Pirate drafting

Ecbucs · Post by **Ecbucs** » Sun Mar 10, 2019 2:47 pm

NOt sure how accurate this is but it seems to show that the Bucs have not been good at drafting players:

http://www.thepointofpittsburgh.com/the ... huntington

have had very few homegrown starting pitchers of note – from draft day all the way to the Majors – over this 10 year study period. Homegrown pitchers who have made at least 25 starts in a single season are comprised of:

Jameson Taillon (2 seasons)

Gerrit Cole (3 seasons)

Chad Kuhl (1 season)

On the hitting side, the results are not more encouraging. Between 2010 (the year Pedro Alvarez became the first drafted hitter to reach the Majors) and 2018, the Pirates had 49 players accrue at least 450 plate appearances in a season, which is roughly 75% worth of a typical player’s plate appearances.

Of those 49 individual player-seasons, only 9 such seasons were from Huntington-drafted players:

Pedro Alvarez (3 seasons)

Jordy Mercer (3 seasons)

Josh Bell (2 seasons)

Adam Frazier (1 season)

As shown earlier, none of these seasons crested the 3 WAR level to be considered an impact season by that player. In fact, the total accrued WAR for these 9 player-seasons is only 13.3 WAR, or slightly under 1.5 WAR/season.

fjk090852-7 · Post by **fjk090852-7** » Sun Mar 10, 2019 3:19 pm

I am not going to apologize for the Bucs below average drafting, but it is a crap shoot when you draft 18 or 21 year old players. Will that high school player develop into the hitter or pitcher one projects? Will that college player continue to develop? Currently I wonder if Mitch Keller will become the pitcher they project him to be. Many fans were disappointed that Baz was part of the Archer deal, but who knows if he will become the pitcher they expected. I am beginning to come around to the idea that prospects are prospects and if a team can add a player or two to contend why not trade the prospect because who knows if he will develop.

DemDog · Post by **DemDog** » Sun Mar 10, 2019 3:59 pm

Maybe NH needs to make some changes in the "Pirate Way". Evaluate and shuffle the scouting dept. Be more fluid in evaluating the Pirate Way methods of development. Draft a kid less for signability and more for talent and projection. Seek players in the 1st 10 rounds that they have to pay the total slot bonus to sign rather than draft a guy they can low ball so they can sign some 24th round pick.

INbuc · Post by **INbuc** » Sun Mar 10, 2019 4:13 pm

4E6F674E656D0A0 wrote: Maybe NH needs to make some changes in the "Pirate Way". Evaluate and shuffle the scouting dept. Be more fluid in evaluating the Pirate Way methods of development. Draft a kid less for signability and more for talent and projection. Seek players in the 1st 10 rounds that they have to pay the total slot bonus to sign rather than draft a guy they can low ball so they can sign some 24th round pick.

I could not agree more. That failed philosophy is likely impacting us now, and surely will be felt for years to come.

Bobster21 · Post by **Bobster21** » Sun Mar 10, 2019 4:22 pm

I just reviewed all their picks for the last 10 years (since 2009) and it's scary how few players they drafted and signed have made an impact. It's too soon to assess recent drafts but for 2009-2014 they selected 270 players. Of those, only Brock Holt (for Boston), Taillon, Cole, Bell and Frazier have made an impact. And it's very possible that we could add Meadows (TB), Glasnow (TB), Kingham and Kuhl to that list before too long. But that's not much out of 270 possibilities for a team using this method of building a winning roster as their primary strategy.

Ecbucs · Post by **Ecbucs** » Sun Mar 10, 2019 5:35 pm

one thing about drafting is that this is not news to the team. Their internal evaluations and projections should make them well aware of this before fans can figure it out.

IABucFan · Post by **IABucFan** » Sun Mar 10, 2019 6:45 pm

How much better would the Bucs prospects be this year if Trea Turner was our shortstop and Walker Buehler was taking the ball every fifth day?

Bobster21 · Post by **Bobster21** » Sun Mar 10, 2019 7:19 pm

0E06053224012629470 wrote: How much better would the Bucs prospects be this year if Trea Turner was our shortstop and Walker Buehler was taking the ball every fifth day?
True. But in fairness, the Bucs were just taking a flyer on them as high schoolers in case they would opt to sign and forego college. They only used a 20th rd pick on Turner but he chose college and was a 1st rd pick 3 years later. They used a 14th rd pick on Buehler but he also chose college and was also a 1st rd pick 3 years later. Can't fault the Pirates for trying but I guess there wasn't much chance of Turner or Buehler signing out of HS. They were passed over numerous times by every other team in their first draft.

Ecbucs · Post by **Ecbucs** » Sun Mar 10, 2019 10:08 pm

5F57546375507778160 wrote: How much better would the Bucs prospects be this year if Trea Turner was our shortstop and Walker Buehler was taking the ball every fifth day?

the only way that would have happened is if the Bucs would have spent $10 million or more to sign them and we know that isn't going to happen (and can't happen with current draft rules).