Pittsburgh Pirates Draft: Connor Kaiser Agrees to Deal

After signing second-round pick Braxton Ashcraft, it was also reported that the Pittsburgh Pirates signed their third round pick.

So far the Pittsburgh Pirates have signed three of their four top draft picks.  This includes their first-round pick at number 10 overall Travis Swaggerty and second-round pick, number 51 overall, Braxton Ashcraft.  They also have now signed their third round pick Vanderbilt shortstop Connor Kaiser. Kaiser was selected number 86 overall.  The reason it took so long for him to sign was due to Vanderbilt playing deep into the College World Series tournament.

The pick at number 86 overall had a bonus allotment of $673,200.  The Pittsburgh Pirates and Kaiser agreed to an under-slot deal worth $625,000.  This was according to Jim Callis of MLB Pipeline.  So the Bucs are saving $48,200 on the deal with the Vanderbilt shortstop.  This money will likely be allocated toward Braxton Ashcraft’s bonus as he went 400K over-slot.  That is one of the pluses to reaching for college players earlier in the draft.

Kaiser was not ranked on MLB Pipeline’s top 200 prospects.  However, he was ranked on Baseball America’s top 500 draft prospect list at number 211.  Kaiser is a solid defensive shortstop who likely has the athleticism to stick there.  With that, he should be able to handle other infield positions down the road if need be.  He has average range, but an above average arm too.   The most intriguing thing about Kaiser is his size.  The now-former Commodore is listed at 6’4” and 205 pounds.  He did not hit for a lot of power in college, but with that frame and development in the system, he could learn to tap into more of the natural power.  Here is some more from Baseball America:

"“Kaiser has a good frame with solid strength. He has the swing of a power hitter with a large load and a big leg kick to shift his weight. But the balls leaving the bat are more frequently ground balls and line drives than big flies. He had three home runs at the end of the regular season to go with a .284/.388/.402 stat line.”"

Next: Ashcraft Signs

Kaiser becomes the second shortstop in the last three years to be taken by the Pittsburgh Pirates in the third round.  The team took college shortstop Stephen Alemais in the third round in 2016.  So far he has turned into a decent prospect, so hopefully the same can be said about Kaiser in a few years. Furthermore, he becomes the fourth shortstop taken in the top three rounds since 2014, going along with Alemais, Kevin Newman, and Cole Tucker. As of now, Kaiser will report to the Short-Season A Morgantown affiliate.