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Fourth Round: Pirates Draft Catcher Jason Delay

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The Pittsburgh Pirates have drafted Vanderbilt catcher Jason Delay in the fourth round of the 2017 MLB draft. Delay is a senior who turned down the Giants in the 11th round last year, and now will have no choice but to sign. He is a good draft prospect, so this isn’t a total reach, but it’s likely that the Pirates are saving some money with this pick, possibly for some of their day one selections. The slot value is $450,500 for this pick.

Delay is a good defensive catcher, with strong receiving skills and good pitch framing. He also does well at blocking, and has an above-average arm, with good skills behind the plate to get the ball out in a hurry and catch opposing runners. Baseball America rated him 256th overall, and described him as mature and intelligent, highlighting his ability to run a pitching staff with good leadership skills and the potential to become a manager one day.

The Pirates love defense first with their catchers, and Delay fits that mold, profiling as a guy who could reach the big leagues as a backup. However, they tend to draft guys who have a small chance for offensive upside. Delay’s bat doesn’t profile well, but he did hit well this year, with a .309/.381/.444 line, which is an upgrade from his .248/.296/.336 line. This year saw the best numbers of his career, which may be due to his senior status and fourth year in college ball as a regular player.

Delay should go to Morgantown this year, getting most of the time behind the plate. He’s got some talented catchers ahead of him next year, with Christian Kelley highlighting the group and likely being in Altoona. He will have to compete with Brent Gibbs and Arden Pabst for playing time if he wants a shot in Bradenton. Otherwise, he’d likely get most of the playing time behind the plate in West Virginia, catching what could be a very talented young pitching staff.

His player page has been added here.

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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