Pittsburgh Pirates: Three More Potential Second-Round Picks

We’ve focused heavily on the Pittsburgh Pirates having the first overall pick in this summer’s draft but let’s take another look at some potential second-round picks for the team in this upcoming draft

The Pittsburgh Pirates have the number one overall pick in the 2021 MLB Draft. They’ll have free reign over who they get to select with their first-round draft pick. We’ve done plenty of coverage on potential first overall selections. Right now, it’s a pretty close race between Vanderbilt pitcher Jack Leiter and top high school prospect shortstop Jordan Lawlar. However, Marcelo Mayer also can not be completely ruled out.

The Pittsburgh Pirates will also have the 37th overall pick in the second-round. We’ve already covered some potential second-round selections. We took a look at three potential second-round picks here before while also exploring the possibility of Jaden Hill falling to the 37th pick, but there are plenty of other candidates the Bucs could choose with that selection.

With that, I want to take a look at a few more potential prospects the team could pick with that second-round pick.

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.