Pittsburgh Pirates flip the script with early draft picks

Pirates went with the tool-heavy prospects in the early rounds

The Pittsburgh Pirates entered the 2024 MLB draft without premium-hitting prospects in their system.

Quite a few of their top-end-hitting prospects graduated over the last few years, but replenishing the cabinet hasn’t gone well.

Termarr Johnson looks like he is turning things around, and they have several intriguing players in Bradenton or below. However, nothing seems close to being a sure thing.

Or, at the very least, no one that seems like they could be a difference maker at the highest level.

Development has undoubtedly been an issue, but you can argue that, to an extent, the Pirates have limited the potential success that some of their early draft picks could have.

The Pirates used their top pick on a hitter in three of the first four drafts under Ben Cherington. All of them were noted as hit-first prospects, with two even being limited to second-base ‘hit-only’ profiles.

The other, Henry Davis, who they took with the first overall, had questions about what his defensive home would be at the major league level.