Pittsburgh Pirates Draft: Potential Selections at Pick #4

Kevin Parada, Catcher, Georgia Tech

Parada is the name to watch right now for the Pittsburgh Pirates.  This Front Office has made it known that they prefer college players early in the Draft.  In fact, this dates back to when Ben Cherington and Steven Sanders were in Toronto.  Parada would make it three straight college hitters selected by the Pittsburgh Pirates in the first round.

Parada is a catcher, but his bat is what makes him a top prospect.  The general belief is that Parada will be moved out from behind the plate, so you really are drafting the bat.  Parada’s bat is what made him a Top 50 prospect in the 2020 Draft and he has done nothing but improve upon his stock since.

For the 2022 season, Parada has played in a career-high 60 games.  He is batting .361/.453/.709 which gives him an OPS of nearly 1.200.  The power is what has really taken a step forward for Parada.  This year Parada has hit 26 home runs which gives him the 6th most in the 2022 NCAA Season.

If Ben Cherington and Steve Sanders continue using their Draft philosophy then Parada is likely the pick.  He is a Draft-eligible sophomore so he could hold some leverage in negotiations.  However, it would be very risky for him to pass up a chance at being a top 5 draft pick.  Outside of Cal Poly shortstop Brooks Lee, Parada is the best college hitter in the Draft and would be a great addition.

Elijah Green, Outfielder, IMG Academy

Elijah Green has been the most connected name to the Pittsburgh Pirates dating back to last year’s Draft.  Green, who was in Denver on Draft night, was seen mingling with people from the Pittsburgh Pirates.  This makes sense for obvious baseball reasons, but also he is the son of former Pittsburgh Steeler Eric Green.  In fact, Jason Mackey actually talked to Elijah and Eric after last year’s Draft and both made it very apparent that they would love for the Bucs to Draft the young outfielder.

Green was considered to be the #1 player on the 2022 Draft board and was originally the only player given a 50 FV by FanGraphs on their Draft Board.  Of course, just like Kumar Rocker, Green had nowhere to move but down on these early lists.  Since last year’s draft Green has moved out of the consensus #1 spot but still is viewed as one of the best prospects available.  The reason is that he still has real 5 tool potential which gives him a very high ceiling.

This is good news for the Pittsburgh Pirates if this is the player they want at pick #4.  Green has all the physical tools, he is 6’3” and weighs around 225 pounds.  It is rare to find prep players have that kind of build right out of high school.  Of course, being his father played in the NFL it should come as no surprise that Elijah has that kind of build and athleticism.

The biggest question for Green is whether or not he will be able to stay in center field long-term, or if he will need to be moved to a corner spot.  With such a big frame already there is a chance that Green could fill out even more. This is one of the main reasons that Green has slipped behind some of the infielders on Draft Boards. Green is committed to player college baseball for the Miami Hurricanes.

Termarr Johnson, Second Baseman, Mays High School (GA)

At this time last year, Elijah Green was the only prospect on FanGraphs’ Draft Board to have a 50 Future Value next to their name.  Since then, things have changed in the rankings and as I said earlier Green moved down the board some and lost his 50 FV.  Termarr Johnson is now the only player to have a 50 FV on FanGraphs’s 2022 Draft Board.

So why would Johnson be available at pick #4 if he is considered to be the best prospect in the Draft? Well, Johnson is listed as a second baseman which immediately affects his value.  If Johnson was a shortstop then he would likely be right there with Druw Jones as the potential number 1 overall pick.  That is not the case, like Elijah Green, Johnson’s future is all about the bat with the assumption he will not play a premium defensive position.

Johnson is considered to have the best “Hit” tool in the Draft.  MLB Pipeline gives him a 70 Grade for his hit tool.  Most players with plus tools see 60 grades. The fact that Johnson has a 70 grade really shows how elite he could be at the plate.  Again, Johnson’s value lies in his bat so the Pittsburgh Pirates would need to be sure that his hit tool is for real if they were to take him.  Johnson is currently committed to Arizona State, but being a potential Top 5 pick will likely do away with that commitment.

Of the three players we looked at, it is hard to decide which would be the best pick for the Pittsburgh Pirates.  On one hand Green and Johnson have so much raw talent and potential tools.  On the other hand, Parada is coming out of the college ranks and is much closer to being MLB-ready.

The common theme that the three share is that they all have highly rated hit tools.  The rumor is that the Pittsburgh Pirates are looking to get a bat with their pick at #4.  Any of these three players would definitely make those rumors into reality.

If Ben Cherington and Steve Sanders continue to Draft the way they have then the team will likely be looking at a college bat at #4. Hopefully, this would mean Parada assuming that he would be on the board.  With that being said, the hit tool of Johnson or the projectability of Green may be hard to pass on.

After using the team’s last two first-round picks on college hitters,  the Front Office could take a chance on an upside prep player. If the Front Office decides to stick to their model then it will be a college player.  Also, after last year’s successful Draft, the Bucs will likely try and be aggressive with their later selections as well.  This should be the case considering they have the fourth-largest Draft Bonus pool.  So the first pick may also depend on which of those players is most willing to take the bonus that will allow the team to sign top prospects later.