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Pirates Ranked 28th in Draft Spending

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Here’s a phrase we haven’t used lately: the Pittsburgh Pirates finished near the bottom in draft spending this year. Baseball America has released the team by team figures, and the Pirates rank 28th, with $3,829,700 spent.

It’s not like they could have spent more. They were $92,600 shy of going over their draft pool and paying a 5% tax. A big reason the number is so low is because first round pick Mark Appel didn’t sign. However, if Appel would have accepted a deal, the Pirates would have only added about $3 M extra to this total, which would have put them 17th on the list.

This is a big change from the past. The Pirates had the highest average spending from 2007-2011, and that included a 2007 draft where the team didn’t spend that much. They spent a record-setting $17 M last year.

They will get a compensation pick for Appel next year, and could get an extra pick in today’s competitive balance lottery, but it would be hard to see them getting close to their previous figures due to the way that this new system restricts spending.

Only four teams this year spent over $10 M in the draft, after ten teams did the same last year. The total draft spending was down about $21 M from last year.

Tim Williams
Tim Williams
Tim is the owner, producer, editor, and lead writer of PiratesProspects.com. He has been running Pirates Prospects since 2009, becoming the first new media reporter and outlet covering the Pirates at the MLB level in 2011 and 2012. His work can also be found in Baseball America, where he has been a contributor since 2014 and the Pirates' correspondent since 2019.

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