No team in baseball will have a worse record than the Pirates this year, so Pittsburgh will have the top selection in the 2011 first-year player draft. The Mariners and Pirates could both finish 61-101 if the Mariners lose all of their remaining games and the Pirates win all of theirs, but even if that happens, the Pirates will have the first overall pick. Pittsburgh's record was worse than Seattle's in 2009, so the Mariners will not select higher than second. For a look at how the rest of the picks are shaping up, check out MLBTR's reverse standings.
The Pirates will have the first overall pick for the fourth time in franchise history. The organization selected Jeff King (1986), Kris Benson (1996) and Bryan Bullington (2002) with its other top picks. Baseball America's Jim Callis took a closer look at those three picks on Monday.
The Pirates have a poor major league product that clinched an 18th consecutive losing season earlier this year, but GM Neal Huntington has spent aggressively on amateur talent. For example, the team signed second overall selection Jameson Taillon to a reported $6.5MM bonus this year, so look for the Pirates to draft the best amateur player available next June. Rice third baseman Anthony Rendon might be the favorite; Huntington told Dejan Kocacevic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette last night, "Prior to the [ankle] injury, Rendon's a very interesting player. We've got to see where he is post-injury."
Let’s hope they do better with the pick in 2011 than they did with the last three. Let’s Go Bucs.
Um, I think their picks in 2008, 2009, and 2010 were pretty good.
It’s their picks for several years before that that sucked fairly badly.
I think he was referring to King, Benson, and Bullington.
Yes, I suppose in the context of the article(i.e. overall #1 picks), he did mean that.
I thought he was referring to the Pirates’ last 3 first round picks. His response was kind of ambiguous, I think. Thanks for the clarification.
Lets see Gerrit Cole, Matthew Purke, Daniel Norris or Sonny Gray, hell even George Springer…..Choices, Choices.Choices….ummmmmmmmmm I’ll Take Gerrit Cole for $8 Million…………..
they’ll select the next Stephen Strasburgh
and book an appointment with Dr. Andrews the next day
Wow. This team has a history of really awful first picks. Seriously if the best of a group is Anna Benson’s husband then it’s an awful group.
Yeah, but thats because all of the fails have been college pitchers for the most part. Thats why they will select Rendon and not Purke.
I wouldn’t necessarily put the blame on picking college vs. HS. HS picks can be high potential, but it can also be pretty high rates of attrition and busts. In terms of that college guys can be higher percentage bets. That doesn’t necessarily mean that they will be low potential guys either. Look at Prior (pre-injury), Teixeira, Strasburg, Price, Wieters, Longoria. All of them were college picks.
Mostly because they didn’t think they would be able to sign the best player/the one they wanted. The Pirates have turned the corner.
I agree with this assessment.
It probably hit a zenith of fan dissatisfaction when they passed on Matt Wieters because of signability, and the historic minorleague campaign he went on afterwards. The following draft they seemed to swear not to let such players drop anymore and picked Alvarez. Since then, they have been pretty solid in terms of picking up guys they should be picking at their respective slots.
The Pirates draft strategy changed for the better when GM Dave Littlefield was axed and Neal Huntington was hired. Hopefully the Pirates will continue having successful drafts so that the ML team can be competitive.
Can’t imagine them going with anyone but Rendon, assuming he keeps producing and doesn’t get injured again.
Dunno, with Alvarez at 3B and a pitiful pitching staff, I wouldn’t surprised to see them take Cole or Purke.
By the time Rendon reaches the majors, Alvarez will likely be at 1B. That said, the Pirates might still go with Cole/Purke/Gray.
As good as Rendon sounds, if I were the Pirates, I’d also go for pitching.
NO!!!!…….. I know it isn’t Oppenheimer’s fault but, I almost went beserk when Gerrit Cole didn’t sign. He better make it up this year, he has had horrible drafts, which is why i’m losing trust in him as a scout.
If i were the bucs i would not get pitching they just got three guys this year that are very good and have guys in A and AA ball that look promising.Who do they have in the way of position players Tony Sanchez,is that it?
Starling Marte is looking pretty promising, and D’Arnaud might be a decent second baseman. Really though the position player pool is weak. I’d rather see them trade for a position player.
You can never have enough pitching.
Well, unless you’re Tampa Bay, the magical city where every pitching prospect reaches his full potential.
I am no HS/College baseball prospect expert but I think I would go with Rendon with the first pick. As a few have said before the Pirates have a whole mess of good to elite starting prospects like Taillon, Allie, Morris, Heredia, Von Rosenberg, Locke, Owens, etc but only have a good bat/excellent glove catching prospect and a few raw toolsy outfielders – Marte, Hernandez, Lambo – for legit positional prospect.
When(if) Rendon makes it to the bigs Alvarez could slide to 1B and have a nice home grown middle of the order.
But if I’m NH and my scouts are telling me one of the pitchers available is the clear best player available then you have to take the pitcher.
I agree. They have done a really good job restocking the system with pitching the last 2-3 years, but they are still rather light on bats. The only impact hitters that I can see are Tony Sanchez and Starling Marte. But all of this is presupposing that Rendon is healthy. If not, I wouldn’t mind seeing them take Cole, Purke, or Jungman.
purke would be filthy in pnc
i think the entire pirates team plays filthy in pnc
It’s sort of sad how quickly the Nationals became a team to be reckoned with and yet the Pirates are still….the same Pirates.
Huh? The Nationals are in last place in their division, 26 games back, about to lose 90 games, about to lose their 2nd best player,Adam Dunn, and lost their best player (Strasberg) to a serious arm injury. Plus, they are the recipients of the oft-suspended Nyjer Morgan’s embarrassing tirades. I can not imagine a franchise that the Pirates would least like to emulate than the Nats. You are kidding, right?
I think he meant more that the Nats have a bright future, where the Pirates seem to be stuck in their never ending “rebuilding” stage. At some point you have to stop rebuilding and start building.
your post makes no sense as a rebuttal to arthur3’s very accurate statement. Both the nationals and pirates are essentially in the same position. Looking up in the standings and hoping that their farm system produces better days.
Sure…if you call 68-90 “to be reckoned with.”
What does that make the Mets then!?!?
dynasty
Team to be reckoned with? Guarantee you the Buccos will be competitive before your Natty Lites. PS – Thanks for sending Hanrahan over here.
I like the Natty Lite reference. I’m gonna use that in the future.
Put me on record as hoping the Pirates draft Rendon from now until next June.
The Pirates shouldn’t draft based on need. These guys are at least 2-3 years away from the bigs if they’re coming out of college and 3-5 years if they’re coming out of high school. They should select the best player.
Bingo. Trade off excess for more pieces.
Is anyone else concerned about how skinny Purke is ? He’s Strasburg skinny and I would think moreso injury prone then someone like Cole. Though that said, I hope the Pirates draft Rendon he could be a beast and until this year he hasn’t been injured.