North Shore Tavern Mound Visit: Taking a look at Pirates' draft options

The Pirates may currently have sole possession of first place in the National League Central at the moment, but the future could be even brighter since have the first overall pick in this year's amateur draft.

We are now less than a month away from the draft, which will take place July 9-11 in Seattle, and it's far from decided who the Pirates will take with that first pick. Plenty of mock drafts have had them linked to LSU outfielder Dylan Crews, but it's also possibly they could take someone else and spread their draft money around, like they did in 2021 with Henry Davis. Fortunately for the Pirates, this year's class has several players who are talented enough to be taken first overall.

This Mound Visit is taking a look at some of the players I've heard the Pirates linked to for that first pick as well as scouting reports on those players. And if we are taking a look at this draft class, the discussion has to start with Crews.

OF DYLAN CREWS, LSU

The last time the Pirates' had the first overall pick in 2021, many went into the year thinking Kumar Rocker would be their guy. Rocker faltered and pitched his way out of consideration for the spot. This time around, Crews entered the year as the favorite to go No. 1, and all he has done is bolster his case.

Crews is a legitimate five-tool player. He has a jaw-dropping .432/.573/.736 slash line with 17 home runs over 293 plate appearances this year with great batted ball peripherals. His average exit velocity was 93 mph, and while that was with a metal bat, the general rule of thumb is that velocity decreases about two mph with a wooden bat. A 91 mph average would still put him in the top 25% of major-league hitters today, which should only go up.

He also has speed, not only to stay in center field defensively, but steal bases. He only swiped six bags at LSU this year, but the Tigers don't run. In other programs, he could have flirted with a 20-20 season.

If there is a knock on him -- and trust me, this is a stretch -- it's that he may not have an elite tool. Everything is plus, but it's not Ji Hwan Bae speed or Oneil Cruz power. One report I got listed every tool as 55-grade besides hit, which was 60. The swing can also get flat at times which can lead to more ground balls.

Again, I'm stretching to find a fault and those are outstanding grades. Crews is a potential All-Star and widely regarded as the top draft prospect. Many mock drafts have linked the Pirates to picking him.

OF WYATT LANGFORD, FLORIDA

Langford probably can't play center field long-term like Crews can (though the speed could make it tempting to try him out there), but the bat rivals Crews. Actually, in terms of just power, Langford might have the edge.

Landford has slashed .373/.498/.769 with 18 home runs this season, so there is some serious power. That's mostly because Langford does a good job generating loft. There's raw power there, but his exit velocities were lower than Crews', averaging 90 mph. Again, with a wooden bat, that would be closer to about 88 mph, which is more or less major-league average. That should increase as he develops in pro ball, which should play off of his raw power and good batted ball tendencies. That power is the main selling point here, and it could be as high as 70-grade.

He isn't as disciplined at the plate, so that 18.7% walk rate he's posted this year probably won't translate to the professional game. There's always some risk taking a left fielder early in the draft because it generally means they don't have the arm to play right field or the range to play center, but Langford has legitimate speed.

I've heard that there's a legitimate argument that Langford is better than Crews (though the person who said that did not necessarily share that opinion). The word in many mock drafts is Langford would certainly be cheaper to sign, so if the Pirates want to spread their bonus pool around, he or the next outfielder would probably be the best options.

OF MAX CLARK, FRANKLIN, IND.

The Pirates have scouted Clark pretty well, from what I've gathered. It makes sense, as he's generally considered to be the top high school player in the country. I heard from one league source that he's probably a better prospect than last year's No. 1 pick, Jackson Holliday.

Clark has a great feel to hit, has great speed and is insanely raw. He has a short, quick swing and doesn't waste movement. The hands are in a good spot and get to the load immediately. I had him described as a slam dunk center fielder.

Like Langford, Clark would be a good choice if the Pirates want to go underslot with the first overall pick to spread out money.

OF WALKER JENKINS, SOUTH BRUNSWICK, N.C.

I've only heard Jenkins' name in passing (and I can't say for certain exactly how much consideration he's getting), and the vibe I have gotten around the league is he is not in the same class as the other three outfielders listed. I've had it described that the gap between him and Clark is larger than the one between Crews and Langford. It's one thing to take the second or third best player first overall to snatch up a potential first-round talent or two later in the draft, but this might be pushing it.

With that said, Jenkins is still a very intriguing and talented young player who ranks at No. 4 on MLB Pipeline's draft prospect list. He's an average runner right now, and at 6'3", 215 lbs., he projects to get bigger and probably move to a corner outfield spot. He has a wide stance but a short stride and some very quick hands. This video from the Perfect Game All-American Classic last year really shows off those hands:

He has strength and should hit at the professional level, and the arm is also a plus tool. There's a lot to like about this guy's overall body of work. Had the draft lottery gone another way and the Pirates would have had the fourth pick (like their record indicated), he would probably be a great selection. But at first overall, it might be a stretch.

RHP PAUL SKENES, LSU

We close with the best pitcher in this draft, Skenes. Actually, Skenes just might be the best pitching prospect since Stephen Strasburg, according to one source, who opined that he is certainly better than 2018 No. 1 pick Casey Mize was at the time of his draft.

Skenes has recorded a 1.90 ERA with 179 strikeouts and just 17 walks over 99 1/3 innings pitched. Even a very talented SEC cannot hit his stuff, which is mainly a two-pitch mix: A 98 mph fastball and a slider that gets about 2,600 RPM of spin and 12 inches of glove side sweep. I went through Baseball Savant's pitch data to look for pitchers who get roughly that much velocity, movement and spin, and the best three I could find are Graham Ashcraft, Gerrit Cole and Shohei Ohtani. Ashcraft is young and finding his place in the league, but Cole and Ohtani need no introduction.

That slider is what has made Skenes into such a coveted prospect. A year ago, it was sitting about 2,300 RPM and was a lot tighter. Being able to pair a big, sweeping 85-mph breaking ball with a fastball that can touch triple digits is basically a closer's pitch mix as a starter:

There are two knocks on Skenes. The first is the changeup isn't good. He's been operating on a two-pitch mix for most of the season, which rarely flies in pro ball for a starter. The other is the workload he's had in college. This is a risk for basically any first-round pitcher, but he's thrown at least 109 pitches in six of his last nine outings. That includes a 124-pitch performance on June 2. Collegiate starts are once a week so there is more recovery time, and no collegiate team is intentionally malicious with how they use their pitchers. But you can't screw up the first overall pick, and hitters are generally a safer bet because their injury risk is lower.

There are still four weeks between now and the draft, and again, no decisions have been made. The good news for the Pirates is there several players this year who have the talent to be considered the No. 1 overall pick. The question is what they will end up prioritizing. A deeper class? Pitching over hitting? Experience over youth? That will all play into who gets their name called first on July 9.