Each Sunday through the end of the season, we are going to take a look at the updated 2020 MLB draft standings. The Pittsburgh Pirates have 20 games left in the regular season, which ends four weeks from today on September 29th at home against the Cincinnati Reds.
Before we get into the updated standings, we start with a look at the standings from last Sunday morning:
- Tigers 40-93
- Orioles 45-90
- Royals 48-89
- Marlins 48-87
- Blue Jays 55-82
- Mariners 57-80
- Rockies 59-78
- Pirates 59-77
- White Sox 60-75
- Padres 63-72
The Pirates dropped down to eighth place with a win last Saturday night, after they began the week in sixth place. They were also within striking distance of dropping down another spot in the standings, as the White Sox were just 1.5 games ahead of them and they had a tough schedule coming up. The Pirates had a game left with the Rockies and three against the Marlins, so falling to the ninth pick was a real possibility.
Now here are the updated standings:
- Tigers 42-99
- Orioles 46-96
- Marlins 50-91
- Royals 53-90
- Blue Jays 55-88
- Mariners 58-85
- Rockies 60-83
- White Sox 62-80
- Pirates 62-80
- Padres 65-76
As you can see, the Pirates and White Sox are tied, but the tiebreaker is the 2018 record and the Pirates were a .500 team, while the White Sox lost 100 games. The teams with the worse record receives the higher pick, so the Pirates dropped down another spot this week. That being said, they’re still just two and 1/2 games away from the seventh pick.
The upcoming schedule for the Pirates has a game today against the St Louis Cardinals at home, followed by a seven-game road trip that includes four games in San Francisco and then three against the Chicago Cubs. After an off-day on September 16th, the Pirates will play three games at home against the Seattle Mariners. Those are big games because it’s against one of the few teams in baseball with a worse record. Right now just 4 1/2 games separates the two clubs. The schedule finishes up with three each against the Milwaukee Brewers, Cubs and Cincinnati Reds.
AUSTIN HENDRICK WATCH
We noted in an earlier 2020 draft order article that one of the top high school players in the class will be Austin Hendrick, who is playing 15 minutes down the road at West Allegheny HS. Baseball America had an update for their top 50 prep draft prospects, with movement based on summer ball scouting. Hendrick went from #5 on their previous list, all the way up to the #2 spot. You can see more in the link here, but here’s part of their write-up for Hendrick:
His pure raw power rivals any hitter in the class and a simplified offensive setup has translated to a more consistent approach at the plate with more contact and better vision. Hendrick is likely a corner outfielder, and there is some swing-and-miss in his game that will raise eyebrows, but his elite bat speed, power and arm strength are game-changing tools.