Pittsburgh Pirates: Final Mocks for 2018 MLB Draft

It is finally draft day and the Pittsburgh Pirates have the 10th pick tonight.  Here is one last look at the mock drafts leading up to the event.

Tonight marks the start of new careers that will be closely followed by many fans across the MLB.  However, tonight is also one of the most important nights of the calendar year for teams like the Pittsburgh Pirates.  Smaller market teams like the Pittsburgh Pirates have to nail their MLB draft picks.  It is through the draft that they will get their keys to future success.  The Bucs have a real chance to do that tonight with the number 10 overall pick.  This is a spot where they can add a legitimate high-end talent.  They also have a competitive balance pick at number 36 overall and their second-round pick is number 51.  While it is impossible to predict who the Pittsburgh Pirates will end up with at pick number 10, there are several predictions from draft experts on who it could be.  Here is who Jim Callis and Jonathan Mayo are predicting as of this morning on their MLB Pipeline article.

Jim Callis

Jim Callis of MLB Pipeline is predicting the Pittsburgh Pirates to take a high-end prep pitcher.  In an earlier mock draft, he had the Bucs looking at high school outfielder Jared Kelenic.  However, as the draft has approached he and Mayo have started focusing more on prep pitchers for the Bucs.  In his final mock draft, he has the Pittsburgh Pirates taking left-handed pitcher, Mathew Liberatore.  Liberatore is a big lefty from Arizona.  He has the talent to go higher than 10, but Callis believes that he may slip down the board a little due to teams drafting more college hitters toward the top.  Callis also notes prep righty Grayson Rodriguez and prep outfielder Jordyn Adams as possibilities.

Jonathan Mayo

Jonathan Mayo also believes the Pittsburgh Pirates are leaning towards the prep pitching market.  In his mock draft over the weekend he had the Bucs selecting California prep righty Cole Winn.  In the mock this morning he still has the Bucs targeting Winn.  Mayo, of course, lives in the Pittsburgh area and usually has a good sense of what the Pittsburgh Pirates organization is doing.  Mayo also notes Rodriguez as a possibility.  Furthermore, he writes that the Bucs like the college bats, but unless one that is projected ahead of them falls to number 10 they likely will stick with a prep arm. College hitters that he could be talking about are Florida infielder Jonathan India, Wichita State infielder Alec Bohm, and South Alabama outfielder Travis Swaggerty.

Next: More on Projected Pick Cole Winn

The draft starts at 7:00 pm ETA and it will be broadcasted on the MLB Network.  With the tenth pick, the Pittsburgh Pirates will not be on the board until closer to 8:00.  Make sure to check back for immediate information on the new prospects and how they will fit into the system going forward.