The Pittsburgh Pirates drafted UNLV RHP Buddy Borden in the seventh round of the MLB draft. Borden is 6′ 3″, 210 pounds, and had a 2.59 ERA in 100.2 innings this year, with a 77:35 K/BB ratio. That was a big improvement over last year, when he had a 4.94 ERA in 54.2 innings, with a 63:34 K/BB ratio. He nearly doubled his innings, but the amount of walks stayed the same, all due to improved command this year.
Borden shared the Mountain West Pitcher of the Year award with Braden Shipley, who went 15th overall to the Diamondbacks. He throws in the low 90s and tops out at 96 with his fastball. He pairs that with a curve and a change, which could both be average pitches in the majors. He seems like he could be a good reliever one day, with a good mid-90s fastball, plus improved command. He’s going to need to improve one of his secondary pitches to get there.
