Pittsburgh Pirates 2022 Mock Draft 1.0: Projecting a College Bat

Pittsburgh Pirates Pirates #36 Overall Selection

Walter Ford, Pitcher, Pace High School (FL)

Ford is a very interesting prospect who checks a lot of boxes for the Pittsburgh Pirates.  First off, he will only be just turning 18 this year, making him one of the younger prospects projected in the Top 100.  He was supposed to be a part of the 2023 Draft Class, but he reclassified for this year’s Draft.  This could show that he is motivated to get his career started.

As a pitcher, he has a lot of characteristics that resemble 2021 Draft pick Anthony Solometo.  No, he is not a left-handed pitcher, Ford is a righty.  He is built similar to Solometo as Ford stands at 6’3” and weighs 175 pounds.  He is described to be tall and lanky with loose arm action making easy velocity.  Again, a lot of the same things were said about Solometo last year.

Ford is a prep pitcher who is committed to the University of Alabama.  Obviously, players want to play in the SEC and it can sometimes be hard to sign these prospects who are committed to those types of schools.  Still, that is somewhat of the point in the Pittsburgh Pirates selecting Lee with the first pick.

Lee, who is mainly ranked in the 5-10 range and is coming from college, will not have a ton of negotiating leverage.  The Bucs will likely be able to save a chunk of change from his bonus to help convince a player like Ford from going to college.  We saw the team do it last year and hopefully, they can have a similar approach this year.