If you’re a follower of Pittsburgh sports, it is often hard to get overly excited about first-round picks every year. Whether the Steelers or the Penguins, the constant drive for championships has them picking in the mid-to-late first round every year. Typically, their first-round pick is even a trade candidate. For Pittsburgh, such a life isn’t the case. The Pittsburgh Pirates will have the first pick for the second time in three years.
The last time the Pirates had the first pick in the MLB Draft, they selected catcher Henry Davis. Davis is currently on the Pirates’ big league roster and playing well for the Buccos. Last season, with pick number four, they selected middle infielder Termarr Johnson. After winning the MLB Draft lottery, they’ll be number one again.
According to the draft experts, there are two clear number one overall picks: LSU’s duo of Dylan Crews and Paul Skenes. Wyatt Langford – University of Florida – is said to be a number one overall pick in any other year. Even Max Clark has been mocked to the Pirates on different MLB Draft websites. If Bob Nutting and Ben Cherington go about this the wrong way, they may be jeopardizing the long-term fandom of their fan base.
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Pirates First Pick Must Be From LSU
Many feel that Crews or Skenes have to be the pick at number one. There are far too many high-end comps for both guys. Crews has been compared to Mike Trout and the Pirates’ own Andrew McCutchen. Skenes draws comparisons to Stephen Strasburg and Gerrit Cole. How could the Pirates go away from that?
Well, if you’re asking that question, you mustn’t follow what kind of business owner Bob Nutting runs. His General Manager, Ben Cherington, prefers to sign underslot in the first-round so he can build depth in the draft. I’m here to tell you that at number one, that just can not be the priority. There are two potentially franchise-altering prospects at the top of the boards this year in Crews and Skenes. You absolutely have to go that route.
Rumors flowed within the past week that Crews has no interest in signing an under slot deal. Who can blame him? That should not scare the Pirates away. Just because they’ve famously had struggles with Crews’ agent, Scott Boras, in the past should not deter them from taking him.
If they decide they don’t want to go the Crews route, that is at least understandable. Skenes looks like he could potentially be on an MLB-roster by September. The Pirates aren’t notorious for fast tracking their prospects. However, Davis made a relatively quick ascent to the majors. It doesn’t look as though the Pirates will be playoff contenders as they sit at 40-49 on the season. Maybe Skenes wouldn’t need to be rushed to the majors for a playoff race. However, getting his feet wet in the majors may not be a bad idea.
The MLB Draft is just one sleep away!
For the Pirates:
"I think Dylan Crews can take you from a bad team to a good team, Paul Skenes is the guy that can push you over the top." –@LockedOnFarm @CrosbyBaseball would take Skenes as one, Crews as two, then Langford at three. pic.twitter.com/ayUC4AiDxo— Mary-Margaret Ellison (@MaryMargaretEl9) July 9, 2023
How Damaging Could Wrong Pick Be?
As it stands, the Pirates’ fan base is very sour towards the team. They started out hot winning 20 of their first 28 games. They followed that up by playing some of the worst baseball of any team since the end of April. Want to win over a fan base as a front office? That’s not the way to do it.
Cherington came with a handful of question marks when taking the job. He won a World Series in Boston but kind of on the coattails of the previous regime. He’s had one winning season as a GM. That obviously came in 2013 when they won the World Series. His calling card was being able to build up a prospect system. To his credit, he’s been able to do that.
Pittsburgh’s farm system entered this season as a top-five farm system in most rankings. They didn’t have any guys that were destined to be a star. However, their prospect depth is fairly deep. The cupboard is way less bare than when Neal Huntington left. The problem is that Cherington has had way too many high picks not to have a home run.
Cherington’s first round picks in order: Nick Gonzales, Davis, and Johnson. This is his fourth draft. Taking a guy like Langford wouldn’t be a terrible idea if this were the 2021 draft all over again. Even in that draft, Davis wasn’t considered the overall top guy and ended up signing under slot, much to the Pirates’ liking. With the first pick in 2023, the Pirates just can’t do that again.
I’d feel for Langford or even high-school prep player Max Clark if either go first. They’re both supremely talented players that likely deserve to go number one in many drafts. But the Pirates’ fan base is so fixated on Crews and or Skenes that they will inevitably dislike one of the other two for all the wrong reasons.
So…Skenes or Crews?
I am a big believer of taking the best player available in baseball simply because most guys don’t make it to the majors quick enough to worry about their position. Davis is a lifelong catcher and the Pirates are using him in right field nearly every night. Things can change quickly and players can change position if needed for organizational depth purposes. This is why both guys would be the right pick for the Pirates.
Crews is a five-tool outfielder and the Pirates’ overall organizational outfield depth isn’t the strong suit. If fast-tracked, Crews could be in Pittsburgh by the late summer of 2024. He’s got the tools and would likely start out in High-A or even Double-A. As for Skenes, the 6’6″ right-handed pitcher has the tools to be in an MLB rotation in a hurry. It’s unclear of the Pirates would have the guts to do that. Their penny-pinching ways may try and keep him in the minors long enough to gain that extra year if control.
If I were Cherington, I’d select Crews as the Pirates first pick. He’s been the consensus top guy for a while now. Skenes, however, makes sense as well because the Pirates aren’t a big market club. Their best chance of acquiring a talent like Skenes is through the draft. He’d eventually likely take the Gerrit Cole route and price himself out of Pittsburgh. But the Pirates could still get a handful of his prime years.
In just a few hours, we’ll find out what the Pirates’ ownership and front office truly care about: drafting the potential next huge MLB-star or saving a few dollars and selling to their fans a load of garbage.
Photo Credit- Dylan Widger-USA TODAY Sports
Players Mentioned- Henry Davis, Termarr Johnson, Dylan Crews, Paul Skenes, Wyatt Langford, Max Clark, Mike Trout, Andrew McCutchen, Stephen Strasburg, Gerrit Cole, Nick Gonzales
