The MLB draft is a completely and utterly different animal than that of any of the other major sports in North America. Not only is it by far the longest (50 rounds), it also offers the least amount of immediate impact from its players – even the top ones.
Because of the extended time it takes for some players to develop, drafting by current ‘need’ is almost pointless, as that need may be filled by the time the player is ready for the majors, or he could be at a completely different position by then.
Pittsburgh Pirates General Manager Neal Huntington certainly understands this and said so in a pre-draft interview. “We really do subscribe to the best player philosophy.” said the Pirates GM heading into his sixth draft at the helm. “Playing in other variable with the draft but it’s not over a draft for need in baseball, from our standpoint.”
True to his word, Huntington drafted not just one, but two college shortstops among the team’s first three picks Monday night.
Pittsburgh Pirates Load Up On College Shortstops In First Two Rounds
With their first pick at 19th overall, Pittsburgh took Arizona shortstop Kevin Newman. They wrapped up their first day selections with UCLA’s Kevin Kramer.
Both share similar attributes and were seen as two of the better college hitters in the draft. Both could potentially stick at the shortstop position, creating a potential log jam before you even throw in last year’s first round pick.
Newman is described by MLB.com’s scouting report as being “one of the best pure hitters in the 2015 college class with mastery of the strike zone and a penchant for spraying line drives all over the field.”
While concerned about what else he could bring to the plate – including a low walk rate, average speed, and little power – they did go out of their way to commend other aspects of his game, stating that “he does draw universal praise for his strong leadership skills and competitive nature.”
Not to mention this shout-out by Peter Gammons:
.@pgammo on Newman 'I think he'll develop gap power … He's just a ball player.'
— Travis Sawchik (@Travis_Sawchik) June 9, 2015
Kramer’s tenure at short will be defined by the shoulder that he had surgery on his true junior year. As a redshirt junior this season, Kramer mainly played second base but was still one of the team’s better hitters. MLB.com saw Kramer as a hitter with an “advanced approach at the plate with quick hands and the ability to spray balls to all fields.”
It’s almost almost eerie how similar both Newman and Kramer actually are when looking at their 2015 numbers:
| Batting | Runs | HR | RBI | BB:K | 2B | SB | |
| Newman | .370/.426/.489 | 53 | 2 | 36 | 20:15 | 19 | 22 |
| Kramer | .323/.423/.476 | 55 | 7 | 22 | 19:30 | 14 | 7 |
At least in college, Kramer showed a little more pop, with seven home runs and 14 doubles compared to two deep balls and 19 doubles by Newman. The Arizona product did offer a lot more on the basepaths, with three times as many stolen bases as Kramer.
They were even within an error of each other defensively (13 by Kramer, 12 by Newman).
While taking both players may raise some eyebrows, it is very difficult to project player progression and development in baseball. Adding talent in the draft is always a must, and Pittsburgh will have a few years to let things play out and determine where, exactly, each will play.
In the meantime, the Pirates have added two intriguing, advanced offensive players with upsides to be everyday contributors in an already deep farm system, and that is one draft-related goal that you can say they needed to accomplish.
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