Pirates draft recap: 2021 class made moves in 2023

A look at how the 2021 Pirates draft class fared in 2023.

Photo Credit: WTM

While the 2020 draft class was the first under Ben Cherington, the following year’s edition is the one that has stuck out.

What made it so notable is that the Pirates cut a deal with their first overall pick to save money to spend on a few high school players and sign them to over-slot deals.

This past season was this draft class’s second full season in professional baseball. Here’s a look at how they did.

The first overall pick

Henry Davis was the first overall by the Pirates, drafted out of Louisville as a catcher. After starting in Double-A to focus on catching, he quickly jumped from Triple-A to the majors, where he shifted to right field full-time.

He struggled to adjust to hitting in the majors and playing right field. He slashed .213/.302/.351 in 255 plate appearances and then put up a -6 Outs Above Average (OAA) in right field defensively.

Going into the offseason, the Pirates will have Davis focus on catching, which is an entirely different subject to talk about.

Davis struggled, but the talent is still there to make adjustments.

Overslot preps

The main focus on the draft and the reason they cut an under-slot deal with Davis was so that they could go after some prep players who slipped due to signability concerns.

Anthony Solometo was the first of which, taken in the second round. He had perhaps the best season of the bunch, jumping from Greensboro to Altoona at just 20 years old.

He faded a bit during the season, but considering his age and the level he played at, it was a successful season for the lefty.

At the beginning of the year, the Pirates decided to have Bubba Chandler focus only on pitching, and while he got off to a rocky start, he finished strong, even making his final start of the season in Altoona. He ended the year with 128 strikeouts in 111 innings.

Another pitcher who hasn’t got the attention of Solometo and Chandler, Owen Kellington, pitched the entire season in Single-A Bradenton. He didn’t pitch much in 2022, so you can see the inexperience, but he also showed some intriguing stuff with his curveball and change-up. Despite the lower velocity, the fastball shows underlying solid metrics.

On the hitting side of things, Lonnie White Jr. has been slowed due to injuries, missing all of last year and the first couple of weeks in 2023. Finally healthy, he flashed some tools that made him a highly-rated prospect in the draft.

He stole 18 bases and hit nine home runs in 61 games last year, split between the FCL and Bradenton.

Photo Credit: WTM

Braylon Bishop was taken in the 14th round and signed to an over-slot deal but has struggled to make contact since then. He started the year in Bradenton but was sent back to the FCL.

This upcoming year would be his draft year had he gone the college route, so it’s close to make-or-break time with him.

The college savings pick

Sprinkled into the first 10 rounds, the Pirates drafted a few college players and went under-slot (some significantly), which freed up room for the prep picks.

Jackson Glenn had an outstanding career at Dallas Baptist, but after a rough 2022 in Greensboro, he had to repeat the level. The second time around was much better, thanks mainly to getting the ball off the ground, and he put up a wRC+ of 120 between two levels.

After bouncing around three levels last year, Mike Jarvis split time between Greensboro and Altoona, stealing 31 bases and posting an 89 wRC+.

Not known for his hitting, Wyatt Hendrie has established himself as one of the better defensive catchers in the Pirates system. After starting the year in Bradenton, he split time with Shawn Ross to close the season with Greensboro.

Sean Sullivan was beat up in Greensboro during 2022 but showed some underlying metrics that it was just the hitter-friendly home park. He didn’t strike out much (20.4 K%) but posted a 3.88 ERA in Double-A Altoona last year.

Another player who repeated Greensboro, Luke Brown, slowly started to hit for a little more power down the stretch and finished with a wRC+ of 127. He was a teammate of Henry Davis in college.

Justin Meis jumped from college ball to the bullpen in Bradenton, helping the Marauders win the division championship in 2021. He was held back in Bradenton to be used as a starter in 2022, eventually shifting back to the bullpen this past season with Altoona.

Released

Not every draft pick will work out, and the Pirates have already moved on with three players from the 2021 class.

Owen Sharts missed some time to an injury but wasn’t effective when he was on the mound, posting a 7.33 ERA and walking 17.7% of the batters he faced in 2023 with Bradenton.

Carlos Lomeli hung around the Bradenton bullpen in 2022 and 2023 until he was released on July 30. He had a career 5.03 ERA in 59 games played, all of which were in Single-A.

Drew Irvine was released on June 1 by the Pirates. The 19th-round pick out of Iowa hadn’t pitched much in the minors and had a 4.20 ERA in 19 games in the lower levels.

Late round guys

Tyler Samaniego was drafted in the 15th round out of South Alabama and repeated Double-A Altoona this past year. He’s currently one of the prospects playing in the Arizona Fall League.

While he spent most of the season in High-A Greensboro, Brenden Dixon played in four games at Triple-A, even hitting a grand slam. He was the last pick of the draft class and hit 12 home runs overall in 2023.

Jack Carey spent most of his professional career in the Greensboro bullpen but got a late-season promotion to Altoona to close out 2023.

A rare prep player in the later rounds who didn’t get an over-slot deal, AJ Graham has dealt with seemingly more injuries than even Lonnie White. Through the 2023 season, he has just 38 plate appearances in the FCL. He has a .088 average in those games.