On this last day before the draft, four different mock drafts have come out that have the Pittsburgh Pirates taking Reese McGuire. That is no surprise, he has been linked to the Pirates for awhile now. What is a bit of a surprise is the name we have heard twice now with the second pick, Dominic Smith. Kiley McDaniel from Scout.com has the Pirates selecting both McGuire and Smith in his last mock draft.
Earlier in the day, Keith Law had the Pirates taking Smith with the #14 pick. The power-hitting High School first baseman from California, has always been mentioned in this area of the draft, falling in the 10-20 range all season. He hasn’t been mentioned with the Pirates until today though.
Smith offers the team a high upside option at first base. Someone who will at least put up a solid average, with above average power potential. He is also strong defensively at the position and has a plus arm. He has pitched this year and also played some outfield.
Just like in the Law draft from earlier, the Pirates won’t be able to pick two other names connected to them if everything goes down as predicted. Both D.J. Peterson and Hunter Renfroe will be off the board, going 11th and 13th respectively. Peterson is a first baseman who is an above average hitter with some power and who should also move through the system quick. Renfroe can also hit well and add power, while playing above average defense in right field. He is the more athletic player of the two, while Peterson would get the slight edge with the bat.
Both of those players would provide quicker help for the Pirates and more certainty, but Smith has the highest upside of the three.
Unless there are some surprises in store, the four names mentioned here are the players we will probably see picked. The other names to watch for are Georgia HS outfielders Clint Frazier and Austin Meadows. McDaniel has Frazier going seventh overall, while he has the Pirates passing on Meadows with their first pick. He would then be selected by the Blue Jays at #10 overall.
