Three Potential Second Round Draft Picks for the Pittsburgh Pirates

Right-Handed Pitcher Joe Boyle, Notre Dame

Joe Boyle is a high risk/high reward type of player standing. He checks in from the Oneil Cruz territory at 6’7″, 220 pounds. During his time at Notre Dame, Boyle has developed a fastball that can reach 101 MPH on the gun. Couple that, with a mid 70’s curveball and he has all the makings of an excellent bullpen arm. Boyle’s glaring weakness is his control, which you see a lot of early in the careers of pitchers that can throw 100+ MPH.

During the 2019 season with the Fighting Irish, Boyle set career highs in strikeouts (39), appearances (18), and innings pitched (25.2). However, he also issued 27 walks and allowed 17 earned runs on 14 hits. This led to him posting a 5.96 ERA for Notre Dame. Despite his struggles last season, his dominant stuff makes him an arm that MLB scouts are drooling over.

With the new management and front office for the Pirates, it would not be surprised if they take a chance on a 20-year-old with an intimidating mound presence. If the 78th ranked prospect can hone his control and still maintain his blazing fastball, he should be a nice addition to the bullpen one day down the road.