2024 MLB Draft: What the mock drafts are saying about the Pirates' pick

Who do the mock drafts have the Pirates taking?

May 01, 2024

We did our first mock draft for the site a few weeks ago, with the Pirates selecting Kaelen Culpepper as the ninth overall pick.

Culpepper is having a solid season for Kansas State, arguably the best college shortstop in the class and has solid tools.

Looking around at a few other sites, there have also been some recent mock drafts, so today, I wanted to look at four of them, who they have at the Pirates taking, and if there were any other options to explore based on how the board fell before them.

Baseball America

Pick at 1.9: Konnor Griffin - OF/SS

Interestingly, two of the three mock drafts have the Pirates taking a prep player with their first pick. That’s not something I’m against, but history would state that they lean more into the college route (outside of Termarr Johnson).

Griffin is one of the more intriguing players in the draft, with many tools and perhaps some of the most upside in the draft. Baseball America recognizes he’s more of a raw upside prospect, whereas the Pirates tend to go for more established hit-tool guys.

A pick like this could give the Pirates a boost, however, with another young, super-promising kid to follow daily in the system.

The following five picks: Trey Yesavage, Bryce Rainer, Vance Honeycutt, Cam Smith, Seaver King

Future Star Series

Pick at 1.9: JJ Wetherholt - 2B/SS

When the season started, the idea of the Pirates being in the running for Wetherholt would have seemed way out there, as he was in the running for the first overall pick.

Injuries have destroyed his junior season, but if a team in the top eight sees his medicals, is good with them, and believes he has any shot at playing shortstop at the professional level, he’ll be long gone by pick nine.

That being said, Wetherhold fits into the mold that the Pirates have targeted in years prior, but with a more proven record for a hit tool.

The following five picks: Cam Smith, Konnor Griffin, Trey Yesavage, Cam Caminiti, Seaver King

The comp round has been added to that mock draft, with the Pirates taking Duke lefty Jonathan Santucci with the 37th overall pick.

I’ve been a big fan of Santucci since the beginning of the season, and at one point, he was right there with Hagen Smith for the top lefty in the class.

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Since then, he’s struggled with control and has seen his stock take a hit. Getting Santucci at 37 would be incredible value for the Pirates. Although he may have some reliever risk, with the right tuning, this would be a huge steal, and getting Wetherholt and Santucci would be a big win for the Pirates.

Just Baseball

Pick at 1.9: Bryce Rainer - SS/RHP

The second prep player to be mocked to the Pirates recently, and Rainer jumping into the top 10 seems like it could be gaining some steam.

He’s also a strong pitching prospect, which means he has the arm to play shortstop, and most believe he can stay there long-term.

Rainer has an excellent left-handed swing and a nice blend of hit and upside. He’s a prospect that has been growing on me recently, and now multiple mock drafts have him going to the Pirates.

The following five picks: Hagen Smith, Cam Smith, Trey Yesavage, Seaver King, Cam Caminiti

Note: It would be hard to pass on Hagen Smith right now, even with how high I am on Rainer. The Pirates are stacked with pitching prospects, but passing on arguably the best pitcher in the draft would be hard.

You can never have enough pitching, and Smith has nasty stuff.

Prospects Live

Pick at 1.9: Bryce Rainer - SS/RHP

Of the four mock drafts we’ve covered, that’s three prep players with two picking the same.

Prospects Live has them going Rainer over another one of the top arms, Chase Burns. Like with passing over Smith, it may be too tempting to pass up, but I like getting someone like Rainer into the system.

The write-up mentions that Rainer has gotten some comparisons to Colson Montgomery, one of the top prospects in all of baseball.

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The following five picks: Chase Burns, Seaver Kings, Trey Yesavage, James Tibbs III, William Schmidt.

This mock also had the comp pick, with them having the Pirates take Kevin Bazzell from Texas Tech. I didn’t know much about him beforehand, but he’s put up good contact rates, especially against fastballs.

He isn’t completely contact over power but certainly relies on the former rather than the latter.

Pipeline mentioned he could fit in at most infield positions and a corner outfield spot, so he is a little flexible and not just reliant on the bat.

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