Pittsburgh Pirates Draft: Pick Number 42

The 2017 MLB Draft is underway. The Pittsburgh Pirates 42 overall pick in the second round has come and gone.  The Pirates have selected Steven Jennings with their first of two second-round selection.

The Pittsburgh Pirates and Neal Huntington have added another prospect to their pipeline.  In the first round at pick number 12, the Pirates selected Shane Baz, a right-handed pitching prospect who is committed to TCU.  This time around, at pick number 42, the Pittsburgh Pirates have selected Steven Jennings.  Baseball America ranks him as the number 49th prospect, meanwhile, MLB Pipeline has him ranked 47th.  MLB Pipeline describes him as,

"“His loose, quick arm generates a fastball that sits at 89-92 mph, reaches 95 and should add some more velocity in the future. His hard slider can hit 85 mph and shows the upside of a plus offering, and he also has unveiled a curveball that can be a solid breaking pitch as well.”"

Jennings has a four-pitch mix, and that should allow him to keep developing as a starter in the minor leagues.  He stands at 6’2″ and 175 pounds, so he has room to grow and reach more velocity that is noted in his profile.

Jennings is another prep arm, similar to Baz.  He is committed to Missouri, but MLB Pipeline notes he should sign.  The Pirates have graduated pitching from the system recently, and are currently top-heavy in Triple-A with pitching prospects.  With the team’s first two picks focusing on prep arms, after selecting a trio of solid high school arms last year.  The slot value for this pick is $1,635,500.

I expected a bat here, but it appears the Pirates are going toward the pitching root, something that has been a strong suit for them.  Developing pitching is also the blueprint of the St. Louis Cardinals, and allows for a team to always have cheap options.  In the open market, the price of good pitching is escalated.

Next: Pirates Pick At Number 12

The Pirates first two picks have been focused on prep arms.  They’re trying to rebuild the pipeline of arms with all the arms that have graduated in recent years and the amount currently in Triple A.  Baz and Jennings are two young arms who will have plenty of time to develop, both throw hard, and can add to their frames.