3 recent Pirates draft steals that should have fans fired up for 2025 MLB Draft

North Carolina v Clemson
North Carolina v Clemson | Eakin Howard/GettyImages

The MLB Draft is approaching quickly, and the Pirates need to continue to hit on their draft picks to save the organization. Pittsburgh obviously cannot rely on free agent spending or landing franchise-flipping returns in every trade, so the draft has become extremely important to their process.

Justin Horowitz was hired after the 2023 season as the director of amateur scouting. He was in charge of overseeing the draft strategy in 2024, and that has appeared to be an early success. Konnor Griffin is already the top prospect in baseball after not getting selected until the ninth pick. There are multiple under-the-radar prospects they landed in that particular draft, too, which has left fans excited for Round 2 in 2025.

These three recent Pirates draft steals are why the fanbase should be pumped for the 2025 MLB Draft.

Will Taylor

Will Taylor was the fifth-round selection in last year's draft and has quickly found himself in High-A. He got off to a strong start in Bradenton this season and has spent his last 22 games in Greensboro. Taylor has slowed down since his promotion, but has still put together a solid season so far.

Taylor has generated an OPS of .849 with five home runs and 10 stolen bases. His wRC+ sits at 100, along with a strikeout rate of 24.4% and a walk clip of 11.7%. This organization really lacks outfield prospects, and securing someone who could crack the Pirates top 30 next season was a great pickup.

Connor Wietgrefe

Connor Wietgrefe is a southpaw who was selected in the seventh round in 2024. He has gotten off to a solid start in his professional career, too, playing in Greensboro as one of their starting pitchers. He brings a solid four-pitch mix to the table with great command.

So far this season, Wietgrefe has posted a 4.12 ERA with a 4.18 FIP and a 7.93 K/9. He has limited the walks, generating an impressive 2.59 BB/9, and has limited hitters to a batting average of .209. This organization lacks left-handed pitchers, and securing him in the seventh round has already looked like a great pickup.

Ian Farrow

Lastly is Ian Farrow, the JUCO pick from the 14th round. The outfielder has shown solid hit tools in Bradenton and power upside. Not a lot was known about this under-the-radar name after he fell all the way into the later rounds, yet he is looking like a sneaky pickup.

So far in Bradenton, Farrow has generated a 160 wRC+ with an OPS of .960 and five home runs. He definitely is showing room for improvement, with a high 30.3% strikeout rate; dropping that mark would pair well with his walk rate of 12.1%. Farrow represents another unknown outfielder the Pirates picked up in the draft who is off to a great start to his career.

These under-the-radar picks should really get fans excited about what this draft braintrust can do this year. They have done well at finding talent away from the top rounds. This draft is very crucial to the organization, and if they can repeat it with more sneaky picks on Monday, this farm system can really take off.