The Pittsburgh Pirates and the other major league teams will be participating in the MLB June Amateur Draft on Sunday. The first round of the draft is sandwiched between Saturday\u2019s Futures Game and Monday\u2019s Home Run Derby before the All-Star Game on Tuesday. It will be like four days in paradise for baseball fans. The Pirates will pick ninth, their lowest position since 2019.<\/p>\n
Baseball\u2019s draft is different from that of football or basketball in that the draftees generally won\u2019t provide immediate help, Paul Skenes<\/a> being a rare exception<\/a>. Thus, baseball teams will draft based on the best player available, rather than on need.<\/p>\n On the other hand, the Pirates have a big hole in their organization in that they lack good prospects at first base. On the major league level, since trading<\/a> Josh Bell<\/a>, first base has been occupied by a string of one-year rentals, with varying degrees of success. The last two highly regarded first-base prospects the Pirates had were Mason Martin<\/a> and Will Craig<\/a>. Martin is currently playing in the Atlantic League. Craig is on the coaching staff at Wake Forest.<\/p>\n General manager Ben Cherington won\u2019t ask for any writer\u2019s opinion. He\u2019s already on record saying that the Pirates will take a \u201cbest-athlete-available\u201d approach in this year\u2019s draft. But suppose there\u2019s a college first baseman available who might be just a year away from the majors? One strategy may be to sign<\/a> Rowdy Tellez<\/a> for an additional year until this hypothetical college first baseman is ready. Might Cherington be tempted to depart from the norm and make a selection based on need? There are two college first basemen rated as worthy first-round picks.<\/p>\n Following is one man\u2019s opinion on the two players most likely to be available when the Pirates pick, as well as two first basemen who might fall their way if the stars align.<\/p>\n If the draft goes according to the rankings \u2013 which it rarely does \u2013 the Pirates would end up with the No. 9 prospect. That would be high school shortstop\/outfielder Konnor Griffin of Jackson Prep in Mississippi. At six-foot-four and 215 pounds, he has the potential to be a five-tool player. Scouts project Griffin could eventually develop into a 30-30 player while providing strong defense at shortstop or in center field. The young right-handed hitter is committed to Louisiana State University. That, along with the fact that he\u2019ll require more time for development than a college player, may scare some teams away. But not the Pirates, if they’re truly committed to taking the best available player who comes their way.<\/p>\n Just Baseball\u2019s MLB Mock Draft 3.0 pic.twitter.com\/eZEMkacvdg<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 The Call Up | An MLB Prospect Podcast (@The_CallUpPod) July 10, 2024<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\nBest Available<\/h3>\n
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