Pittsburgh Pirates Draft Ethan Paul For A Second Consecutive Season

On Tuesday, the Pittsburgh Pirates drafted a player that they also selected in the 2018 draft

A wise man once said, “if at first you don’t succeed, try again.” Maybe this is the approach the Pittsburgh Pirates have when it comes to Ethan Paul. Who is Ethan Paul you ask? Well, you’re about to find out!

In the 9th round of the 2019 MLB Amateur Draft, the Pirates selected Paul. Paul is a shortstop from Vanderbilt University, which is one of the best college baseball programs in the country. This is also the second consecutive year in which the Pirates drafted Paul.

The Pirates drafted Paul with their 28th round pick in 2018, but he decided to return to college for his senior season instead. Paul bet on himself, and it paid off. After moving up 17 rounds in the draft, Paul will get a much better pay day than he would have a year ago.

For the Commodores Paul slashed .325/.392/.524 this season. He hit 9 home runs, 21 doubles, and a triple in 252 at bats for Vandy. He also swiped 8 bags for the Commodores.

This past season was Paul’s first season as the primary shortstop for Vandy. The previous two seasons he was the team’s second baseman. This was largely due to Connor Kaiser, the Priates’ 3rd round pick in 2018, manning shortstop for the Commodores the previous two seasons.

When looking ahead to a potential MLB career, Paul projects as a utility player with a high floor. He could also be an every day player whose offense suffers as a result. See one Adam Frazier.

Paul is a native of Bellevue, Washington. Each of the last two seasons he has started all 62 games that Vanderbilt has played. There is something to be said for a stalwart that plays every day, in any sport, but, especially in baseball.