The 2022 Draft is a Vital One for the Pittsburgh Pirates

The Pittsburgh Pirates will have a top 5 pick for the 2nd year in a row.  It is vital that the team makes good use of the selection.

The last time the Pittsburgh Pirates had the fourth overall pick was in 2009.  The team, whose General Manager at the time was Neal Huntington, selected Tony Sanchez.  Sanchez was a catcher out of Boston College.  While Sanchez was projected to be a first-round pick, he was not projected as one of the top talents in the Draft let alone a Top 5 prospect.

Sanchez would prove to be not worth the fourth overall selection.  He only appeared in 52 total games with the Pittsburgh Pirates across three seasons.  After leaving the Bucs he did not earn much of an opportunity elsewhere, appearing in only 1 other Big League game as a member of the Braves in 2017.

At the time of the Draft, many said it was a reach for the Pittsburgh Pirates to take Sanchez.  He proved it was with his short career.  He was not very good behind the plate and did not have enough bat to find another position.  The Pittsburgh Pirates cannot afford to have another Tony Sanchez-like pick in the 2022 Draft.

The good news is that things are very different since the 2009 Draft.  The Draft system, more specifically the Draft Bonus system, has been completely overhauled.  Draft prospects do not have as much power in negotiations now that there is a Bonus-Slot system.

A big reason as to why the Bucs took Sanchez was because of finances.  Yes, the Bucs needed to get a catcher into the system, but in Baseball you do not draft for positional need.  The real reason was that the team handed out a record bonus the year before to 2nd overall pick Pedro Alvarez.  The Organization admitted that they had to take a more conservative approach to the 2009 Draft after the expensive 2008 Draft.

Looking at last year’s Draft, this Front Office will take an aggressive approach.  Ben Cherington and staff showed that they will do everything they can to maximize each Draft class.  With the fourth pick in the 2021 Draft, the Boston Red Sox selected Marcelo Mayer, the top prep hitter in the class.

Major League Baseball’s Draft is often unpredictable.  Teams talk to prospects beforehand and work out numbers to ensure their selection at a certain pick.  It is not like the NFL where teams are taking who they think is the best player for them at the said pick.

Whether they end up with the top prospect like Mayer or take another approach of spreading their bonus pool over the first couple picks, the Bucs need to make good use of this Top 5 pick.  Hopefully, this will be the last Top 5 selection they have for a while.  They need to make it count.