Pittsburgh Pirates: Team Drafts Third Baseman Jared Triolo

After a long first night of the Major League Baseball Draft, the Pittsburgh Pirates made their final selection for Day one.  Here is who the Bucs took.

With their last pick at number 72 overall, the Pittsburgh Pirates had multiple directions that they could have gone.  The Bucs took right-handed pitcher Quinn Priester with their first-round pick and followed it up with a prep outfielder in Sammy Siani at number 37.  Then in the second round, the Bucs took a projectable power outfield bat out of Indiana by the name of Matt Gorski.

With their final pick on the first day of the Major League Baseball Draft, the Pittsburgh Pirates selected University of Houston third baseman Jared Triolo.  He was the Cougars starting third baseman and hit .332 with seven home runs this past year.  Baseball America has Triolo ranked as the 115th best prospect available while MLB Pipeline has him at number 146.

Triolo is an interesting prospect.  He is a lot like Gorski in that he is a big, projectable power bat that has not necessarily tapped into his power just year.  He only hit seven home runs last year but did add 18 doubles in 56 games.  He is considered to be a solid defender with a strong arm.

The potential power-hitting third baseman stands at 6’3” and weighs around 200 pounds.  Being that he is a third baseman he should be able to easily add some more muscle to his frame and start to tap into his power potential.  Here is more from MLB Pipeline on the right-handed hitting third baseman:

“Triolo has a prettier swing than most right-handers and uses it to make consistent contact while controlling the strike zone. He has strength and leverage in his impressive 6-foot-3 frame, but his bat speed is merely average and has limited his power production. Unless he can quicken his stroke and perhaps add more loft, he may max out at 30-35 doubles and 15 homers per season at the next level.”

The Bucs were given $870,700 to use toward their number 72 pick as part of the $9.94 million bonus pool.  Like their last pick in Gorksi, the team has seemed to reach and take Triolo a round or two earlier than he was ranked.  The Pittsburgh Pirates likely did this to save some money all the while getting a prospect they liked.  The team showed a lot of interest in adding a left side of the infield prospect leading up to the draft, so Triolo makes sense here.

This wraps up the first day of the Major League Baseball Draft.  The Pittsburgh Pirates had a pretty nice haul on the first day getting a potential front line starter, a projectable all-around outfielder, and two potential power bats.  Tomorrow is Day two of the Draft, rounds three through ten will be completed.  It continues at 1:00 PM eastern, be sure to check back for updates on who the team picks.