Pittsburgh Pirates Sign Two More Draft Picks

The Pittsburgh Pirates came to agreements with two more members of their 2019 draft class on Wednesday

After making two more signings on Wednesday, the Pittsburgh Pirates have now signed 31 of the 42 members of their 2019 draft class. Two of the remaining unsigned players – Vanderbilt shortstop Ethan Paul and Florida State pitcher J.C. Flowers – are still playing in the College World Series. The deadline to sign players is July 12th.

One of the two players signed on Wednesday was 11th round pick Jase Bowen. The Pirates selected Bowen out of Toldeo Central Catholic High School in Toledo, Ohio. Bowen is an excellent athlete who spurned a letter of intent to play both football and baseball at Michigan State by signing with the Pirates.

Bowen, an outfielder/shortstop, finished his high school career with a .393 batting average and a .514 slugging percentage. He both bats and throw right-handed and is a great athlete, as evident by him being one of the top wide receiver prospects in the Midwest in the 2019 recruiting cycle. Had Bowen not been signed to play two sports with the Spartans, odds are, he would have gone higher in the draft.

In addition to Bowen, the Pirates also signed Ryan Harbin on Wednesday. Harbin was the team’s 17th round draft pick. Harbin is a right-handed pitcher from Bartow High School in Bartow, Florida. According to Perfect Game, his fastball velocity ranks in the 87th percentile among high school pitchers. Harbin posted a 2.74 ERA and averaged 9.4 K/9 as a senior in high school.

Harbin’s received a $397,500 signing bonus from the Pirates. This was an over slot value, which shows how highly the Bucs thinks of the 17-year-old pitcher.

In addition to having signed 31 of their 42 picks, the team has signed 17 of their top 20 picks. Two of the top 20 picks that remain unsigned are Paul and Flowers, both of whom are likely to sign after their team’s runs in the College World Series come to an end.