Pirates Land Three First Round Talents on Day Two of the MLB Draft

John Dreker

This post is going to serve as the one post for today to cover all of the draft picks. In the past we have had separate posts for each pick through the top ten rounds, but this should be easier to follow all day and it won’t push posts off of the top of the page after a few hours. The Pirates make the 37th overall pick today as soon as the draft starts back up at 1 PM. After that pick is made, we will add a bio for that player and video if available as well. That will be done for all ten players drafted today. I’ll be sitting here waiting for their names, then I’ll start writing them up and update the post as soon as I’m done.

Here are the top available players

Here’s our draft tracker, which you should bookmark. Will come in handy when the signings start rolling in.

It’s going to be a fun day, so stay with us in the comments all day.

With the 37th overall pick in the 2021 draft, the Pittsburgh Pirates select left-handed prep pitcher Anthony Solometo, who was the top available player in the article above for Pipeline. He is 6’5″, 218 pounds. According to Pipeline, he gets his fastball into the low-90s already with life and command. His slider and changeup are average now with a chance for him to have three plus pitches. Baseball America had him up to 96 MPH and said the slider can look like a plus pitch at times. He has an easy delivery, throws plenty of strikes and has a big frame, which should make him a durable starter with that three-pitch mix.

This video is a little old and he’s made progress since then, but it shows him at the Area Code games. Courtesy of 2080 Baseball

Here’s a second video

 

With the 64th overall pick, the Pirates select Lonnie White Jr, 6’3″, 212 pound 18-year-old prep outfielder out of Pennsylvania. He ranks 72nd for MLB Pipeline, but BA had him all the way up at 32nd, after earlier ranking him as a possible mid-first round pick. He’s a right-handed hitter, very athletic, with a commit to Penn State. BA ranks him 50+ on all five tools, including 60 for power and speed. There are some swing-and-miss concerns, but he is a two-sport player who could do better in that area by concentrating on baseball. The power and speed are legit plus tools. He was thought to have some signability issues, but he was taken in this spot for a reason.

Here is video from BA

Here’s some video from the Area Code Games last year

With the 72nd overall pick in the draft, the Pirates select Bubba Chandler, right-handed prep pitcher out of Georgia, who was listed on both top ten available player lists linked above. He’s 18 years old, 6’3″, 200 pounds and has a four-pitch mix, with a fastball that gets up to 97 MPH and a strong curve, to go along with a slider and changeup. He’s extremely athletic, with a commit to Clemson as a two-way player (football). He’s a bit raw on the mound and the command isn’t there, but this is a big arm with good spin on his breaking ball and arm speed to add more once his mechanics are cleaned up. He also has potential as a hitter, though scouts prefer the arm and high upside on the mound.

Had trouble finding a good pitching video, but there is this from BA

This has some good content too

I was going to save the comments, but this is an insane draft strategy working out great for the Pirates. They got four players with first round talent. They won this draft already.

With their fourth round pick, the Pirates select Owen Kellington, 18-year-old, right-handed pitcher out of Vermont, 6’3″, 193 pounds. The Pirates reached here a bit, though it is a prep pitcher with a commit to Connecticut, so that doesn’t automatically mean that he signs cheap. He was unranked (out of 250 spots) by Pipeline and ranks 386th by BA. He’s described as having a low-90s fastball with a projectable frame that needs to fill out. He has sharp break on his curve and BA calls it a pitch with above-average potential. He has plenty of athleticism, but not a lot of experience and the delivery needs some cleaning up.

Here’s a recent report. Video options aren’t good

With their fifth round pick, then Pirates select Jackson Glenn, a senior out of Dallas Baptist. He’s 5’11”, 205 pounds, with plenty of power in his swing. He was called as a third baseman, though Pipeline notes that he switched to second base this year. He’s already 23 years old as a fifth-year player, but there is some potential in the bat. He hit .364/.435/.716 this season with 21 homers and he was perfect in 13 steal attempts. This is going to be a savings pick, possibly to help pay for all of the talent taken in the first three rounds, but he’s a solid defender with power, so there is some potential. BA has him in the back-end of their top 500.

Baseball Prospectus has an excellent video

In the sixth round, the Pirates selected Mike Jarvis, shortstop from San Diego State. He’s 5’10”, 180 pounds and 23 years old. He wasn’t ranked in Pipeline’s top 250 or BA’s top 500. He’s a senior sign, so it appears that the Pirates are saving with these picks to pay their massive haul with the first four picks. Jarvis had a strong season, hitting .367/.417/.544 in 46 games, with 25 extra-base hits, 16 steals and just 20 strikeouts in 235 plate appearances. He had solid stats his first two years, but showed more power and better contact skills this season. He also had two prior years at Saddleback College, so he has plenty of college experience.

Here’s video from Prospect Pipeline

In the seventh round, the Pirates selected San Diego State catcher Wyatt Hendrie, one round behind his teammate Mike Jarvis. Hendrie is 22 years old and a junior, who stands 5’11”, 200 pounds and bats right-handed. He was unranked by Pipeline, but BA has him 270th in this draft class. He passed on signing with the Cubs as a tenth round pick in 2019. He batted .379/.464/.633 this year with nine homers. BA calls him a plus athlete behind the plate, though he converted to the position from the outfield. He runs fast for a catcher and they believe his bat might be a bit light for the pros, but once he gets more experience behind the plate, his defense plus ability to make contact and judge the strike zone could get him to the majors.

Here’s a Prospect Pipeline video, though it’s from the start of the 2020 season and early in his catching process, so not the best scouting video

With their eighth round pick, the Pirates selected Sean Sullivan out of California, a junior right-handed pitcher, 20 years old, 6’1″, 175 pounds. Ranked 138th by BA, 212th by Pipeline. He pitched sparingly during his first two seasons in college before moving to the rotation this year. Pipeline has him 90-91 with a sinking fastball that can touch as high as 95. He has a quality four-pitch mix slider/curve/change. They say that he has a chance to be a #4 starter in the majors. BA calls his slider above average and his change/curve both average offerings. He commands his fastball and can use all four of his pitches in any count. He could have some upside as he gets more experience and adds muscle to his frame. This is a strong eighth round pick.

This is the best video I found, though it’s nearly two years old, summer action after his freshman season

In the ninth round, the Pirates Luke Brown out of Louisville, a teammate of first overall pick Henry Davis. Brown is a 22-year-old outfielder, 5’10”, 195 pounds, lefty bat. He did well in limited work last year, hitting .328/.384/.403 in 17 games during the shortened season. This season he batted .320/.381/.422 in 50 games. He has 28 stolen bases in two season, but he didn’t hit any homers. Jonathan Mayo called him a 70-grade runner. He wasn’t ranked in BA’s top 500. He was a 25th round draft pick of the Yankees in 2019 out of JUCO. He’s a senior sign.

Here’s video

In the tenth round, with their final pick of today, the Pirates selected Justin Meis, right-handed pitcher from Eastern Michigan. He’s 21 years old, 6’2″, 160 pounds and he’s from Pittsburgh, PA. He made 13 starts and a relief appearance in 2021, posting a 4.64 ERA in 73.2 innings, with 33 walks, 81 strikeouts and a .264 BAA. In the shortened 2020 season, Meis had a 5.23 ERA in four starts. In his first year at Eastern Michigan in 2019, he had a 7.45 ERA in 58 innings, with opponents hitting .351 against him. According to Perfect Game, he throws 91-93, with a “slurvy breaking ball” in the low 80s and a mid-80s changeup. They called him a strike-thrower who pitches to contact, although he had a strong K rate this year.

Here’s another video. Meis was pitching well in summer ball this year, posting a 2.07 ERA in 17.1 innings. He just finished up that season.

2021 Draft, No Quarter
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