The MLB Draft was last night and the Pirates went in a direction I probably wouldn't have gone if I was the General Manager, but I am not the GM so I guess it's not right for me to question someone else trying to make their mark on something I have no control over.
The Pirates drafted college backstop Henry Davis who has been compared to other #1 overall catchers drafted in Joe Mauer and Adley Ruschmann.
If Henry Davis can turn into a Russel Martin or Yadier Molina leader type behind the plate with above average offense, I will be very happy with this pick. I think Jack Leiter will become a future Cy Young winner one day, but that's just my prediction.
The Pirates have had the number one overall pick 4 previous times having drafted 3rd Baseman Jeff King and college pitchers Kris Benson, Bryan Bullington, and Gerrit Cole.
Cole is the only one of that group to become an All Star in Pittsburgh when he was selected to the 2015 All Star Game along with Andrew McCutchen, Mark Melancon, and AJ Burnett.
I have shown off some of my Gerrit Cole and Andrew McCutchen pairings in the past, many as recent as last month.
With the draft it is important to plant a seed for a future and recognize what is currently in the system and what will be coming in the future.
The franchise has a major lack of depth at the catcher position in the minors. The Pirates have only one catcher in their top 30 prospects, Endy Rodriguez, and he profiles to not be able to stick at the position long term. Rodriguez came to the Pirates as part of the 3 team trade that saw Joe Musgrove go to San Diego and Joey Lucchesi go to the Mets.
The Pirates talent pipeline is loaded with middle infield prospects (4 of top 15 prospects) and that isn't even taking into account their current MLB roster which features All Star Adam Frazier and former first round draft picks Cole Tucker and Kevin Newman. The team is also very rich in the right handed pitcher department in the minors with seven of their top 12 prospects being right handed starters.
The Pirates saw success in the majors from 2013 to 2015 when the core of their team featured multiple 1st Round draft picks (Neil Walker-2B, Pedro Alvarez-3B, Andrew McCutchen-CF, Gerrit Cole-SP) and homegrown Latin America signings (Starling Marte-LF and Gregory Polanco-RF) all around the diamond.
By drafting catcher Henry Davis to go with middle infield and starting pitcher franchise strengths, the Pirates are building towards the future with a high contact rate and pitching in mind.
The Pirates are clearly in a rebuild right now. They have a few pieces in place for the future already with Ke'Bryan Hayes, Kevin Newman, and Brian Reynolds still under team control through roughly 2026 the next great Pirates teams could feature yesterday's first overall pick, Henry Davis, being the signal caller.
Did you watch any of the MLB Draft?
Are you happy with your team's selection?
I watched a few minutes. Had it on in the background. It's such a crapshoot, but wishing the Pirates luck.
ReplyDeleteDidn't watch it... but I got an email from the A's this morning that mentioned they drafted Max Muncy. I thought it was a typo, but I checked it out it was confirmed. What are the odds of a team drafting two Max Muncy's in a span of ten years? Sure hope this one pans out and the A's decide to keep him.
ReplyDeleteI didn't watch it, but did some reading, and everyone seems to think that Kumar Rocker was a good pick for us. I must admit that after John Rocker's rant about all the minorities in Flushing, it's great to have a guy who is named Rocker and is of Indian descent! (On his mother's side.)
ReplyDeleteThe big thing for me, though, is that I was happy to find that I already have one card of him, from a discount blaster of Panini Stars & Stripes (team USA) I bought a couple years ago. Putting that one in the binder!
I didn't watch it, but was absolutely blown away by the notification on my phone that Marcelo Mayer fell to the Red Sox. Every mock draft I saw had him gone before Boston's pick. I'm beyond happy with the pick.
ReplyDeleteI didn't know it happened till I saw the blurb on my news feed. Then I saw a headline that said Pirates fans weren't happy with the pick. I didn't click on it because the headline was written in a way that screamed "click bait". Good luck with your team's pick.
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