Pittsburgh Pirates: Second Round Pick Matt Gorski

The Pittsburgh Pirates made their two first-round picks of the MLB Draft earlier tonight.  Here is who the team took with their second-round pick.

Entering the Major League Baseball Draft, the Pittsburgh Pirates were given four first day picks.  Two picks were their standard first and second round pick, while the other two were Competitive Balance picks.  They technically had two first round picks at number 18 and number 37 overall.  With those picks, the team selected two high school players in right-handed pitcher Quinn Priester (number 18) and outfielder Sammy Siani (number 37).

The team’s next selection came at number 57 overall, which was considered their actual second round pick.  With that pick, the Pittsburgh Pirates selected Indiana Hoosier outfielder Matt Gorski.  Gorksi has just finished up his junior season with the Hoosiers where he hit .279 while slugging .516 in part because of his 12 home runs.

The most intriguing thing about Gorksi is his size and athleticism.  He is big, standing at 6’4” but only weighs around 195 pounds.  He has plenty of room in his frame to fill out and continue to add power to his swing.  However, he also has plus speed and some scouts feel he could be a future 20 home run and 20 steal type player.  Obviously, like most big, power hitters, there is concern about if he will make enough contact at the big league level.  Here is more from MLB Pipeline on the big outfielder:

“If he hits, Gorski could be a star. He has plus speed to go with his raw pop and could be a 20-20 player. He has the range to become an asset in center field with more experience, and he has solid arm strength that plays up because his throwing accuracy ranks among the best in college baseball.”

At pick number 57, the Pittsburgh Pirates were given a bonus allotment of $1.24 million. He is ranked at number 112 overall by MLB Pipeline and number 150 by Baseball America, which is solid but seems like a big reach at pick number 57.  However, this could be to save some money against the team’s $9.94 million draft bonus pool.  This is much higher than Gorski was expected to go and coming out of college he should be an easy sign.  Meanwhile, the team will take the saved money and distribute it elsewhere.

The Pittsburgh Pirates have one pick left tonight at number 72 overall.  This is the team’s Competitive Balance B pick this year.  Last year, the team had a Competitive Balance A pick at number 36 but failed to sign their pick, which is why they were given the number 37 pick this year. Check back to see who the team takes with their last pick on Day one on the MLB Draft.