Pittsburgh Pirates Draft: Three New College Draft Picks to Follow

The Pittsburgh Pirates just finished up the 2021 Major League Baseball Draft.  How did they do with some of the other picks?

This year’s Draft class was quite a haul for the Pittsburgh Pirates. If you do not know that at this then you have some catching up to do.  Say what you will about the Buc’s ownership and past, but this new Front Office has put a plan in place and seem to be executing it near perfect.  Yes, rankings only mean so much, development of these prospects means just as much if not more.  However, let’s give the new regime a chance.

Pittsburgh Pirates fans are already seeing the quality of the farm system that Ben Cherington has put together.  Understand he has never changed the course, he said that this team needed more talent in the minor leagues to be competitive.  They have done that part, and those pieces are already producing in the minors.  The target year has always been 2023, nothing has changed from the day the new regime took over.

So how can the 2021 Draft class impact that time frame? Well, first and foremost there are a lot of ways that they could.  Whether it be a player shooting up the system quickly like Henry Davis, or to help sustain the window of winning into 20224, 2025, and beyond.  However, the other way kind of goes along with the thought process of the first idea, college players have a chance to move quickly.

The Bucs did not take as many college players as they did in the 2020 Draft, but they still did use 14 of their picks on college players.  A lot of this was due to trying to save money for some of the bigger bonus prospects.  However, they did grab some intriguing college prospects as well.  The question is which of those college prospects could help this team sooner rather than later?

Pittsburgh Pirates 5th Round Pick: Jackson Glenn, Third Baseman

The Pittsburgh Pirates first selection from the college ranks was Jackson Glenn.  It was expected for the team to go into the college ranks on day two of the Draft.  However, the team did not right away as they grabbed a couple more prep players with their first four selections of day two. The team finally took a college player in the 5th round in Glenn, a third baseman from Dallas Baptist.

While it is not a power 5 school, Dallas Baptist has a solid reputation for a mid-major program.  They typically send players into the Draft every year.  Glenn is a very intriguing player with a lot of upside, but because he is coming from a smaller school he was not as high up on big boards.  Actually, Glenn ranked #488 on Baseball America’s Top 500 list.

So what is to be excited about then?  Well, Glenn absolutely raked this past season.  He led his team in basically every offensive category slashing .366/.438/.732 and hitting 21 home runs. He also showed off athleticism swiping 13 bags and playing multiple positions in the infield.  Again, Jackson represents an athletic player who has had a lot of success in his career, something Ben Cherington and staff seem to target.  Glenn is closing in on 24 years of age, so it will be interesting to see how much upside he really has, but as of now, he looks to have utility player potential.

Pittsburgh Pirates 8th Round Pick: Sean Sullivan, Right-Handed Pitcher

The Pittsburgh Pirates used their 8th round pick on right-handed pitcher Sean Sullivan. A product of the University of California, Berkeley, Sullivan put up solid numbers in his final year in college. Through his final 78.1 innings, Sullivan had a 3.68 ERA, 3.14 FIP, and 1.277 WHIP. Sullivan only struck out 21.9% of all the batters he faced but kept his walk rate low at 6.4%, and a home run rate at .57.

Sullivan has a four-pitch mix, according to Baseball America. He’ll use a fastball, curveball, slider, and change-up. Among his offerings, his slider is the best with a 55-grade. His other three pitches have a 50-grade, making him have 4 pitches that project as at least average offerings. He also has above-average control. He is only 6’1” tall, but who knows if the front office sees the possibility of his stuff ticking up some.

Sullivan isn’t a hard thrower, only averaging 90-92 MPH and topping out at 94 MPH. Baseball America states that while none of his offerings are overpowering, his control and sequencing help his arsenal play up from what it is. This likely means his upside is of a backend starter or multi-inning relief option. He ranked #212 on MLB Pipeline’s Top Draft prospect list.