The Pirates have announced the signing of first-round pick Quinn Priester. He’ll earn $3.4MM, per MLB.com’s Jim Callis (via Twitter).
Priester, an Illinois high-schooler, went with the 18th overall selection. The slot value is $3.48MM. He’ll forego a commitment to TCU to launch his professional career.
Entering the draft, most rankings had Priester slotted in just the range he was chosen. Fangraphs (17) and MLB.com (19) had him just ahead of ESPN.com’s Keith Law (20) and Baseball America (23).
While the BA crew ranked a few additional players above Priester, they still lauded his “excellent physical projection and advanced strike-throwing capabilities.” MLB.com cited his “athleticism and the ease of his arm action.” It seems all the physical tools are there for Priester and the Bucs’ player development system.
The way pitchers have been dropping this year, he might start his career in August in Pittsburgh.
Seriously. I don’t even recognize most of the staff now.
Should Quinn Priester reach his ceiling in Pittsburgh, at most he’ll last through his arbitration eligible seasons before being traded away or signed as a free agent elsewhere…hopefully to my Cubs or White Sox! After all, it is the Pirate way.
Good luck to Quinn, a local high school product from the Chicago NW suburb of Cary, Il., in the same school district where I reside in Crystal Lake and where my two children attended school many years ago. I still follow high school sports and Quinn was a star pitcher as well as a fine receiver for the Cary Trojans.
Pirates suck. Management is awful. Trade the team to Charlotte