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New Mock Draft Has Pittsburgh Pirates Going For a College Bat

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D1 Baseball posted their first mock draft a few days ago and they have some insight as to where the Pittsburgh Pirates might go with the 12th overall pick in the draft on June 12th, which is exactly three weeks away. D1 notes that the Pirates have been busy scouting college bats, with a couple in particular standing out. Their choice in the mock draft is Jake Burger, a third baseman from Missouri State. They note that the Pirates have been following him closely all spring, but also say that they would have a hard time passing up on Virginia outfielder Adam Haseley, who went tenth overall in their mock draft.

We talked about Haseley here after he went to the Pirates in a Baseball America mock draft about a month ago. That link has video on the toolsy outfielder, who has shown the ability to hit for average, with some power and speed. He plays center field and his arm is strong enough that he is also a starting pitcher, although he’s not considered a pitching prospect.

The new player here is Jake Burger, although he has been considered a mid-first round pick for awhile, he has just never lined up with the Pirates in any rankings or mock drafts. MLB Pipeline has the 21-year-old, 6’2″, 220 third baseman ranked 16th in this draft class. He rates at least average in all five tools, with 55 (on the 20-80 scouting scale) ratings for power and arm. Burger will likely stick at third base due to a reliable glove and strong arm, although he doesn’t have the best range.

Burger going to hit for average because he makes consistent contact and he has slugged 20 home runs this season in 52 games. There are some questions on his bat speed, as his homers seem to come more from strength than quickness. The belief is that he will hit for average, but there is a split as to whether he will have 20-25 home run a year power in the pros. He’s not the most graceful or mechanically sound player, but he gets the job done on both sides of the ball.

John Dreker
John Dreker
John started working at Pirates Prospects in 2009, but his connection to the Pittsburgh Pirates started exactly 100 years earlier when Dots Miller debuted for the 1909 World Series champions. John was born in Kearny, NJ, two blocks from the house where Dots Miller grew up. From that hometown hero connection came a love of Pirates history, as well as the sport of baseball. When he didn't make it as a lefty pitcher with an 80+ MPH fastball and a slider that needed work, John turned to covering the game, eventually focusing in on the prospects side, where his interest was pushed by the big league team being below .500 for so long. John has covered the minors in some form since the 2002 season, and leads the draft and international coverage on Pirates Prospects. He writes daily on Pittsburgh Baseball History, when he's not covering the entire system daily throughout the entire year on Pirates Prospects.

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