The Pittsburgh Pirates have drafted prep outfielder Conner Uselton with the 72nd overall pick in the 2017 draft, which is their Competitive Balance round B pick. Uselton is the final pick for the Pirates of day one, and the fourth prep player they’ve taken in the first four picks of the draft.
Unlike prep outfielder Cal Mitchell, Uselton gets good reviews for his defense. He’s a center fielder and an above-average runner, with the chance to stick in center field in pro ball. He has the arm strength to slide over to right field, with an above-average grade that plays well at the position if he can’t stick in center.
Uselton is a very athletic player, and a two-sport athlete, playing quarterback in high school as a freshman. He put his focus on playing baseball as a sophomore, and has shown some progress the last two years, improving his hitting to move up in the draft ranks this year, looking like a potential first round pick if a team wanted to dream on his hitting skills.
He’s got some raw power potential, with the chance for plus power due to his strength and bat speed. He does a good job hitting to all fields, and has the ability to hit hard line drives. He does have the tendency to strike out, and has a big load in his swing, which the Pirates might have to work on with him. MLB Pipeline called him “one of the toolsier high school players available in the 2017 draft”, and says he has some of the best raw power of this year’s prep class.
Uselton is a little old for a high school prospect, turning 19 on May 20th. He has a commitment to Oklahoma, and would be draft eligible after two years there, but the Pirates took him with a high enough pick that this shouldn’t be an issue. If he signs, he will join Mitchell in what looks to be a very talented GCL outfield this year, backing up the first two picks — pitchers Shane Baz and Steve Jennings.
