Can The Pittsburgh Pirates Still Sign Outfielder Braylon Bishop?

The Pittsburgh Pirates drafted top high school outfield prospect Braylon Bishop in the 14th round, but do the Pirates have enough left to sign the talented outfielder?

The Pittsburgh Pirates had an extremely impressive draft. After selecting the best college hitter in Henry Davis, the team was able to go over slot on Anthony Solometo, Lonnie White Jr., and way over slot on Bubba Chandler. Overall, the Pirates got two players who were projected to go top 15 in the draft (Davis and Chandler) and 2 players who were projected to go early in the second round (White Jr. and Solometo) across their first 4 picks.

While they had some really good steals in the draft, their biggest could be high school outfielder Braylon Bishop. The Pirates selected Bishop with their 14th round pick. He was projected to go top 100 by MLB Pipeline, yet fell all the way to the Pirates at 403. The Pirates are taking a risk picking Bishop. Though highly talented, Bishop fell so far because of his commitment to the University of Arkansas. But could the Pirates still sign Bishop?

Going into the draft, Bishop has been on scouts’ radars for a while now. He was part of the showcase circuit and committed to Arkansas when he was just 15-years-old. Now 18-years-old and he was one of the best high school outfielders in the draft.

Bishop has elite-level bat speed, something the Pirates like. Though he has been inconsistent and only has a 45-grade hit tool. The power is there though. Already standing at 6’2, 193 pounds, when Bishop makes contact, it’s usually hard contact. His bat needs some work, but he is still very young and has plenty of time to make the fine tunes he needs to hit good pitching.

The lefty hitter was praised for his athleticism and fielding ability. He’s a plus defender with a strong arm, having 55-grades for both. Bishop’s speed is elite, coming in with a 60-grade. Bishop can play anywhere in the outfield, but he’s probably best suited for centerfield given his speed and defensive ability. Plus his bat may not play all that well in a corner.

Currently, the Pirates have about $741 thousand left to spend on their remaining draft picks. Though the Bucs went big on over-slot deals, they also saved a ton on their rounds 5-10 picks. All told, they saved $1,089,500 on those picks. That helped balance out the fact they went $1,464,400 over slot on their first 4 picks.

There’s also a good chance the Pirates still sign Owen Kellington. Kellington was picked in the 4th round and with the 102nd overall pick. Kellington’s slot value is $571,400. If he signed for exactly slot value, the Pirates are left with just under $170K left to sign their remaining draft picks.

Now you can’t completely rule out Bishop. But I don’t think Bishop signs for less than $200K. Though that may only happen if Kellington signs under slot. If the Pirates can get Kellington to sign for $50K-$100K+ under slot, they might just have enough to sign Braylon Bishop.