Pirates Draft Signings Recap

It's been a little over a month since the 2011 MLB Draft, so I thought it would be a good idea to look at who the Pirates have signed in that time. Looking at the list, the biggest signing is obviously Alex Dickerson, followed by Colton Brewer. Gerritt Cole will probably sign closer to the signing deadline, as will Josh Bell, if he signs at all. The full list is in the table below.

Rd	Pick	Name	Pos	School	Birthdate	Ht	Wt	B/T	Signed?	Bonus	Sign Date
1	1	Gerrit Cole	RPH	UCLA	9/8/1990	6'04"	220	R/R
2	61	Josh Bell	RF	Jesuit College Prep, TX	8/14/1992	6'04"	195	S/R
3	91	Alex Dickerson	1B	Indiana	5/26/1990	6'03"	235	L/L	Yes	??	7/14/2011
4	122	Colten Brewer	RHP	Canton HS, TX	10/29/1992	6'04"	200	R/R	Yes	??	6/20/2011
5	152	Tyler Glasnow	RHP	Hart HS, CA	8/23/1993	6'07"	200	L/R
6	182	Daniel Gamache	3B	Auburn	11/20/1990	5'11"	195	L/R	Yes	$125,000	6/12/2011
7	212	Jake Burnette	RHP	Buford HS, GA	8/10/1992	6'04"	177	R/R
8	242	Jason Creasy	RHP	Calayton HS, NC	5/13/1992	6'04"	180	R/R	Yes	??	7/13/2011
9	272	Clay Holmes	RHP	Slocomb HS, AL	3/27/1993	6'05"	230	R/R
10	302	Taylor Lewis	CF	Maine	12/18/1989	6'01"	205	L/L	Yes	$100,000	6/13/2011
11	332	Jo-El Bennett-Lowe	CF	Houston Academy, AL	9/9/1992	6'02"	180	R/R
12	362	Candon Myles	CF	South Grand Prairie HS, TX	10/24/1992	5'10"	185	L/R
13	392	Brandon Platts	RHP	Mason City HS, IA	2/1/1993	6'04"	210	R/R
14	422	Jordan Dunatov	OF	Horizon HS, AZ	10/20/1992	6'05"	200	R/R
15	452	Kody Watts	RHP	Skyview HS, WA	12/29/1992	6'03"	185	R/R
16	482	Eric Skoglund	LHP	Sarasota HS, FL	10/26/1992	6'06"	180	L/L
17	512	Aaron Brown	RF	Chatsworth HS, CA	6/20/1992	6'02"	200	L/L
18	542	Josh Poytress	LHP	Fresno State	7/20/1990	6'02"	185	R/L	Yes	??	6/22/2011
19	572	Mike Nunez	RHP	Salmen HS, LA	7/28/1992	6'04"	185	R/R
20	602	Trea Turner	SS	Park Vista Community HS, FL	6/30/1993	6'02"	160	R/R
21	632	Alex Fuselier	CF	Louisiana-Lafayette	9/13/1989	6'00"	185	L/L	Yes	??	6/17/2011
22	662	Michael Jefferson	LHP	Louisiana Tech	7/31/1989	6'05"	190	L/L	Yes	??	6/18/2011
23	692	Jordan Cooper	RHP	Kentucky	2/16/1990	6'03"	215	S/R	Yes	??	6/22/2011
24	722	Brian Sharp	SS	California Baptist	7/30/1988	6'00"	195	R/R	Yes	??	6/13/2011
25	752	Josh Martin	RHP	Samford	12/30/1989	6'04"	205	R/R
26	782	Nicholas Flair	SS	Belle Chasse HS, LA	10/31/1992	6'03"	180	R/R
27	812	Ryan Hornback	C	San Jacinto College North	7/19/1991	6'01"	180	R/R	Yes	??	6/29/2011
28	842	Jeffrey Zajac	LHP	Walker Valley HS, TN	11/19/1992	6'04"	210	L/L
29	872	Kirk Singer	SS	Cal State Long Beach	12/1/1989	6'02"	170	R/R	Yes	??	6/13/2011
30	902	Matthew Benedict	RHP	Western Carolina	2/3/1989	6'05"	200	R/R	Yes	??	6/13/2011
31	932	Derek Trent	C	East Tennessee State	11/6/1988	6'01"	210	L/R	Yes	??	6/13/2011
32	962	David Jogoditsh	RHP	Pima CC	9/4/1990	6'07"	230	S/R	Yes	??	6/18/2011
33	992	Christopher Lashmet	3B	Northwestern	4/25/1989	6'04"	230	R/R	Yes	??	6/21/2011
34	1022	Juan Rosado	1B	Louisiana State Eunice	5/31/1992	6'00"	210	R/R
35	1052	Reid Matthews	2B	Dobyns Bennett HS, TN	9/11/1992	6'00"	175	R/R
36	1082	Isaac Ballou	CF	Marshall	3/17/1990	6'03"	185	L/R
37	1112	Rodarrick Jones	LF	Southern	7/31/1990	6'00"	195	R/R
38	1142	Douglas Crumlich	SS	California-Irvine	4/23/1990	6'00"	190	R/R
39	1172	Rand Ravnaas	LF	Georgetown	8/31/1989	6'02"	195	L/R
40	1202	Raphael Rhymes	2B	Louisiana State	10/22/1989	6'00"	190	R/R
41	1232	Jonathan Schwind	C	Marist	5/30/1990	6'00"	185	R/R	Yes	$20,000	6/17/2011
42	1262	Nicholas Hibbing	RHP	Lakes Community HS, IL	8/15/1992	6'05"	185	R/R
43	1292	William Argo	CF	Illinois	10/15/1989	6'01"	220	R/R
44	1322	Bobby LeCount	3B	Edmonds CC	1/18/1991	6'02"	215	R/R
45	1352	Robert Ingram	LHP	Yavapai College	10/18/1991	6'05"	190	L/L
46	1382	Jeff Schalk	RF	Wheaton North HS, IL	7/19/1992	6'03"	205	L/R
47	1412	Jordan Deluca	CF	Tussey Mountain HS, PA	9/12/1992	6'01"	170	R/R
48	1442	Zachary Thompson	RHP	Grace Prep Academy, TX	10/23/1993	6'06"	185	R/R
49	1472	Austin White	3B	Arkansas HS, AR	7/13/1993	6'03"	185	L/R
50	1502	Zechariah Lemond	RHP	Waltrip HS, TX	10/9/1992	6'01"	170	R/R
								Totals:	17	$245,000	34.0%

Day 2 Draft Recap: Pirates Like Pitchers

Day 2 of the MLB Draft is over, and the Pirates have taken a ton of pitchers. The two position players they took in rounds 2 and 3, however, are expected to be power hitters when they are ready for the majors, something which the organization has been lacking in talent. The pitchers they have taken appear to be tall, projectable bodies for the most part. Here's a rundown of the draft picks from Day 2.

61. Josh Bell, OF (Jesuit College Prep, TX)
     6'4, 195 lbs, S/R
91. Alex Dickerson, 1B (Indiana)
     6'3", 235 lbs, L/L
122. Colton Brewer, RHP (Canton HS, TX)
     6'4", 200 lbs, R/R
152. Tyler Glasnow, RHP (Hart HS, CA)
     6'7", 200 lbs, L/R
182. Daniel Gamache, 3B (Auburn)
     5'11", 195 lbs, L/R
212. Jake Burnette, RHP (Buford HS, GA)
     6'4", 177 lbs, R/R
242. Jason Creasy, RHP (Clayton HS, NC)
     6'4", ??? lbs, R/R
272. Clay Holmes, RHP (Slocomb HS, AL)
     6'5", 230 lbs, R/R
302. Taylor Lewis, CF (Maine)
     6'1", 205 lbs, L/L
332. Jo-El Bennett-Lowe, CF (Houston Academy, AL)
     6'2",180 lbs, R/R
362. Candon Miles, CF (South Grand Prairie HS, TX)
     5'10", ??? lbs, L/R
392. Brandon Platts, RHP (Mason City HS, IA)
     6'4", 210 lbs, R/R
422. Jordan Dunatov, OF (Horizon HS, AZ)
     6'5", 200 lbs, R/R
452. Kody Watts, RHP (Skyview HS, WA)
     6'3", 185 lbs, R/R
482. Eric Skoglund, LHP (Sarasota HS, FL)
     6'6", 180 lbs, L/L
512. Aaron Brown, RF (Chatsworth HS, CA)
     6'2", ??? lbs, L/L
542. Josh Poytress, LHP (Fresno State)
     6'2", 185 lbs, R/L
572. Mike Nunez, RHP (Salmen HS, LA)
     6'4", 185 lbs, R/R
602. Trea Turner, SS (Park Vista Community HS, FL)
     6'2", 160 lbs, R/R
632. Alex Fuselier, CF (Louisiana Lafayette)
     6'0", 185 lbs, L/L
662. Michael Jefferson, LHP (Louisiana Tech)
     6'5", 190 lbs, L/L
692. Jordan Cooper, RHP (Kentucky)
     6'3", 215 lbs, S/R
722. Brian Sharp, SS (California Baptist)
     6'0", 195 lbs, R/R
752. Josh Martin, RHP (Samford)
     6'4", 205 lbs, R/R
782. Nicholas Flair, SS (Belle Chasse HS, LA)
     6'3", 180 lbs, R/R
812. Ryan Hornback, C (San Jacinto College North)
     6'1", 180 lbs, R/R
842. Jeffrey Zajac, LHP (Walker Valley HS, TN)
     6'4", 210 lbs, L/L
872. Kirk Singer, SS (Cal State Long Beach)
     6'2", 170 lbs, R/R
902. Matthew Benedict, RHP (Western Carolina)
     6'5", 200 lbs, R/R

Pirates take Josh Bell with 61st pick

 Josh Bell of Jesuit College Prep was selected 61st overall by the Pirates

An interesting choice, but he may be difficult to sign due to his commitment to the University of Texas. If he does sign, he is likely to become one of the top hitting prospects in the Pirates organization, perhaps behind Tony Sanchez and Starling Marte. He will probably be assigned to Low-A State College if he signs. The key will be getting him to agree to sign, however. The Pirates were able to pull it off with Stetson Allie last year, perhaps they can repeat it with Bell. Bell is the power hitter that I had hoped the Pirates would take with Rendon, so hopefully they are able to convince him to sign.

Stats

Name: Josh Bell
School: Jesuit College Prep (Texas)
Birthdate: 08/12/1992
Height: 6'4"
Weight: 195 lbs.
Bats: S
Throws: R
AVG: .552
OBP: .687
SLG: 1.073
OPS: 1.760
R: 57
RBI: 55
SB: 19
CS: 4

Pirates take Gerrit Cole 1st Overall

Gerrit Cole, number 12 for the UCLA Bruins, was selected as the 1st pick in the 2011 MLB Entry Draft.

Not a bad pick by any means, but I still would have liked them to have taken Rendon. A shoulder injury is a temporary thing, and by all accounts Rendon was a better prospect than Bryce Harper, and that's not an easy thing to accomplish.
Once again here are Cole's UCLA stats:

Year	ERA	W-L	APP	GS	CG	IP	H	R	ER	BB	K	2B	3B	HR	BF	AVG	WP	HBP	BK
2009	3.49	4-8	15	14	1	85.0	57	46	33	38	104	10	2	10	355	.191	12	6	3
2010	3.37	11-4	19	19	0	123.0	92	51	46	52	153	15	4	4	519	.205	7	11	1
2011	3.31	6-8	16	16	4	114.1	103	46	42	24	119	14	2	8	474	.242	3	10	0
TOTAL	3.38	21-20	50	49	5	322.1	252	143	121	114	376	39	8	22	1348	.215	22	27	4

Why are there so many different ways to spell Gerrit/Garrett/etc?

Pirates Draft Preview 2011

As everyone knows, the Pirates were the worst team in baseball last year. As a result, they have the first overall pick in the draft. Unlike the last few years, though, there is not a clear-cut number 1, as there was with Strasburg and Harper. Let's take a look at who the Bucs might possibly draft.

Gerrit Cole, RHP (UCLA)

A pitcher with phenominal stuff and speed, but the numbers aren't quite as good as you would expect from a number one overall.

Year	ERA	W-L	APP	GS	CG	IP	H	R	ER	BB	K	2B	3B	HR	BF	AVG	WP	HBP	BK
2009	3.49	4-8	15	14	1	85.0	57	46	33	38	104	10	2	10	355	.191	12	6	3
2010	3.37	11-4	19	19	0	123.0	92	51	46	52	153	15	4	4	519	.205	7	11	1
2011	3.31	6-8	16	16	4	114.1	103	46	42	24	119	14	2	8	474	.242	3	10	0
TOTAL	3.38	21-20	50	49	5	322.1	252	143	121	114	376	39	8	22	1348	.215	22	27	4

Anthony Rendon, 3B (Rice)

Widely touted as the clear number one a year ago, he has suffered a setback this year due to injuries and batting as the DH instead of 3B.

Year	GP	GS	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	SB	CS	BB	K	TB	HBP	GDP	SF	AVG	OBP	SLG	OPS	PO	A	E	FPCT
2009	61	61	242	60	94	14	1	20	72	9	2	31	23	170	5	7	4	.388	.461	.702	1.163	47	159	12	.945
2010	63	63	226	83	89	12	1	26	85	14	4	65	22	181	6	2	5	.394	.530	.801	1.331	40	140	5	.973
2011	63	63	214	58	70	20	2	6	37	13	5	80	33	112	7	4	1	.327	.520	.523	1.043	12	18	2	.938
TOTAL	187	187	682	201	253	46	4	52	194	36	11	176	78	463	18	13	10	.370	.504	.675	1.179	99	317	19	.952

Danny Hultzen, LHP (Virginia)

His numbers are there, but his ceiling is not as high as Cole's is. Described as the "safe" pick, he is the pitcher who is most likely to reach to majors quickly.

Year	ERA	W	L	G	GS	CG	IP	H	R	ER	BB	K	BAA	WP	HP	BK
2009	2.17	9	1	17	16	0	95.1	88	33	23	28	107	.250	2	8	0
2010	2.78	11	1	16	16	1	106.2	75	37	33	24	123	.193	6	5	0
TOTAL	2.48	20	2	33	32	1	202.0	163	70	56	52	230	.220	8	13	0

Dylan Bundy, RHP (Owasso HS, OK)

Somewhat small for a pitcher, he makes up for it in strength. As always, it is a risk taking high school arms, and I don't think the Pirates are likely to take him. If they did, though, it still wouldn't be a bad pick.

Bubba Starling, OF (Gardner-Edgerton HS, KS)

A phenomenal outfield prospect, the chances of him being signed are lower due to his being a two-sport athlete. He currently has committed to play quarterback for Nebraska. It is unknown if he would sign a contract to play baseball, even if he were 1st overall. A very dangerous pick, but the reward is good if he signs.

Personnally, while I like Gerrit Cole, I still think that Rendon would be the best choice because we have many decent pitchers in the system, but very few power hitters such as Rendon. If he comes anywhere near what he is projected to do, it will be a great pick for the Pirates. We'll just have to wait and see what they decide tonight.

Draft signings recap

Here's a rundown of who the Pirates have and have not signed from this year's draft crop.

Round	Overall	Player	Position	Signed?	$ bonus
1	2	Jameson Taillon	RHSP	Yes	$6,500,000
2	52	Stetson Allie	RHSP	Yes	$2,250,000
3	84	Mel Rojas, Jr.	OF	Yes	$423,900
4	117	Nick Kingham	RHSP	Yes	$480,000
5	147	Tyler Waldron	RHRP	Yes	$173,500
6	177	Jason Hursh	RHSP	No	N/A
7	207	Austin Kubitza	RHSP	No	N/A
8	237	Dace Kime	RHSP	No	N/A
9	267	Brandon Cumpton	RHRP	Yes	$124,500
10	297	Zachary Weiss	RHSP	No	N/A
11	327	Daniel Grovatt	LF	Yes	--
12	357	Vincent Payne	RHSP	Yes	--
13	387	Chris Kirsch	LHSP	No	N/A
14	417	Bryce Weidman	RHSP	Yes	--
15	447	Drew Maggi	SS	Yes	$468,000
16	477	Matthew Curry	1B	Yes	--
17	507	Ryan Hafner	RHSP	Yes	$450,000
18	537	Chase Wentz	OF	No	N/A
19	567	Kent Emanuel	LHSP	No	N/A
20	597	Justin Bencsko	OF	Yes	--
21	627	Dale Carey	CF	No	N/A
22	657	Adalberto Santos	OF	Yes	--
23	687	Jared Lakind	1B	Yes	$400,000
24	717	Justin Howard	1B	Yes	--
25	747	Casey Sadler	RHSP	Yes	--
26	777	Brandon Pierce	RHSP	No	N/A
27	807	Kevin Kleis	RHSP	Yes	--
28	837	Zack Powers	SS	No	N/A
29	867	Garrett Levsen	RHSP	No	N/A
30	897	Matthew Skirving	C	Yes	--
31	927	Jason Townsend	RHSP	Yes	--
32	957	Chase Lyles	3B	Yes	--
33	987	Justin Ennis	LHRP	Yes	--
34	1017	Kelson Brown	SS	Yes	--
35	1047	Drew Muren	OF	No	N/A
36	1077	Cliff Archibald	RHRP	Yes	--
37	1107	William Allen	C	No	N/A
38	1137	Alex Cox	RHSP	No	N/A
39	1167	Kevin Decker	RHSP	Yes	--
40	1197	Harrison Cooney	RHSP	No	N/A
41	1227	Bryton Trepagnier	RHSP	Yes	--
42	1257	Stephen Lumpkins	LHSP	No	N/A
43	1287	Garrett Hicks	RHRP	No	N/A
44	1317	Cory McGinnis	RHSP	No	N/A
45	1347	Connor Sadzeck	RHSP	No	N/A
46	1377	Ryan Wiggins	C	No	N/A
47	1407	Nathan Sorenson	OF	No	N/A
48	1437	Dillon Haviland	LHSP	No	N/A
49	1467	Logan Pevny	RHRP	Yes	--
50	1497	Dusty Isaacs	RHSP	No	N/A

Total # of Players signed: 27/50 (54%)
Total Bonus $: $11,269,900

Thanks to Pirates Prospects for the information on draft signings.

Off-day post: A look at the MLB draft

The 2010 MLB draft starts on Monday.  Let's take a look at who various sources say the Pirates will take with their 2nd-overall pick.

It's pretty much a given that the Nationals will take Bryce Harper with the first overall pick.  With that in mind here's where the Pirates stack up in mock drafts.

• mymlbdraft.com - Manny Machado
• Draft Site - Manny Machado
• ESPN - Manny Machado (insider subs, but the top 5 picks are able to be viewed by anyone)
• Baseball Draft Report - Jameson Taillon
• Sporting News - Manny Machado
• MLB Fanhouse - Manny Machado
• MLB Bonus Baby - Manny Machado
• 5 Tool Talk - Drew Pomeranz
• Baseball America - Manny Machado
• MLB.com - Manny Machado
• Perfect Game/Andy Seiler - Manny Machado
• Perfect Game/David Rawnsley - Drew Pomeranz
• Draft America - Manny Machado
• Minor League Ball - Drew Pomeranz

The overwhelming opinion seems to be that Manny Machado will be the newest Pirate 1st rounder.  He's a big bat and has already gotten some comparisons to Alex Rodriguez.  Some people voice concerns that he won't be able to play SS for long due to his size, but SS is a position that the Pirates currently do not have a long term plan for and if he can play SS now, he can probably play any infield position if he is given some work there in the minors.  Machado seems like a great pickup at the #2 pick.

Drew Pomeranz and Jameson Taillon are both starting pitchers.  Pomeranz is a LHP currently playing for Ole Miss.  Taillon is a high school player from Texas.  It's possible that the Pirates could take either of them with their pick, but SS seems like a bigger need right now as the Pirates already have some good pitching prospects in their system (Brad Lincoln, Tim Alderson, Zack Von Rosenberg, Bryan Morris, Jeff Locke, and Donnie Veal, just to name a few).  As of right now, Chase D'Arnaud is the only real quality SS prospect in the system, so taking Machado makes a lot of sense to me.

Of course, if the Nationals for some reason believe they need more pitchers and take Taillon or Pomeranz, Harper would be the obvious choice.  He's a can't miss guy who can play catcher, 3rd base, or right field.  He could probably be converted to other positions too if necessary.  This kid is so good he had a .626 average in 2009 with 14 homers and 55 RBIs.  Definitely a guy you could build a franchise around.

Whoever the Pirates end up picking, I just hope it's not another Bullington.  They have drafted pretty well in the recent past, and I am hopeful that that trend will continue this year.