On Tuesday morning, Keith Law posted his second mock draft for ESPN Insiders and he has the Pittsburgh Pirates going with North Carolina right-handed pitcher J.B. Bukauskas with the 12th overall pick. He also offers some insight into other players they are scouting heavily.
Bukauskas first made noise in high school when he hit 100 MPH and reclassified from a junior to a senior. That was followed by him pulling his name from the draft in order to fulfill his commitment to UNC. That makes him young for his draft class this year. Bukauskas doesn’t have a huge frame for a pitcher, standing 6’0″, 195 pounds, but he sits mid-90s with his fastball and has a slider that many consider a plus pitch. His changeup and control both rate as average. The issue with the small frame is that there is some effort in his delivery, so you wonder about durability. This is the lowest I’ve seen him in a mock draft this year (that I remember), as he’s been firmly planted in the top ten all season.
As for other potential picks, Law lists Texas prep pitcher Shane Baz, Georgia HS lefty DL Hall, UVA hitters Adam Haseley and Pavin Smith, UC Irvine 2B/OF Keston Hiura and UNC Logan Warmoth, who has been my darkhorse for the Pirates since the start. Most people believe neither UVA hitter will be available when the Pirates make their selection and I’ve never seen Smith listed outside the top ten. Baz usually gets ranked higher, but there is a thought that it will take a lot to keep him from going to TCU. Hall has a small frame just like Bukauskas and doesn’t throw as hard or have a secondary pitch as strong as the UNC hurler, so he’s a tough one to see for the Pirates. He’s been rated high all year, and being a lefty helps, but I think (based on past history) that the Pirates go elsewhere.
The Pirates have four selections on the first day of the draft, picking 12th, 42nd, 50th and 72nd overall. The draft begins in 13 days and consists of three days, with rounds 3-10 going on day two, and rounds 11-40 on day three. We will have complete coverage of all 42 selections made by the Pirates.
