Excited for the future!!!!

In case you missed it, the Pirates had the number 1 draft pick this year.  Many people who cover the draft thought that Jack Leiter (Al Leiter's son) or Marcelo Mayer would go number 1 overall.  The Pirates instead chose to select Henry Davis, a college catcher. 

Davis signed quickly and underslot so the team could sign some more elite high ceiling players in the later rounds.  The Pirates were able to draft 4 of the top 35 ranked prospects in their first four rounds and they signed all of them.  It was an amazing job by new General Manager Ben Cherington and his team.

Henry Davis has quickly impressed fans by already receiving a promotion to High A ball.  

In just a few games in low A, Davis was slashing .429/.429/1.143 which is good for a 1.572 OPS and a 284wRC+

He hit 2 doubles and a home run in only 7 games.

This quickly earned him the promotion to High A and he shined in that debut too going 1 for 3 with a walk and triple.  

The Greensboro Grasshoppers, the Pirates high A affiliate is loaded with top 100 prospects. 

Quinn Prister, the Pirates number 2 prospect, and first round draft pick in 2019 threw 7 scoreless innings while striking out 10 on Friday.  He has a 2.80 ERA over his 23 minor league starts.

Nick Gonzalez, the Pirates first round draft pick in 2020, is continuing to recover from an earlier season injury but has come on hot lately going 4 for 5 yesterday. 

Liover Peguero, a shortstop acquired in the Starling Marte trade, is a top 100 prospect and the best defensive shortstop in the organization.  

Lolo Sanchez continues to swipe bags at a good rate, now sitting at the quarter century mark.

I am excited for the Pirates in the next 3 years.  

It reminds me of when the Pirates tore the whole thing down in 2008.

Gone were the days of wasted draft picks like Bryan Bullington.  Yes, the Pirates chose Bryan Bullington as the number 1 draft pick and former GM stated after the draft that they saw Bullington as someone who could be a back of the rotation starter.

You don't use the number 1 pick for that!!!!

Zack Greinke, Cole Hamels, Matt Cain, Scott Kazmir, and Prince Fielder were all first round picks that year. Uggghhh.

Other notable early selections were Joey Votto, Jon Lester, Brian McCann, Charlie Morton, Rich Hill, Curtis Granderson, and Josh Johnson.

To say the Pirates botched the 2003 draft would be an understatement.  I don't think they botched this draft in 2021.

I am excited for it!!!

I did find this old program with Bryan Bullington on the front.

And of course it had an article about Andrew McCutchen in it.  I am always looking for more magazines with Cutch in it.

Do you display your magazines or keep them in boxes?

On the search for the truth

Following up on my Discovery Channel Shark Week style event, I am turning today's post into an Expedition Unknown to try and find out more information about this card you see below.

It says it is from All Sports Magazine, which was a legit magazine in the 20th century.  I can't find any print copies from 2015 which this card is supposedly from.  

Furthermore I am confused by the numbering 6/7.  

At first I thought it was the month(s) of publication meaning this card came from a magazine for June/July.

However finding Derek Jeter and Mariano Rivera cards from 2015 numbered 4/7 and 6/7 have proven that theory invalid.

If you have any information about this card or a theory on it's existence, please comment below.

Get to know your Cutch

Andrew McCutchen wasn't very well known to the nation until his breakout campaign in 2012.  

The Pirates had a Q&A with him in their magazine shortly after his debut season so that fans could get to know the face of their franchise a bit better.  

Above is the Q&A from a Pirates magazine that was signed in person by Cutch. Once things settle down with moving and I can show off the new Cutch cave in all it's glory you can bet that this will be hanging on a wall somewhere.