The third and final day of the 2024 MLB Draft has come to a close, marking the end of another successful cycle. This year, the Pittsburgh Pirates had the ninth overall selection in the first round, as well as a competitive balance pick in Round A, followed by rounds two through 20. In total, the Pirates selected 21 players. So how did the Pirates fare? Who were the best players they selected, and which ones will be worth keeping an eye on in the coming seasons?
Highest ceilings
It’s pretty clear that out of all the Pirates’ draft picks, the one with the most potential is first-round pick Konnor Griffin. The shortstop and center fielder was ranked the best high school player by MLB Pipeline (eighth overall) and Baseball America (ninth overall). Griffin has superstar potential and if he reaches his potential, he could be a key part of a future Pirates team.
Griffin, who stands 6-foot-4 and weighs 200 pounds, is both strong and fast with the bat, allowing him to project tremendous power. He is also considered a double-plus baserunner. Griffin also worked off the mound during his high school career, where he reached a top speed of 96 mph. Of course, with that kind of powerful fastball, he has a powerful arm that can play anywhere on the left side of the infield or anywhere in the outfield. On top of all that, Griffin has shown the athleticism and skill to stick around at shortstop or play center field.
Griffin’s only flaw is his hitting tool. His massive frame means he’ll naturally have a big hitting area. However, there’s nothing particularly worrisome about Griffin. He’s a potential 30/30 threat who could be a regular Gold Glove finalist at two top positions.
Levi Sterling is also worth mentioning. The high school right-hander was the Pirates’ first-round pick. Sterling is already averaging 90 points at 17 and won’t turn 18 until September. Sterling also sports a good curveball, an above-average slider, and a solid changeup. In addition to being the sixth-youngest player in the draft and the third-youngest pitcher, Sterling has a ton of projection ability. He already stands 6’4″ and weighs 200 pounds, giving him a frame to which he can add more strength and, hopefully, more velocity.
Highest floor
The Pirates like their left-handed pitchers who average 90-92 MPH with good control. Josh Hartle falls into that category. The lefty out of Wake Forest may not throw hard, but he uses above-average secondaries and higher control to get outs. Hartle stalled somewhat in his final college season, but he still has plenty of potential.
Hartle pitched 74.2 innings in his senior year at Wake Forest, with a 5.79 ERA, 1.55 WHIP, and 3.24 K:BB ratio. Hartle did a few things right. He struck out more than a batter per inning with 81 strikeouts (for a respectable 23.3% strikeout rate), and he paired that with a quality 7.2% walk rate. Hartle was prone to home runs, allowing 1.57 HR/9.
Hartle has an average velocity of 90 MPH with his fastball, but he has good sinking action on the pitch. Hartle has two breaking pitches. The best of the two is his slider, which sits in the 80s. According to Baseball America, this pitch has a slurve-like motion. He will also throw a cutter in the 80s, as well as a changeup in the 80s, but Hartle’s marginal stuff plays because of his ability to command his offerings. He also throws the ball from a lower three-quarters arm slot.
Given how well the Pirates have been doing lately in attracting pitchers, especially soft-throwing lefties, Hartle will be a player to watch. Right now, he projects as a high-floor, low-ceiling type of arm since he doesn’t have any power stuff, but he’s only 21 years old with a 6’5″, 210 pounds frame. He might be able to add some velocity before he’s fully developed.
The most underrated choice
Gavin Adams is certainly an interesting pick. The Pirates selected the right-hander out of Florida State (who transferred from the JUCO league) in the eighth round of the draft. While he will miss time due to Tommy John surgery earlier this year (he subsequently missed the entire college season), the potential for a late-inning arm is present in Adams’ repertoire.
Adams can hit 101 MPH, regularly sitting in the 90s with his four-seamer. He will also throw a slider over 50 mph with above-average potential. His third pitch is a hard changeup with similar velocity to his slider. All three of his pitches are projected as average or better. His four-seamer is a potential double-plus offering, given its velocity and movement.
As with many young power pitchers, it will be a question of whether or not he can control his game consistently enough to matter. Adams has allowed 19 walks in 26.1 innings in JUCO. His control has been highly variable and could be even more uncertain after elbow surgery. But even marginal control will play a role when you have more double-plus elements on the mound.
Best Value for Money Choices
The Pirates’ selection of Will Taylor in the fifth round was a huge deal. Taylor missed the second half of Clemson’s season with a broken wrist after diving for a ball. But had that not happened, Taylor likely would have moved higher in the draft as he’s had a strong start to the year, following up his second quality season of 2023.
Taylor appeared in 32 games with 145 plate appearances, batting .230/.465/.480. Don’t let that low batting average fool you. He had a .239 batting average on walks in play, which would likely have returned to a more sustainable rate had he played more. Regardless, Taylor gave up a lot of walks with a 22.8% walk rate and struck out just 17.9% of the time. The outfielder rushed for seven yards with a .250 isolated hitting percentage.
Taylor lost a step after knee surgery during his first season of football at Clemson. However, he is still fast enough to play up the middle. He also has a glove that is good enough to play center. His arm also projects as average. Taylor does not project to be a big power hitter, and some of his deficiencies in the power department were exposed in the Cape Cod League. But his hitting tool projects as average, which should help him in the future.
If Taylor returns to full health, he could be a steal for the Bucs. Had Taylor stayed healthy and shown more power, he might have been a third-round pick. The Pirates are taking him in the fifth his turn makes him a very strong selection.
It could also be argued that Josh Hartle was a good value in the third round. Some thought Hartle would have been a late first-round or early second-round pick if he had built on his strong 2023 season. The Pirates were able to take him in the third round after his mediocre campaign.
Ben Cherington selected a lot of high school players early. Four of their first five picks were high schoolers. They selected a fifth high schooler with their 21st and final pick of the draft. Whether they sign all of them, especially the final pick, remains to be seen, but the Pirates selected a handful of players who have high potential. However, there is also a risk in selecting a lot of high schoolers.
Still, this was a pretty good selection for the Pirates. They got some really good players in the first five rounds with Griffin, Sterling, Hartle and Taylor, along with Eddie Rynders and Wyatt Sanford. The class may not be highlighted by the college position player many expected, but it’s hard to be mad at the guys the Pirates picked.