'We're like brothers:' Pirates' big draft class bonds during introduction to pro ball

BRADENTON, Fla. -- After the group had gotten comfortable together, Braylon Bishop had something he wanted to say to Anthony Solometo.

“Anthony, I got you last.”

Bishop was referring to an area code game the two had played together when they were in high school. Bishop remembered the left-hander because “he was just so disgusting.” Still, in front of their fellow Pirate draft picks, Bishop playfully reminded the second-rounder that he won the last time they squared off.

Bishop unintentionally poked the bear. At the end of the season, Solometo was throwing a live batting practice at Pirate City when Bishop walked by. There, Solometo and some of the other nearby players started calling him out to get into the box.

“He ended up K'ing me,” Bishop said. “I didn't even take any BP or get to see him throw. I was like, 'oh my God,' but I couldn't back down.

“It will be my last time facing him."

That’s the hope, at least. The Pirates were able to use their draft position and large signing bonus pool in order to pick up four of Baseball America’s top 32 draft prospects with their first four picks -- Solometo, catcher Henry Davis, outfielder Lonnie White and right-hander/shortstop Bubba Chandler -- while also adding Bishop, ranked 88th in his class, in the 14th round.

If those picks hit, it has the potential to be one of the best draft classes in recent memory, and the people who are the most excited about it are those picks. There’s a growing bond between them, seen in how Bishop busted White’s chops for coming into the “Get Better At Baseball” camp at LECOM Park Tuesday closer to the report time, while Bishop arrived earlier (“He’s still in bed!” he joked), or how Davis dressed up as Chandler for Halloween (Chandler bought the blonde wig to fashion his now-departed mullet and Davis raided his closet for the rest). 

“I’m more amped about this draft class than I was about the recruiting class at Clemson,” Chandler said, referring to the football scholarship he turned down in order to sign with the Pirates. “[General manager Ben] Cherington put a lot of really good men together. It’s gonna show in the years to come.”

PITTSBURGH PIRATES

Bubba Chandler at his introduction at PNC Park, with his old hair.

To get this group, the Pirates had to convince four high schoolers to give up their college commitments, but for White and Chandler to forgo football. Chandler was set to play quarterback at Clemson and had already been to college a few weeks through early enrollment by the time he was drafted. White was set to play wide receiver at Penn State. 

But as his high school coach, Freddy Hilliard Jr., told him when he was making his decision, “There’s 50 kids in the SEC just like you. There’s not one high school kid in baseball like you.”

“I think I made the best decision for myself,” White said about choosing baseball over football.

“The first three weeks were pretty brutal, but I’ve gotten over it,” Chandler said.

For Chandler, a big part of his decision to turn down Dabo Swinney and Clemson was the promise that he could be given the opportunity to be a two-way player. While he only appeared as a hitter in 11 Florida Gulf Coast League games this year, he threw bullpens on the side.

“The first month was really hard on my body,” Chandler said. “My mind was fine, but my body was drained. The two-way thing is gonna be tough, but I got most of the bad juju out of the way this year.”

Chandler figured out a modified routine to help ease the load, replacing a work day with a recovery day. 

It’s just one of the challenges of navigating a new routine as a professional. Even more so for guys like him and White who are now just one sport athletes.

“I’ve never focused solely on baseball before,” White said. “Doing this now for the first time, I can feel the difference. I’m getting to learn my swing more. I’m getting to learn my body more… I can feel myself more,” White said. “I can point it out if I look at a video. I could never do that before. It’s more getting to know my body, the way it moves, the way it works.”

Of the draft picks, Bishop seemed the least likely of the bunch to sign, even less so than those with football scholarships. He had committed to the University of Arkansas at 15, and signability concerns made him drop to the final day of the draft. 

As the deadline approached, Bishop decided to make a trip to Pittsburgh. Nothing had been decided, but he wanted to see what life as a professional would be like.

“I was going just to go, you know, and get that experience,” Bishop said. “And I was like, 'this is what I want.' I was ready."

Bishop ended up signing for $268,700, the last of the money the Pirates could spend without being penalized draft picks next year. It’s far less than the seven-figure paydays his fellow teammates got. 

“I know I have to get a couple more contracts before I get out of this game,” Bishop said. “I saw it as, 'I know I didn't have money coming into this, and I don't have money now, compared to the rest of the baseball players,' so it motivates me. I know I can't stop now.”

And of course, there is Davis, the first overall pick and a guy to look up to. Not just because he was picked first, but because he has the college experience and can help guide the recently graduated players to adulthood. Even if it’s small lessons, like telling Chandler that you can’t leave raw meat in the fridge for a week.

“I enjoy it,” Davis told me. “At college I had the opportunity to learn from great leaders. It’s my job and my responsibility to give back. Even though I might not have known these guys for too long, I feel like we’re brothers.”

That feeling is shared amongst the group. Davis was promoted to Class High-A Greensboro in-season, but Solometo, White, Chandler and Bishop stayed in the GCL. They’ll progress through the system together, where those relationships will continue to grow.

"I didn't know any of these guys, and now we hang out every day,” Bishop said. “Obviously we're gonna hang out as a team, but it's a different kind of bond, the group that we have."