The Pittsburgh Pirates have signed 26th round pick Jimmy Rider, per a team press release. Rider, a senior from Kent State, didn’t sign initially due to his team playing in the College World Series. He was drafted as a second baseman, and will likely go to State College.
In his senior year at Kent State, Rider hit for a .361/.434/.532 line in 252 at-bats.
Tim started Pirates Prospects in 2009 from his home in Virginia, which was 40 minutes from where Pedro Alvarez made his pro debut in Lynchburg. That year, the Lynchburg Hillcats won the Carolina League championship, and Pirates Prospects was born from Tim's reporting along the way. The site has grown over the years to include many more writers, and Tim has gone on to become a credentialed MLB reporter, producing Pirates Prospects each year, and will publish his 11th Prospect Guide this offseason. He has also served as the Pittsburgh Pirates correspondent for Baseball America since 2019. Behind the scenes, Tim is an avid music lover, and most of the money he gets paid to run this site goes to vinyl records.
I love this! I loved watching him with Kent State in the tournament. Hopefully he can do something!
Another Kent State product!
Why do the pirates have approx 10 fewer drafties signed than any other mlb team?
They don’t need a lot of the organizational guys that are usually taken in the later rounds.
Tim: Why the logjam with No. 4 and No. 8? I realize what is going on with Appel, and doubt that he will sign this year. Should the Pirates just allow Appel to decline the $2.9 mil for slot, and put all of their efforts into signing Buehler? They have $600K to play with and that could sign 4, 8, and 14, and take the 9th pick in 2013(for not being able to sign Appel).
I don’t know why the players haven’t signed yet. Could be a negotiating thing.