The Pittsburgh Pirates had another successful year in the MLB Draft.
One year after selecting Paul Skenes with the first overall pick in the 2023 draft, all eyes were on the Pirates to once again deliver by setting their team up for the future. And by all accounts, that’s exactly what they did.
With the ninth overall pick in the draft, Pittsburgh selected shortstop/outfielder Konnor Griffin out of Jackson Prep (Miss.). He was the first high schooler picked in the draft and was MLB.com’s ninth-best prospect. They also picked high school pitcher Levi Sterling out of Notre Dame High School (Calif.) in the Competitive Balance-A round of the draft. The Pirates would make 21 selections overall through 20 rounds.
It may go down as another success, which analysts and writers believe it to be. CBS Sports’ R.J. Anderson was a fan of the Pirates’ draft, giving them an A grade.
“The Pirates took some major cuts this week, beginning with prepster Konnor Griffin at No. 9,” Anderson wrote in his MLB Draft grades piece. “He has every tool but one (the hit), and he could mature into a star if he can improve his bat-to-ball skills. Comp-rounder Levi Sterling is a promising right-hander who won’t turn 18 until September (an attribute that no doubt made him more appealing to model-based organizations). Shortstop Wyatt Sanford, meanwhile, can really play the position and has some interesting potential offensive outcomes. The Pirates also nabbed a pair of interesting collegiates: lefty Josh Hartle, who had a miserable season but was previously well-regarded, and outfielder Will Taylor, himself once a top prepster who decided instead to play baseball and football at Clemson. Grade: A”
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Bleacher Report’s Adam Wells gave the Pirates a strong grade also, coming in with a B+.
It remains to be seen whether or not this draft class will be a success like the 2023 class already has been, but Pittsburgh has some trust moving forward after hitting on Skenes last year and Jared Jones in 2020.
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