After every draft, there are always questions.
What did they get?
Are these guys for real?
Who should we keep an eye on?
Why did they take this guy?
After covering the draft for the last three days, I would say there's a lot to like about who the Pirates selected. As I touched on yesterday, Ben Cherington and Justin Horowitz, the Pirates' director of amateur scouting, were set on drafting the best possible talent, while also prioritizing, athleticism, character and "impact talent." They did just that while getting a mixture of college bats and arms and young high school prospects who have the potential to play at the major league level one day.
They used four of their first five picks on high school players and found high-upside collegiate players, who were coming off bad years in college, or injuries.
Here are a few guys to keep an eye on, a few honorable mentions and one head-scratcher to finish off draft coverage for this year.
DRAFTEES TO WATCH
Josh Hartle, LHP, Wake Forest
Hartle is one of the most intriguing guys to me. The southpaw was seen as a first-rounder at the beginning of this season as he was coming off a sophomore season where he earned an 11-2 record with a 2.81 ERA over 102 1/3 innings of work.
Heading into this season, Hartle tweaked his mechanics, tried to throw harder and veered away from his normal approach of fooling hitters with the craftiness of his lower arm slot. In the end, his ERA rose to a 5.74 over 74 2/3 innings and the Pirates were able to get him at great value in the third round.
Baseball America gives his fastball a 40 grade, his slider a 55 grade, changeup a 50 grade and rates his control as a 60 grade. So, he has the attributes of a creative lefty who can get a high rate of ground balls and weak contact. If the Pirates can return him to form, this will be a steal.
Eddie Rynders, SS, Wisconsin Lutheran High School (WI)
Baseball America had Rynders ranked as the 350th best prospect in this year's draft and the Pirates grabbed him at No. 112. With his 6-2, 197-pound frame Rynders is sneaky athletic and has a lot of raw power. If he increases his strength, which may slow him down, he has the athleticism to move to third base, which makes him that much more intriguing.
"He's a projectable left-handed hitter with a physical frame, he's going to add some strength, he's got some sneaky power and he's got a good swing," Horowitz said. "On the dirt, he moves pretty well, good hands, arm strength, can stick on the left side and is a kid that was a riser throughout the spring for us. A kid that continued to perform and make a name for himself."
If Rynders can continue that rise, the sky is the limit as he has a lot of interesting attributes that will only improve once he's in a professional development environment.
Duce Gourson, 2B, UCLA
He goes by Duce, but his real name is Ethan and he may be one of the Pirates' picks that isn't getting a lot of attention.
Baseball America ranked him as the 231st-best prospect and MLB Pipeline had him at No. 158, so there was a split narrative about him. Either way, the Pirates got him at No. 264, which is probably one of their best picks as far as value goes. The pick had a slot value of $196,100, so we'll see where they end up contract wise as Gourson is coming off a junior season in which he slashed .288/.427/.482 with seven home runs and 27 RBIs. Statistically, it was his worst-hitting season at UCLA. He slashed .294/.439/.455 as a freshman with four home runs, 44 RBIs and 43 walks and then slashed .319/.438/.515 as a sophomore, hitting 10 home runs, driving in 48 runs and walking 36 times.
If he continues to draw walks and use an all-fields hitting approach, Gourson could be an intriguing prospect for the Pirates. But, his offense is surely what will carry him through the organization.
Ethan Lege, 3B/OF, Ole Miss
Still trying to figure out where Lege winds up defensively. He's listed as a third baseman and started 49 of the 51 games he appeared in as a junior at third base. However, he played mostly outfield during his senior season, outside of starting a few games at second base. His defensive numbers were better this past season, so outfield may be the spot for him. However, his bat is definitely what got him selected.
His senior season was cut short in May with a broken thumb but before his injury, Lege had a standout year with a .323/.424/.645 slash line, 13 home runs, 38 RBIs, 22 walks, 11 doubles and 16 strikeouts. I think his bat translates well to the next level. He's also one of those high-character guys that Cherington and Horowitz were targeting in this draft.
Connor Wietgrefe, LHP, Minnesota
The Pirates are pretty high on Wietgrefe and think he has the potential to become an impact starter. I can't disagree. He was an All-Big Ten first-team selection this past year after tallying a 2.77 ERA in 78 innings with 74 strikeouts.
"He’s a pretty talented lefty, a strike thrower, deceptive, pounds the zone, can sink it, got a good little breaking ball," Horowitz said. "We want to help him develop his changeup a little bit. But he's someone our athlete team specifically is really excited about the potential runway to develop and grow."
"Deceptive" and "pounds the zone" are the two things that stick out to me because if you can throw strikes and keep hitters off balance, you'll go a long way. At 6-2, 210 pounds, I still think there's some room to add some power as well, so Wietgrefe definitely is a guy to keep an eye on.
Honorable Mention
Gavin Adams and Will Taylor, along with Hartle, are guys I mentioned yesterday but still think they deserve to be mentioned. Andrew Patrick (OF, Wright State) and Ian Farrow (OF, Florida Gulf Coast University) are two other guys to watch as they can do a little bit of everything.
Patrick was a career .288 hitter with 37 home runs, 120 RBIs, 87 walks and 61 stolen bases. He was coming off an early-season injury this past season so there could be an upswing once he gets into the organization. The only thing that may be a factor is the competition level as he played in the Horizon League, but we'll see how that turns out.
Farrow was a big bat at FGCU with a .332/.439/.619 career slash line over three years. As a senior, he put together a .379/.504/.751 slash line with 15 home runs, 43 RBIs and 37 walks, despite missing nine games with an upper-body injury. This is another college bat that could translate to the next level.
HEAD SCRATCHER
Brian Curley, RHP, VCU
This was the only pick that "confused" me and not from a talent standpoint, but from an ability-to-sign standpoint. Curley is just finishing up his sophomore year, and it was a good one. He pitched 78 1/3 innings of relief and tallied 78 strikeouts while recording a 2.87 ERA.
I would have to think that Curley and the Pirates have a number that they can meet at where he'd forego his final two years of college, but we'll see how that plays out. If he signs it could be another great value pick.
