Pittsburgh Pirates Top 30 Prospects: Ranking from 24-19

#20, Pitcher, Braeden Ogle

The Pirates selected Braeden Ogle out of Jensen Beach High School (Florida) in the fourth round.  He was highly rated coming into the draft, as Baseball America ranked him 69th overall.  His scouting report from draft day presents a nice picture:

"“The Pirates get good value from 135th overall pick in the 6’2” and 180 pounds lefty. His fastball intriguing, he typically sits 91-93 miles per hour, but he has hit up to 96 miles per hour on the gun. His best secondary pitch is his curve-ball. He throws it hard and gets a solid spin rate on it. His change-up needs work, but he does have one that he has used. His biggest flaw is repeating his mechanics. The Pirates are used to dealing with raw, prep pitchers and should be able to work with him on his mechanics.”"

Ogle pitched well in the Gulf Coast league last season.  In his eight games, the 19-year-old left-hander pitched to a 2.60 ERA.  He only struck out 18.2 percent of hitters and walked 10.0 percent, but with his age, he should improve.

Ogle will only continue to progress, and with the Pirates strong desire to help young high school arms, Ogle could rise up prospect rankings quickly.  Ogle can develop into a nice rotation piece in time. Given that he is left-handed, that will be even more important at PNC Park.

#19, Infielder, Jordan Luplow

You won’t find Joran Luplow on many prospect lists if any.  However, since last year, we at RumBunter have been a fan of his offensive ability.  The club selected Luplow out of Fresno State in the third round in 2014.  He’s played in three different leagues in his three years and has produced at all three levels.

Luplow has produced wRC+’s of 132, 135, and 129, and has shown the ability to walk.  His walk rates over the last three years have been 10.4 percent, 12.7 percent, and 14.1 percent.  Luplow even showed power last season, ranking second on the team with a .167 ISO.

Luplow has played left field, right field, and third base in his time with the organization, but all 81 of his games played in the field last season, Luplow played left.

If Luplow develops more defensively and settles into a position, his prospect status might show more.  If he keeps up his power with his ability to walk, Luplow can become an average outfielder and provide great depth to the team.  He can also be a John Jaso type, being a solid hitter with no true position, but the ability to play corner outfield and corner infield.