The Pittsburgh Pirates have signed 18th round pick Shea Murray, a right-handed pitcher out of Ohio State. Murray was an outfielder most of this season, but he has reportedly hit 99 MPH in bullpens, so the Pirates will try him as a pitcher. He was originally a pitcher in college, but control issues limited his mound time.
You should expect more signings today. We will update this post (and title) when they are announced or when we find out about them. Here is Murray’s player page:
Our draft tracker has been updated. There are currently 26 players signed.
UPDATE: 7:10 PM: Just got a message from Jonathan Mayo that 19th round pick Jake Webb signed for $125,000 last night, so the Pirates were able to get a projectable prep pitcher without going over slot.
The Pirates also signed right-handed pitcher Drew Fischer out of Amherst. He was taken in the 35th round. You can find his player page here. Tracker has been updated.
UPDATE 9:15 PM: Pirates had another big day as predicted, signing 25th round pick Eddie Muhl, 34th round pick Mason Ward, 37th rounder Kyle Watson and 38th rounder Ryan Peurifoy (his first name is Christopher, but he prefers Ryan) Each player’s name is linked to their player page on our draft tracker, which has been updated. They have now signed 31 players and at least three others are expected to sign.
Murray is going to the GCL, the rest are headed to Bristol. Watson was the only one among these players who wasn’t a college senior.
UPDATE 9:30 PM: Jim Callis has the bonus for 11th round pick Alex Manasa and it’s slightly over slot at $155,000. Tracker has been updated.
