MLB Pipeline and Baseball America each posted updated mock drafts on Friday. The BA one was an update on their last mock draft, while the Pipeline one was the second attempt from Jonathan Mayo, who switched up his pick for the Pittsburgh Pirates.
We start with BA because it’s a familiar name. They have the Pirates taking Wisconsin high school outfielder Jarred Kelenic with the tenth overall pick. Kelenic has been part of our draft coverage since the draft preview back in February. He was featured during our first weekly draft article, where we profile two potential picks. That spot in the first article was based on the fact that almost all early draft rankings had him near or at the tenth spot. Kelenic has maintained that spot throughout the spring, so he is still a strong possibility for the Pirates.
Here’s the article where we profiled him, which includes an impressive video of his work ethic, as well as a second video from a scouting event.
If the Pirates were to choose a pitcher over a bat, then perhaps the pick from Jonathan Mayo will be their choice when the draft starts on June 4th. He went with prep right-handed pitcher Cole Winn, who was the 11th pick in the latest BA mock draft. As mentioned, this is the second mock draft from Mayo at Pipeline and Jim Callis has also posted a mock draft. Both of those previous attempts at guessing the first round had the Pirates taking Kelenic.
The change from Mayo (who has Kelenic going 16th now) is because the Pirates have shown a willingness in the past to select high school arms early and Winn has been the most consistent pitcher in the draft class. We profiled him here last week, with the summary basically being that he has an easy, clean delivery, with control over three pitches that look like plus offerings at times. You can read more in the link, which also has a video of Winn. For your viewing pleasure, I’ve included a different Winn video below.
One other note and it’s on the little brother of Austin Meadows. Parker Meadows went 21st in the Pipeline mock draft and didn’t make the top 35 for Baseball America. The 21st spot seems a little high for him, but I don’t think he makes it to #36 when the Pirates make their second pick. If he does though, then he’s tough to pass up there.
