Pittsburgh Pirates: Three High School Pitching Draft Prospects to Watch

The Pittsburgh Pirates will have an early-round selection in this year’s draft. So if they decide to go with a high school pitcher, who might be on their radar?

A last week, we took a look at three college pitchers to watch this year. Although there are plenty of talented college arms in this year’s draft, the most gifted arms are arguably high schoolers. It is rare to see a high school pitcher go early in the draft, as only nine have been selected within the first five picks dating back to the 2010 draft. After all, there is risk surrounding a super young arm. However, that could change this year.

The Pittsburgh Pirates will be going into the draft with the 4th overall selection. They’ve gone with college position players in the last two drafts with their first-round pick. Ben Cherington and his group have picked-up Nick Gonzales and Henry Davis since becoming general manager of the Pirates.

However, with the farm system filled to the brim with talent that we’ll see within the next 1 to 3 years, the Pittsburgh Pirates might take a more youth-focused approach and focus on the long term. This is more than 4-6 years down the road. The last first-round high school arm the Pirates picked was Quinn Priester, who has worked out quite well for the organization.

RHP Dylan Lesko

When we took a look at the best tools entering this year’s draft, Dylan Lesko was praised for the best change-up in the draft. Arguably a top 10 pick, Lesko doesn’t have just an excellent change-up. He also offers a plus-plus four-seam fastball and a well-above-average curveball.

Lesko claimed the Gatorade National Baseball Player of The Year award in 2021, making him the first junior to win that title. This was after he had posted a 0.35 ERA with 112 K’s in just 60 innings of work. MLB Pipeline has him ranked at #9 but states that he could even go top 5 in the draft.

Lesko’s change-up is the best off-speed pitch in this year’s draft. A low-80’s offering, the right-hander, throws his change-up with sideways movement and plenty of depth. To go with that, he throws a fastball that is already reaching 97 MPH and an upper-70’s curveball that is hitting 3000 RPM.

FanGraphs puts Lesko’s current ability on the level of Chris Paddack. However, unlike Paddack, Lesko won’t turn 20-years-old until September 2023. Lesko stands at a strong 6’2″, 190 pounds. By the time he is 21-22-years-old, he’ll likely be hitting 97 MPH regularly instead of topping out around there. Lesko is genuinely a guy I could see the Pirates going with if they decide to go under slot.

RHP Walter Ford

Walter Ford is one of the youngest players in this year’s draft. He just turned 17 back on December 28th and reclassified in order to enter this year’s draft. Ford could end up in the second round of the draft next season to the Pirates as he brings a three-pitch combo with all offerings playing at an average or better level.

Ford’s four-seam fastball already sits in the low-90’s and tops out at 97 MPH. It’s a well above average pitch that could end up in the upper-90’s once he’s done developing. He also throws a low-80’s slider that he uses to get many of his swings and misses on. Although FanGraphs gives him an above-average curveball, MLB Pipeline’s third offering for Ford is a change-up. It’s a pitch he has a feel for but needs to sharpen up. Two things that help his stuff play up just a bit are his athleticism and control. His control stands around average right now, but his athleticism helps him repeat his delivery with ease.

Still, as stated earlier, Ford is the youngest player in this year’s draft, just turning 17 a few months ago. Ford has a very projectable frame, standing at 6’2″, 195 pounds. He’ll definitely add a few pounds of muscle by the time he’s 20-years-old. That should also help him add some velo and durability.

Ford could end up going early in the first round, depending on how much scouts get to see him in spring and summer this year. However, right now, he’d very possibly be available when the Pittsburgh Pirates are on the clock.