Potential Pittsburgh Pirates Late Round MLB Draft Selections

In today’s continuation of potential Pittsburgh Pirates 2020 MLB draft picks, we will take a look at three potential late round diamonds in the rough

It’s no secret that the Pittsburgh Pirates will have to build from within in order to compete and become a legitimate contender. One way they can do this is through the MLB Draft.

There are several later rounds picks in the organization that are coming off impressive seasons. Cam Junker, Jared Oliva, Jack Herman, and Blake Cederlind all come to mind.

Pittsburgh Pirates General Manager Ben Cherington and head amateur scout Joe Dellicarri can make their money in the later rounds in this year’s draft. When you are in the later rounds, you need to separate the apparent trouble guys and try to find the individual who got lost in the shuffle. Here are a few potential late round diamond in the rough draft picks for the Pirates.

Nick Swiney, Left-Handed Pitcher, N.C State

Left-handed pitcher Nick Swiney has been trending up as of late, now being ranked 134th according to FanGraphs. The 20-year-old has a fastball that sits in the 92-94 MPH range and has a good three-pitch mix-up, which is nice to see out of a reliever. He may have a little more growing up to do standing at 6’3″ 180 pounds soaking wet if he indeed bulks up a bit we could see his fastball trend up into the mid 90’s consistently.

During the 2020 campaign with the Wolfpack Swiney had a very good season. In 28.0 innings pitched, he had an ERA of 1.29, 42 strikeouts, six walks, and an outstanding WHIP of 0.68. The one question with Swiney is if he is a starter or not FanGraphs in their very short description of the lefty said, he has all the qualities of a starting pitcher. In the four games he appeared in last year were all starts and he showed he could belong.

Daniel Susac, Catcher, Jesuit High School (CA)

If this name sounds familiar to Pirates fans, it should. Daniel Susac is the younger brother Pirate catcher Andrew Susac. The younger Susac is a bulky athletic catcher weighing in at 215 pounds and is 6’3″. The reason he is so athletic comes from Perfect Game analysts with a 7.06 60 yard dash and a catcher pop up speed of 1.82. Susac is not a slouch when it comes to the bat, either, with his exit velocity clocking in at 103 MPH. His one downfall may be his colossal leg kick used as a timing mechanism.

When watching the tape on Susac, I saw some very promising tendencies. The first is the ease of getting the ball to the second baseman; his velocity is at 87 MPH, putting him in the 99th percentile. The second is his raw power during a BP session he was crushing balls with a fairly smooth looking swing for a catcher. Out of the 30 or so AB’s, I watched around 24 or so pulled into left field, which isn’t an issue, but I’d like to see him have a bit more patience enabling a more evened out spray chart.

Dominic Johnson, OF/INF, Edmond Santa Fe High School (OK)

Dominic Johnson is an extremely versatile player who can play anywhere on the field besides catcher. FanGraphs gave him an 80 speed, and it shows with his 6.22 60 yard dash and around 4.0 seconds from home plate to first base.

Numbers would suggest that he would fare better in the infield with his twitchiness, and he looks more comfortable there. At 19-years-old, he could have a bit of a growth spurt standing at 5’11” right now.  Either way, his frame suits his talents.

At the plate, Johnson has a compact swing with lighting fast hands. This enables him to be a hard strike out at the plate. His frame as of now suggests little to no power projections at all, but when he hits the ball, it’s hit hard with a 97 MPH exit velocity putting him in the 96th percentile. The reasoning behind Johnson’s 151st ranking on FanGraphs board may have something to do with his “utility” tag other than that he seems to be a good player in need of some polishing.