The MLB Draft is just around the corner. Soon, we will see kids get a chance to make their dream of making the major leagues come true by getting selected. The Pittsburgh Pirates have four of the first 51 picks of the draft, and according to ESPN’s Kiley McDaniel, the Pirates may look to prioritize college players this year. Based on that information, who are some names they should keep an eye on?
The Pirates Should Have These College Players on Their Radar
Daniel Jackson
This year’s Golden Spikes winner has a strong chance of getting selected before the start of the second round. Daniel Jackson finished up his junior season at the University of Georgia, batting .379/.473/.803 with a .521 wOBA and 168 wRC+. Jackson hit for plenty of pop, with 32 home runs over 319 plate appearances, leading to a .424 isolated slugging percentage. Jackson was very aggressive on the basepaths, especially for a catcher, going 26-for-28 in stolen base attempts. Jackson walked at a 13.8% pace while striking out in 20.1% of his plate appearances.
Golden Spikes Award winner. SEC triple crown winner. One of college baseball’s most unique seasons ever.
So why isn’t Daniel Jackson a consensus first-round #MLBDraft pick? ?
The @BaseballUGA catcher headlines our All-Undervalued Team.
? https://t.co/zx5x47X6me pic.twitter.com/E472dRzI7q
— D1Baseball (@d1baseball) July 8, 2026
There is no question that Jackson has the pop to make a big impact in the batter’s box someday. He is also an extremely athletic catcher who can run well. Jackson’s arm is above average and will help him stick behind the dish. However, he will need to sharpen up his overall glove as a catcher. Plus, there is some hit-tool risk, as he struck out nearly a third of the time in the Cape Cod League in 2025. Still, with his athleticism, he has plenty of opportunities to fix both issues.
The big question is whether Jackson will last long enough for the Pirates to select him with their competitive balance round A pick (the 34th overall pick of the draft). MLB Pipeline isn’t very optimistic about that happening, ranking him as the 28th-best prospect of the draft, and its mock draft has him going 28th overall to the Houston Astros. However, Baseball America certainly believes he can fall to the Bucs, as they rank him as their 37th-best draft prospect, and its recent staff mock draft has him falling to the 35th pick, which the New York Yankees hold.
Ruger Riojas
The Pirates have had plenty of pitcher-heavy drafts under Ben Cherington. University of Texas right-hander Ruger Riojas is the best college senior in this year’s draft class. After bronchitis and the flu derailed his 2025 season, Riojas put things back on track, posting a 3.97 ERA, a 2.72 FIP, and a 1.151 WHIP over 81 2/3 innings of work. The right-hander struck out over a third of opponents with a 35.5 K%, and only handed out a free pass 6.2% of the time. His K-BB% came in at an impressive 29.3%.
Strong day for Texas senior Ruger Riojas, who struck out seven and allowed two runs on six hits over six. He picked up 15 whiffs, including six on his cutter and five on his heater. Showed impressive depth of arsenal and his signature slot variety. pic.twitter.com/okd3Ogu6cP
— Jacob Rudner (@JacobRudner) June 15, 2026
Riojas displays premium velocity for a young starter. He sits 94-96 and tops out around 98 mph. It is a plus pitch, but not his only plus offering. His best secondary pitch is his low-to-mid-80s splitter. Along with his splitter, Riojas will mix in a cutter, slider, and curveball. Only his slider looks like it could be a below-average offering. However, Riojas has pinpoint control. Baseball America even listed him as one of the top five college pitchers in this year’s draft class when it came to control. Riojas throws from a high three-quarters arm slot.
Riojas ranks just within both BA’s and Pipeline’s Top 100 draft prospects, with the former placing him at No. 87 and the latter putting him at No. 92. The right-hander could very well be on the Pirates’ draft radar. He could go within the first three rounds of this year’s draft. His fastball, along with his mix of secondary pitches, would make him an interesting college pitcher for the Pirates to draft.
Carson Tinney
If Vahn Lackey and Daniel Jackson aren’t available for the Pirates to select in the draft when their pick comes around, Carson Tinney should be their Plan C option if they want a catcher. After an outstanding 2025 at Notre Dame, Tinney transferred to Texas, the same school as Riojas. The backstop finished off 2026 slashing .326/.483/.688 with a .493 wOBA, and 154 wRC+. Tinney went yard 22 times over 286 plate appearances and owned a .362 isolated slugging percentage. He walked nearly 20% of the time with a 19.2% BB%, but had a 23.1% K%.
Carson Tinney continued to produce at an All-America level in his move to @TexasBaseball 🤘@carson_tinney x @rapsodo pic.twitter.com/ISol5SzGp1
— D1Baseball (@d1baseball) July 7, 2026
Like Jackson, Tinney is a power-over-hit kind of player. However, Tinney has more hit-tool risk. While Jackson struck out nearly a third of the time in the Cape Cod League, Tinney struck out 40% of the time. However, he has a good chance of sticking behind the plate. He has a plus arm and the potential to sharpen up his overall defensive skill set. MLB Pipeline compares him to Hunter Goodman.
Tinney’s draft ranking varies by site. Pipeline puts him as their 73rd best draft prospect, but BA has him as their 45th best draft prospect. He is a high-risk/high-reward prospect. The power Tinney produces from behind the plate makes him an interesting draft prospect. Tinney could be a third-round option for the Bucs if he falls that far.
Evan Dempsey
The Pirates haven’t drafted a two-way player since Jack Brannigan in 2022. However, they could have the opportunity to take the best two-way prospect in this year’s draft class. Evan Dempsey has shown plenty of talent on both sides of the ball. As an outfielder, Dempsey batted .333/.412/.536 with a 133 wRC+ over 277 plate appearances this season at Florida Gulf Coast University. He hit 10 homers with a .203 isolated slugging percentage. Dempsey also went 15-for-17 in stolen base attempts and struck out just 13% of the time. Plus, he posted a respectable 9.4% walk rate. Dempsey also posted an .833 OPS over seven games in the Cape Cod League in 2025.
Big fan of Evan Dempsey (FGCU):
As a 2-way player, he is slashing .346/.423/.557 so far. However he’s much more interesting as a pitcher. His FB averages 92 and has touched 95. He has a Slider and a big sweeping Curveball (-10 IVB/-20 HB), that are developing, and should come… pic.twitter.com/NtRD86aSl9
— Timothy Chen (@TimStats) May 22, 2026
As a right-handed starter, Dempsey pitched 88 2/3 innings, working to a 3.15 ERA, 3.20 FIP, and 1.060 WHIP. He struck out batters at a healthy rate with a 34.1% K% and allowed walks to just 7% of opponents. His overall K-BB% came in at 27.1%. Dempsey allowed just four home runs all year as well. He also pitched very well in 2025, with a 1.97 ERA and 19.1% K-BB% over 68 2/3 innings.
Dempsey shows good contact skills at the plate; however, he doesn’t show much power either. He is a solid runner and a decent fielder. Unsurprisingly, he has a strong arm that can play any outfield position. Many see his future on the mound. He already sits in the low-90s with his fastball and could probably add more velocity by focusing just on pitching. His curveball is an extremely high-spin pitch, reaching upwards of 3000 RPM. Dempsey’s other breaking pitch is a low-80s sweeper. He rounds out his pitch arsenal with a change-up; however, it currently looks like a below-average offering. Dempsey is an athletic pitcher,
Peyton Bonds
Peyton Bonds does not have the same sort of legendary power his uncle, former Pirates legend and all-time home run leader Barry Bonds, had in his playing days. However, his nephew, Peyton, has a chance to be a well-rounded outfielder in the future. Bonds finished out his 2026 season slashing .352/.436/.535 with a .438 wOBA and 129 wRC+. He did not hit for that much power, with only six home runs over 133 plate appearances and a .183 ISO. However, he had a solid 9.6% walk rate and only struck out 12.7% of the time. Bonds also went 13-for-15 in stolen base attempts.
Peyton Bonds, Barry’s nephew, destroyed baseballs at the MLB Draft Combine today. 113 max EV, multiple 110s. Physical specimen.
“His bat has a different sound”
🎥: @cdorney pic.twitter.com/yvsqGAtuTY
— The College Baseball Show (@CollegeBSBShow) June 23, 2026
Bonds has shown good raw power, generating above-average exit velocity from his bat speed. However, he will need to make some adjustments to lift the ball more in the pros. His current swing makes him more prone to hitting ground balls. He doesn’t have much trouble making contact, however. Bonds has more than enough speed to patrol center field, and an arm that will play in any outfield position.
Bonds ranks around the top 100 draft prospects this year. Baseball America places him just outside the top 100 at No. 114. Meanwhile, Pipeline puts him just within the top 100, coming in as their No. 81 top draft prospect. The Pirates have the 80th overall pick and the 108th overall pick in the third and fourth rounds, respectively. The last time they drafted a college outfielder named Bonds, it resulted in one of the greatest, if not the greatest, hitters of all time.
Main Photo Credit: Saul Young/News Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
