Pittsburgh Pirates 2021 Mock Draft 1.0: Night 1 is 3 Weeks Out

With the Pittsburgh Pirates likely saving money with their first pick they will have a chance to be very aggressive with their final selection of day one.  The second pick comes toward the end of the middle of the night at number 37 overall.  At this stage it is really hard to say who will be available, but there still should be plenty of intriguing talent.

This is the spot that the Pittsburgh Pirates could go for a big bonus prep player.  Thatcher Hurd of California represents this type of prospect.  Like McGreevy (who we will get to soon), Hurd checks a lot of boxes that the Front Office looks for.  He is very projectable standing at 6’4” and weighing around 200 pounds. He has a fastball that sits in the low 90s, and being a quarterback recruit has plenty of athleticism and potential to add to his fastball.  He also works a slider, a changeup, and a curveball giving him with the breaking pitches showing chances to be plus pitches.

According to reports, Hurd is committed to UCLA.  Pittsburgh Pirates fans know that UCLA is a very good west coast program, known for developing pitchers.  They have produced arms like Gerrit Cole, Trevor Bauer, and Griffin Canning to name a few.  With him staying close to home and plenty of room for him to continue to develop, UCLA could be a very intriguing option for him to boost his stock.  This could also scare teams away if they are worried about signability.

Luckily, the Pittsburgh Pirates are in a unique situation with the largest bonus pool available.  The team will have the money to over pay for a few prospects if they choose.  If the team is able to save money a large chuck on Mayer at pick one, they could easily persuade Hurd with a bonus he would deem worthy of passing on UCLA.