the first day. I’m going to go over some of the better names left at the start of today.
Jared Horn is the best name left from our list. He was in “tier four” which made him a better choice for the 41st pick than the 22nd pick. The reason he is still left on the board is simple. He wanted a $3M signing bonus and no one was willing to give it to him. At this he probably won’t get picked, unless some team wastes a late round pick on him with hopes that he changes his mind and wants to play pro ball bad enough to take a low bonus.
From the fifth tier, these were players who would have been solid selections at 41st overall. There were four of them, starting with Corbin Burnes, a 6’3″ righty from St Mary’s, who has a nice fastball/slider combo, with decent control. He was mentioned early in the year as a possible first round pick and it wouldn’t surprise me to hear his name if he makes it to the Pirates.
Drew Mendoza is a nice lefty prep bat, but I won’t get into him because he’s also a high bonus demand player who won’t likely be picked. He has a strong commitment to Florida State.
Jon Duplantier is a tall righty from Rice, who I would be surprised to hear. He’s a red-shirt sophomore due to shoulder issues, but he’s also a month short of his 22nd birthday, so he’s old for the class. He has above average stuff, there are just concerns about durability and injury past. He can also go back to Rice to improve his stock next year as a junior, so he won’t sign cheap.
Jesus Luzardo is a high school lefty, who underwent Tommy John surgery and it obviously scared some teams away. I haven’t heard about a big bonus, but he was supposedly a top of the first round possibility coming into this season. That likely means he won’t sign cheap.
From the sixth tier, I’ll just mention a few names because there are still 14 of those players left out of a fairly large group.
I pointed out three interesting players in Louisville RHP Kyle Funkhouser, Texas A&M outfielder Nick Banks and prep pitcher Jeff Belge, while doing the tiered ranking article. Funkhouser and Banks are two players who really dropped a lot this season, though Funkhouser seemed to be making a late resurgence when his stuff returned. He was taken 35th overall last year and decided to return to Louisville for his senior season. While it might pay off with a title, a senior with no leverage dropping in the draft isn’t going to get anywhere near what he would have received last year.
Banks had a back injury last year and this year. He was rated top of the first round at the start of the year, then never really got going and scouts said the tools showed a decline. I could see some team that really liked him last year, grabbing him early in the third round and hoping they get a steal.
I thought Belge would be off the board already. He comes from upstate New York, so he doesn’t have much of a baseball season. That being said, he’s a big kid with a fresh arm, who hit 95 MPH this spring. When you get him into a normal routine and playing 6-7 months a year in the minors (counting Spring Training and Fall Instructs) you could see even more out of him as far as velocity.
Pitcher Ryan Rolison is a prep lefty, who gets average or better marks for his fastball, curve, changeup and control. He has a commitment to Mississippi, so that might be tough to negotiate around with the third round pick being valued at $568,400 for the Pirates. He is also old for a high school player, so that would make his a draft-eligible sophomore in two years and that might play into his decision. He’s still a player you’d like to hear on day two and I think if he is selected, it’s because some team knows what it will take to sign him.
One final interesting possibility is Cooper Johnson, a prep catcher who also has a commitment to Mississippi. He is already a strong defender behind the plate, with a plus arm. His issues is that he offense is well behind his defense. With the Pirates seeming to be set at catcher for awhile, there is no rush to get him to the majors. If you let his bat develop in the low minors, then maybe he turns into something more than glove-first backup catcher. It’s definitely a chance you’re taking, but the Pirates value defense behind the plate and they can take their time.
PLAYOFF PUSH
Bradenton is 7-3 in their last ten games. They are in first place in their division, four games ahead. The first half of the FSL season ends on June 22nd. Their magic number is seven.
West Virginia is 4-6 in their last ten games. They are in fifth place in their division, trailing first place by 7.5 games. The first half of the SAL season ends on June 19th. Their elimination number is down to three.
PIRATES GAME GRAPH
Source: FanGraphs
TODAY’S SCHEDULE
Today’s Starter and Notes: The Pirates lost 11-5 to the Rockies on Thursday night. They now go home to play three games against the Cardinals. Gerrit Cole gets the ball today, making his 12th start of the season. In his last two outings, he has allowed three runs over 6.2 innings to the Angels and three runs over 6.1 innings to the Marlins. Against the Cardinals on May 8th, he gave up two runs over six innings. The Cardinals will counter with Michael Wacha, who has a 5.16 ERA in 66.1 innings this season, with 58 strikeouts and a 1.51 WHIP. He faced the Pirates twice this season already, allowing a total of eight earned runs over 10.1 innings.
In the minors, Indianapolis goes with Chad Kuhl, who is coming off his worst outing. He gave up four runs over 3.2 innings in his last game. Kuhl ranks third in the International League in both ERA and WHIP.
Both Altoona and West Virginia have no starter listed yet. For Altoona, they lost their Friday night starter Frank Duncan, who was called up to Indianapolis to start Thursday night. West Virginia’s starter will likely be Mitch Keller, who was skipped in the rotation to keep his innings down. He is not on the roster right now, so he will need to be added first. (UPDATE: Alex McRae has been promoted to Altoona and will start tonight)
MLB: Pittsburgh (32-28) vs Cardinals (32-28) 7:05 PM
Probable starter: Gerrit Cole (2.85 ERA, 19:52 BB/SO, 66.1 IP)
AAA: Indianapolis (31-29) vs Syracuse (29-29) 7:15 PM (season preview)
Probable starter: Chad Kuhl (1.75 ERA, 11:51 BB/SO, 61.2 IP)
AA: Altoona (33-26) @ Reading (42-19) 7:05 PM (season preview)
Probable starter: Alex McRae (NR)
High-A: Bradenton (33-25) vs Tampa (38-21) 6:30 PM (season preview)
Probable starter: Colten Brewer (4.47 ERA, 24:47 BB/SO, 48.1 IP)
Low-A: West Virginia (30-29) @ Columbia (30-30) 7:05 PM (season preview)
Probable starter: TBD
DSL: Pirates (1-4) vs Cubs1 (0-5) 10:30 AM (season preview)
HIGHLIGHTS
Here is a home run from Austin Meadows on Wednesday night, which extended his hitting streak to 17 games.
RECENT TRANSACTIONS
6/9: Pirates option Jameson Taillon to Indianapolis. Kyle Lobstein recalled from Indianapolis.
6/9: Frank Duncan promoted to Indianapolis.
6/8: Pirates recall Jameson Taillon. Curtis Partch optioned to Indianapolis.
6/8: JT Brubaker promoted to Bradenton. Julio Vivas added to West Virginia roster.
6/6: Clay Holmes assigned to Extended Spring Training. David Whitehead added to Altoona roster.
6/4: Pirates released Nate Irving, Edgar Figueroa, Eric Thomas and Eliezer Ramirez.
6/4: Pirates option Rob Scahill and Wilfredo Boscan to Indianapolis. Recall Curtis Partch and Cory Luebke.
6/4: Ryan Vogelsong transferred from 15-day disabled list to 60-day DL.
6/4: Guido Knudson added to Indianapolis roster.
6/2: Gage Hinsz assigned to West Virginia. Mitch Keller assigned to Extended Spring Training.
6/2: Justin Masterson assigned to Indianapolis. Frank Duncan assigned to Altoona.
6/2: Arquimedes Caminero assigned to Indianapolis on rehab.
6/2: David Whitehead assigned to GCL Pirates.
6/1: Pirates release Michael Fransoso.
5/29: Justin Masterson assigned to Bradenton.
5/29: Jhondaniel Medina assigned to Altoona.
5/28: Tony Watson reinstated from paternity list. Kyle Lobstein optioned to Indianapolis.
5/28: Cole Tucker promoted to Bradenton. Jess Amedee added to West Virginia roster.
5/27: Trevor Williams and Jim Fuller assigned to Indianapolis.
5/27: Kevin Newman placed on disabled list. Colten Brewer added to Bradenton roster.
5/27: Logan Sendelbach added to West Virginia roster. Jess Amedee assigned to Extended Spring Training.
5/26: Jhondaniel Medina promoted to Indianapolis.
THIS DATE IN PIRATES HISTORY
Six former Pittsburgh Pirates players born on this date, plus a trade of note. On this date in 1969, the Pirates traded pitcher Ron Kline to the San Francisco Giants to reacquire pitcher Joe Gibbon. The Pirates got the best of this exchange of bullpen arms, getting 1 1/2 years from Gibbon, including a solid 1969 season. Kline pitched just seven games for the Giants.
Here’s a rundown of the former players born on this date:
Carlos Rivera, first baseman for the 2003-04 Pirates. He played pro ball for 20 season, last appearing in the Mexican League in 2015.
Pokey Reese, second baseman during the 2002-03 season. Won two Gold Gloves with Reds before joining Pirates. Hit .254 in 156 games in Pittsburgh.
Hank Foiles, catcher from 1956 until 1959. Came to the Pirates from the Cubs in the Ralph Kiner deal.
Johnny Podgajny pitcher during the 1943 season. He was traded to the Cardinals for pitcher Preacher Roe.
Danny MacFayden, 1940 pitcher. Went 132-159 over a 17-year career in the majors.
Jap Barbeau, 1909 third baseman, who was dealt during the season, missing out on the first World Series title in franchise history.
