The Pittsburgh Pirates will select ten players today during the second day of the 2021 amateur draft, with the festivities kicking off at 1:00 PM. They make the first pick of the day, which is the 37th overall selection in the draft. They also have picks 64 and 72 not too far behind. Here’s a look at the top ten players available on the draft board. I have two separate lists here, so you’re actually getting more than ten players. I’ll be starting with the list from MLB Pipeline and giving a very brief summary of their top ten remaining players. After that is the top ten from Baseball America, with summaries of the new players from their list. The number in parenthesis is their ranking.
Pipeline
- Anthony Solometo (17) – Left-handed prep pitcher, 6’5″, 218, low 90s fastball with command, average slider and changeup, with chance for three above average pitches. UNC commit
- Will Taylor (20) – prep outfielder, righty bat, 6’0″, 175, extremely athletic, nice bat skills, medium power, very fast. Clemson commit
- Bubba Chandler (21) – prep RHP, 6’3″, 200, Clemson commit. Fastball hits 97, solid curve, workable slider and changeup. Good athleticism.
- Jud Fabian (23) – college outfielder at Florida. 6’2″, 190. Lefty thrower, righty bat. Solid five-tool player with above average bat speed. Should stick in center field.
- Josh Baez (24) – prep outfielder, 6’4″, 220. Just turned 18 years old. Vanderbilt commit. Outstanding raw power, well above average arm. Probably a future corner outfielder, plays center now, might not hit for high average.
- Peyton Stovall (29) – prep shortstop, 6’0″, 180, lefty hitter. Makes consistent hard contact, uses all fields, has raw power and bat speed. Arkansas commit. Rated high because of the bat potential. Defense and speed are average at best. Will likely move off shortstop
- Izaac Pacheco (30) – prep shortstop, 6’4″, 225, lefty bat. Plus raw power, excellent bat speed, probably not a high OBP guy, likely moves off shortstop, but could be a plus defender at third base according to Pipeline. Texas A&M commit
- Wes Kath (34) – prep third baseman, lefty bat, 6’3″, 200 pounds. Makes consistent hard contact with solid raw power. Has glove and arm strength to be a solid defender. Arizona State commit.
- Ethan Wilson (35) – college outfielder, lefty bat, 6’1″, 210, South Alabama (Travis Swaggerty’s school). Corner outfielder, average speed, value is in the bat, which should be a high OBP with some pop.
- Jaden Hill (36) – LSU pitcher, was once rated high, but his stuff really dropped off and then he had Tommy John surgery. He has hit 99 MPH, throws a plus changeup and his slider has looked like a plus pitch in the past.
Baseball America
- Bubba Chandler (20)
- Will Taylor (21)
- Jaden Hill (24)
- Adrian Del Castillo (25) – Miami catcher, Pirates aren’t going to be going for a catcher with the top two picks. Del Castillo was rated much higher earlier in the year, getting top five rankings prior to the season.
- Ethan Wilson (26)
- Jud Fabian (27)
- Anthony Solometo (28)
- Joshua Baez (31)
- Lonnie White Jr (32) – Prep outfielder, Penn State commit, 6’3″, 205, right-handed bat. Very athletic, good feel for hitting, has strength and bat speed, above average runner, could stick in center field.
- Peyton Stovall (33)
I didn’t expect these lists to be so similar. For comparison sake with the differences, Del Castillo ranks 42nd for Pipeline and White Jr ranks 72nd for Pipeline. For BA, Izaac Pacheco ranks 36th overall and Wes Kath ranks 53rd.
