MLB announced the draft slot values for the first ten rounds on Tuesday. That info can be found below, along with news and notes on a few players from early in the week. The draft begins on June 8th and the Pittsburgh Pirates have the 19th and 32nd overall picks. The Pirates will have the 11th highest draft bonus pool.
On Tuesday, MLB announced the draft slot values for the first ten rounds. We knew that the Pirates had $7,392,200 to spend on their first 11 picks(ten rounds), but the news back in February didn’t have the individual amounts.
The 19th overall pick this year is worth $2,273,800, an increase of $183,300 over last year. The 32nd overall pick jumped nearly $150,000 over the $1,705,400 from 2014. The Pirates 62nd pick this year falls just shy of $1,000,000 and it’s over $100,000 more than what they had when they picked 64th last year and took pitcher Mitch Keller. One other interesting note from the recently released numbers is that the last pick in the tenth round of the draft is now worth $149,700, which was the same value as an early ninth round pick last year.
College Hitters Recap
Outfielder Chris Shaw from Boston College is on a real hitting streak the last week. He hit three homers on Sunday, then followed that with three hits on Tuesday. Shaw had two hits and a walk on both Friday and Saturday. He is hitting .333/.432/.703 this year in 30 games, with eight doubles and 11 homers. Shaw is a possibility for the Pirates second pick, but could move up if he continues to hit like he has in the last week.
Florida State outfielder D.J. Stewart had three hits on Tuesday, including his first triple of the season. He had two hits on both Friday and Saturday against N.C. State, and walked twice during Thursday’s game. Stewart is hitting .312/.525/.624 through 34 games, with nine homers and 41 walks.
Florida shortstop Richie Martin faced Missouri over the weekend and played Stetson on Tuesday. He was 0-for-4 with a walk and stolen base(11th) on Friday, then 1-for-4 with a single on Saturday, followed by another 1-for-4 on Sunday. On Tuesday, Martin went 1-for-3 with a double and walk, scoring twice and driving in two runs. It should be pointed out that Florida put 15 runs on the board in the first six innings, which led to most of their starters(including Martin) getting an early break. He is hitting .291 this season in 34 games, which is slightly below the team’s overall average. He has six doubles, two triples and two homers, with an 18:13 BB/SO ratio.
That Stetson game had one interesting note, although it really isn’t draft related. Catcher J.J. Schwarz hit four homers and drove in ten runs on Tuesday night. He was a 17th round pick of the Brewers last year and won’t be eligible for the draft until 2017.
Links and Notes
**Here is video of prep lefty Justin Hooper, who will likely go in the top ten picks. Prospect Pipeline taped Hooper throwing a bullpen session earlier this week. He has started four games this season, allowing two earned runs on five hits and nine walks in 13 innings. He has 16 strikeouts. Hooper is 6’7″ and throws 97 MPH. You can read more about him in our draft preview.
**He may not be a first round option, but Mariano Rivera Jr. is showing a lot of improvements since being drafted in the 29th round last year. He pitches for Iona, where he has a 3.26 ERA in 47 innings over eight starts. Rivera has 62 strikeouts, while issuing just 13 walks. Jheremy Brown from Perfect Game has a game recap and video from Rivera’s last start.
**I’ve included a video at the bottom for HS catcher Chris Betts, who went to the Pirates in a preseason mock draft. This video courtesy of Moore Baseball includes both hitting and his defense behind the plate. Betts is batting .378 this year, with four doubles and five homers in 37 at-bats. He has also walked 13 times.
