Pittsburgh Pirates: Three Names to Watch With the 34th Overall Pick

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Jun 30, 2021; Omaha, Nebraska, USA; Vanderbilt Commodores pitcher Kumar Rocker (80) throws a pitch against the Mississippi State Bulldogs in the first inning at TD Ameritrade Park. Mandatory Credit: Bruce Thorson-USA TODAY Sports /

The Pittsburgh Pirates have the 34th overall pick in the draft in the form of a competitive balance pick, so who could they select at this slot?

In this year’s draft, the Pittsburgh Pirates will have the 34th overall pick as a competitive balance pick, and they’ll have this along with their no. 4 overall pick. The last time they had a competitive balance pick was in 2020, the 31st overall selection, which they used to pick up Carmen Mlodzinski.

Given that they’ll have two very early picks, the Pirates will likely be able to find a late first-round guy fall to them at no. 34. Previously, we took a look at how they could use this pick, using it as a more traditional way, an over slot or under slot pick. Given the talent in this year’s draft, who could we see the Pittsburgh Pirates take at this slot?

Right-Handed Pitcher Kumar Rocker

Kumar Rocker was one of the best pitchers going into last year’s draft. The then-Vanderbilt right-hander was coming off a season where he had a 2.73 ERA and 0.93 WHIP through 122 innings of work. Rocker had posted an impressive 36.5% with a walk rate of just 8.0%. He didn’t give up many home runs either, with a 0.59 HR/9.

Rocker was initially drafted by the New York Mets, who had the 10th overall pick. Many saw this as a great pick at the time because, at one point, he was arguably a top 3 pick. Rocker fell to 10 because there were questions about his velocity. He had massive fluctuations throughout the season, which led to the Mets questioning his health, and the deal they had in place falling through.

When he’s healthy, Rocker has a four-seam fastball that comes in around 93-95 MPH. He has shown the ability to crank the velo up when he needs to, topping out at 99 MPH. However, nearing the end of last college season, Rocker was only around the 91-93 MPH range. Rocker still has arguably the best slider in this year’s draft. It has a mid-80s velocity with wipeout movement. He also added a plus curveball to his repertoire, which comes in the low-80s and a solid sinking changeup.

Now Rocker already has his fair amount of mileage on his arm. He logged 236.2 innings at Vanderbilt. It’s also been speculated that he’ll take his talents to the independent leagues. If he can prove that he’s healthy, he’d be an excellent pick at no. 34. Rocker is already 22-years-old, so he’d likely move up the organization quickly.

Arkansas infielder Cayden Wallace (7) takes a throw and tags out Vanderbilt base runner Enrique Bradfield Jr. (51) who was attempting to steal third during the SEC Tournament Thursday, May 27, 2021, in the Hoover Met in Hoover, Alabama. [Staff Photo/Gary Cosby Jr.]Sec Tournament Vanderbilt Vs Arkansas /

Infielder/Outfielder Cayden Wallace

Cayden Wallace is one of the better power-hitting prospects going into this year’s draft. The University of Arkansas product has been a quality bat. He’s been moved around the field, but the outfielder is likely his long-term position.

So far at Arkansas, Wallace has batted .280/.370/.494 with a .379 wOBA. Wallace has shown off his power with 17 home runs in only 370 plate appearances and a .214 isolated slugging percentage. With his raw power, he should only see his power output increase. Wallace has decent plate patience with an 11.1% ground ball rate. But his hit tool is a bit questionable. Both MLB Pipeline and FanGraphs only project it as a 45-grade weapon. He’s struck out 20% of the time, which isn’t awful, but not great.

Wallace has split his time between third base and corner outfield, but most see him moving to right and left field long term. He’s a good defensive outfielder with sneaky speed. His arm also plays in both outfield corners and third base well. It’s a plus-plus tool that he can use to make the deep throws from the hot corner or gun a runner out at a base.

Wallace is a potential under slot pick at #34. He could be on the Pirates’ radar, especially if they have the opportunity to draft either Druw Jones or Temarr Johnson. He brings power to two positions.

Right-Handed Pitcher Peyton Pallette

There are usually one or two high-end starting pitching prospects in the draft who fall to the end of the first round or at the start of the second round because of injuries. Last year, that was Jaden Hill. Hill was on the level of both Rocker and Jack Leiter, but after undergoing Tommy John surgery at the start of the 2021 season, Hill fell to the Colorado Rockies with the 44th overall pick. This year’s Jaden Hill (per se) is right-hander Peyton Pallette.

Pallette is teammates with Cayden Wallace at Arkansas. He’s only pitched 61.2 innings with an unimpressive 3.79 ERA but has given up just three home runs, a 25.9% strikeout rate, and an 8.5% walk rate. His peripherals don’t fully reflect his ERA, nor his talent.

MLB Pipeline draws comparisons to Walker Buehler because of a similar build (6’1, 180 LBS, only an inch shorter and 5 pounds lighter) and quality offerings. Palette has a four-seam fastball that averages around the mid-90s but can reach back and hit 99 MPH. His curveball is arguably the best curve in the draft, an upper-70’s-to-low-80’s pitch with high spin. He’s mainly used his change-up against left-handers, an offering that hits the upper-80s with sink. FanGraphs also grades out a well above-average slider.

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Pallette was a projected top 10 pick before undergoing Tommy John surgery. Because of his injury, he’s ranked among the top 30-35 top prospects available in the draft. Picking Pallette would likely be close to a slot-value pick. His price will be brought down because of his injury, but his talent was up there among the top prospects in the draft.

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The Pittsburgh Pirates have the 34th overall pick in the draft in the form of a competitive balance pick, so who could they select at this slot?

Right-Handed Pitcher Kumar Rocker

Infielder/Outfielder Cayden Wallace

Right-Handed Pitcher Peyton Pallette

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