Report: First-round pick Baz to sign instead of pursuing college career

Neal Huntington admitted the Pirates would face a challenge signing their first-round draft pick in the MLB Draft on Monday night, but it took 24 hours for a deal to get done.

According to Mark Berman of KRV-TV in Houston, right-handed pitcher Shane Baz, who was selected with the 12th pick, will sign with the Pirates instead of pursuing a collegiate career at TCU.

Baz had said previously it would take the right situation to pull him away from that plan, and declined to gauge if he was leaning one way or another during a conference call with reporters after his selection.



Baz, who signed a letter of intent with TCU in November, is the first pitcher the Pirates have selected in the first round since 2012, when they drafted and failed to sign Mark Appel from Stanford after using the No. 8 overall pick on him. Appel chose to return to school his senior season and was drafted No. 1 overall in 2013.

The Pirates began contract negotiations with Baz's agent late Monday night, but there appeared to be some level of concern with an ability to sign him. Huntington said the front office's conversations with Baz created some optimism.

“Our guys do a terrific job of getting to know the player; the expectations, the interest, but we don’t always get them signed,” Huntington said in a conference call. “That is a challenge. We’ve run into that situation a few times in the past. We felt that this player was the best pick for this organization at this point in time. We felt we had a legitimate chance to have him join the Pirates, but we also recognize there is a risk that it might not get done.”

The No. 12 pick has an estimated value of $4 million and last year’s No. 12 pick — pitcher Jason Groome — signed with the White Sox for a bonus of $3.65 million.

Baz, who is listed at 6-foot-3, 205-pounds and was dominant at Concordia Lutheran High School in Tomball, Texas, fits the mold of a pitcher that every organization targets early in the draft. He has a fastball that has reportedly touched 99 mph and averages 93-96, as well as an excellent curveball and slider.

He began throwing the slider last summer and it was a weapon that helped him post an ERA of 0.96 as a senior with 96 strikeouts. Baz also played third base and outfield in high school, and batted .431 as a senior in 2017.

An ability to play both on the pitcher's mound and in the field attracted Baz to TCU. If he would have chosen that path, it would be the second time in as many seasons that a high school pitcher chose the Horned Frogs over signing with the Pirates.

They selected Nick Lodolo at No. 41 in last year's draft and he chose to attend TCU, where he helped the Horned Frogs reach the College World Series. The 6-foot-6 left-hander is 5-1 with 69 strikeouts in 73 2/3 innings. He was the highest unsigned pick in the 2016 draft, but the Pirates used 21 of their 40 draft picks in 2016 on pitchers.

“They have an awesome track record,” Baz said of the Pirates. “I was definitely honored they picked me. They have to have one of the best systems in baseball, if not the best.”