Pittsburgh Pirates: Way Too Early Mock Draft

No. 110 overall – Carson Palmquist

I see the Pirates taking Carson Palmquist in the third round of the draft. The University of Miami southpaw is one of the more interesting arms in the draft. He was Miami’s closer in 2021 where he had a 2.22 ERA, sub-.700 WHIP, and 9.38 K:BB ratio. This year, however, he has moved into their starting rotation.

Palmquist has a 2.95 ERA and 1.188 WHIP through 64 innings of work. He’s still getting a ton of strikeouts with a 34.2% K-rate but has seen his walk rate move in the wrong direction, from 4.8% to 7.4%. Home runs plagued Palmquist last season, and they’ve gotten worse this year. He holds a 1.55 HR/9 compared to 1.21 last season.

Palmquist has a fastball that he can crank up to 96 MPH. Though he tops out around 93 MPH when he comes out of the rotation. His upper-70s slider is an elite-level offering that has late break. Though he has added a change-up this year, experts are still unsure if it will become a usable offering. He lacks solid command of it, and his fastball/slider combo would work great as a reliever.

What makes Palmquist so interesting is his funky delivery. He has drawn Chris Sale comparisons for his low arm slot. Chances are he ends up in the bullpen long term, which limits his value. But he’s an early-round selection who the Bucs could consider. Like with Messick, it gives the Pirates another left-handed college arm, something they could use.