Pittsburgh Pirates: Three More Potential Second-Round Picks

Maddux Bruns

Maddux Bruns is a left-handed pitcher out of UMS-Wright High School in Alabama. Maddux may be one of the most impressive left-handed pitchers in the entire draft this year. The 18-year-old, who will turn 19 on June 20th, currently stands at 6’2″, 205 pounds, and has all the tools you’d want from a young pitcher.

MLB Pipeline grades out four pitches. Two of which have a 60-grade. His four-seam fastball was topping out in the upper-90s, reaching into the 97-98 MPH range. He usually sits in the mid-90 MPH range and has shown some late-life with the offering. Bruns has shown the ability to work both sides of the plate with it, while also flashing “heavy life down in the zone” as described by his Perfect Game report.

His other 60-grade offering is his slider. This pitch sits in the 83-85 MPH range and has some tilt with it. The third pitch Brusn throws is another pitch with the potential to be another above-average offering. His curveball comes in with a 55-grade. This is a 12-6 curve that comes in around the mid-70s, making the difference between his four-seam fastball and curveball about a whopping 20 MPH difference. He’ll also throw a changeup into the mix and while it’s his least used offering, it has a 50-grade, giving him a four-pitch mix that all are projected to be average or better offerings.

Bruns does have some control issues at times. He only has a 40 control grade on Pipeline which could arise some concern. However, his mechanics which include a three-quarters arm slot, compact arm, short stride out front, and being able to stay balanced (per Perfect Game) are promising.

Overall, while his control is spotty at best, he’s still very young. Plus it would be extremely hard to pass up on a lefty pitcher who throws in the mid-to-upper 90s, has a four-pitch mix, and a four-pitch mix where all offerings are considered average or better.

Will Bednar

The Pittsburgh Pirates are familiar with the Bednars. Currently, they have the older Bednar in David pitching great out of the bullpen. However, they could add his younger brother, Will Bednar, with the 37th pick in the 2021 draft.

Bednar has pitched 49 innings to the tune of a 3.31 ERA, 3.00 FIP and a 1.04 WHIP with Mississippi State this season. Bednar has struck out 40.8% of batters faced, while keeping walks to a rate of just 6.1%. Home runs have been a bit of an issue for the right-hander though. He currently has a 1.49 HR/9 rate. However, he did not allow a single home run in 15.2 innings throughout his shortened 2020 season.

Bednar has a four-pitch mix. His four-seam fastball comes in around the 93-95 MPH range and tops out at 97 MPH. With the spin he can generate, the pitch has some riding life through the strike zone. Overall, it’s a 60-grade offering by MLB Pipeline and a 55-future grade offering by FanGraphs.

His primary breaking pitch is a slider. This is another pitch with a 60-grade on MLB Pipeline but also has a 60-grade on FanGraphs as well. He’s thrown it consistently well this year and averages out in the mid-80’s. His curveball is another plus offering, one that comes in around the upper 70 MPH range. Both FanGraphs and Pipeline see this as a 55-grade offering. His fourth and final offering is a changeup that has the potential to be a fourth average offering.

Bednar has excellent control as well. Pipeline sees his ability to hit the zone as a 55-grade tool. However, his command can get a bit spotty at times. FanGraphs gave his command a future grade of just 40.

Bednar also will need to work on his mechanics. His 6’2″, 229 pound frame gives him a starter’s build. However, the overall issues are minor. Though his potential concerns aren’t something that can’t be fixed, they should still be kept in mind.

Max Muncy

Not to be confused with the Los Angeles Dodgers infielder of the same name, this Max Muncy is an 18-year-old from Thousand Oaks California entering the draft. Muncy is primarily a shortstop and stands at 6’1″, 180 pounds.

Muncy is considered a well-rounded player. He has a 50-grade for his hit, field, run, and arm tools. However, he’s considered to have some pop in his bat with a 55-grade power tool by Pipeline. MLB Pipeline gave his offensive ceiling a comparison to former four-time MLB All-Star Ian Kinsler. They also drew comparisons to Atlanta Braves’ shortstop Dansby Swanson with more power potential.

Though Muncy is a good hitter his approach can lead to some strikeouts. Swings and misses are his biggest problem, but not one that can’t be fixed in the future. He’s still 18 and won’t turn 19 until the end of August, and it’s not uncommon for such a young player to have some issues with swings and misses.

Overall, he has the tools to stick at shortstop. He’s considered an average runner with an average glove and a strong enough arm to remain at the middle infield position. However, he may end up at second base, third base, or an outfield position. Overall, shortstops are the most athletic player on the field so if the Pirates did draft him and he didn’t end up at shortstop long term, they’d be able to find a spot for him somewhere on the diamond. It would also give the Pirates another power hitter to the system, something that would definitely help.