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Pittsburgh Pirates: Three LHPs to Watch in the Draft

Jun 20, 2021; Omaha, Nebraska, USA; Texas Longhorns pitcher Pete Hansen (33) pitches in the eighth inning against the Mississippi State Bulldogs at TD Ameritrade Park. Mandatory Credit: Steven Branscombe-USA TODAY Sports
Jun 20, 2021; Omaha, Nebraska, USA; Texas Longhorns pitcher Pete Hansen (33) pitches in the eighth inning against the Mississippi State Bulldogs at TD Ameritrade Park. Mandatory Credit: Steven Branscombe-USA TODAY Sports /
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Pittsburgh Pirates
BOSTON, MA – AUGUST 14: Ben Cherington, general manager of the Boston Red Sox, responds to a question before a game with the Seattle Mariners at Fenway Park on August 14, 2015 in Boston, Massachusetts. John Farrell #53 of the Boston Red Sox will step down to start treatments Stage 1 lymphoma.(Photo by Jim Rogash/Getty Images) /

Although baseball pitchers are throwing harder and faster than ever, there are still some soft-tossers in this year’s draft the Pittsburgh Pirates should keep an eye out for.

It’s no secret that MLB pitchers are throwing harder and faster than ever before. The average fastball velocity sits at 93.5 MPH, tied with 2021 for the fastest league-average fastball. There are presently three pitchers whose fastballs average at least 100 MPH. Heck, it’s not only fastballs too. There are 21 pitchers with a 90+ MPH change-up and four guys whose splitters average 90+ MPH.

However, there are still plenty of guys who throw below the average and are still quality arms. There are some of these guys in this year’s draft, and today, I want to look at some soft-tossers who might be on the Pittsburgh Pirates draft radar. The Pirates have the 4th overall pick but could use some of their later round selections to pick up some pitchers. These guys are never going to be the next Aroldis Chapman, but they use command, deception, and movement to get guys out.

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