In rounds 11-20 of the MLB Draft, the Pirates selected three high school pitchers who are committed to Power 5 programs. That comes with its challenges.
Players drafted in rounds 11-20 can sign for up to $150,000 without impacting the team's bonus pool for the first 10 rounds. Anything over $150,000 will impact the team's bonus pool. If the Pirates saved money during the first 10 rounds, they may be able to sign Connor Hamilton, McLane Moody, or Nick Frusco. Justin Horowitz, the Pirates' director of amateur scouting, said they had to take a chance.
"As you get deeper into the draft, especially in rounds 11-20, it certainly gets a little bit more difficult to sign high school players. But at certain points, you also want to take some shots," Horowitz said. "We would love to bring every single one of them into the organization, to be honest. Like I said, they're all really talented. Some may be more viable than others at the end of the day. In those areas of the draft, it made sense for us to take a couple shots and we'll see what happens."
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THE ASYLUM
Greg Macafee
12:45 am - 07.15.2025DOWNTOWNPirates 'take some shots' with high school arms
In rounds 11-20 of the MLB Draft, the Pirates selected three high school pitchers who are committed to Power 5 programs. That comes with its challenges.
Players drafted in rounds 11-20 can sign for up to $150,000 without impacting the team's bonus pool for the first 10 rounds. Anything over $150,000 will impact the team's bonus pool. If the Pirates saved money during the first 10 rounds, they may be able to sign Connor Hamilton, McLane Moody, or Nick Frusco. Justin Horowitz, the Pirates' director of amateur scouting, said they had to take a chance.
"As you get deeper into the draft, especially in rounds 11-20, it certainly gets a little bit more difficult to sign high school players. But at certain points, you also want to take some shots," Horowitz said. "We would love to bring every single one of them into the organization, to be honest. Like I said, they're all really talented. Some may be more viable than others at the end of the day. In those areas of the draft, it made sense for us to take a couple shots and we'll see what happens."
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