MLB Pipeline raves over Pirates’ pick as one of the best prep arms ever

The Pittsburgh Pirates decided to take right-hander Seth Hernandez with the sixth overall pick in the draft. Hernandez marks the first high school right-hander the Pirates have taken with their first pick of the draft since Quinn Priester in 2019. According to MLB Pipeline's Jonathan Mayo, Hernandez isn't just good, but an exceptional talent that is rare in the draft.

High school pitching talents rarely go very high in the draft. None have ever been selected first overall, and just nine have been selected second overall. The last was Hunter Greene, taken by the Cincinnati Reds in 2017. Of these nine, one is former Pirates right-hander Jameson Taillon, whom the Bucs took second overall in the 2010 draft.

Hernandez has also earned comparisons to former three-time All-Star, one-time Cy Young finalist, and 2003 World Series MVP Josh Beckett. Beckett and Hernandez were both 6'4", 190-pound pitchers at the time of the draft. According to Mayo, Beckett is considered one of, if not the best, prep right-handers to ever come out of the draft. Even Hernandez has acknowledged the comparison, stating prior to the draft, "Josh Beckett went second overall, so if I were to beat him out, that would be pretty cool."

Mayo also praises Hernandez's pitchability, putting it well above Greene's. Some even have Hernandez well ahead where Greene was. There was far from a non-zero chance that the Washington Nationals took Hernandez to open the proceedings. They instead went with shortstop Eli Willits, with Tyler Bremer, Kade Anderson, Ethan Holliday, and Liam Doyle coming off the board before Hernandez, which could look like a significant mistake down the line.

There's a very good reason why Hernandez is this highly touted. There aren't many high school pitchers who are already topping 100 MPH with above-average control. Combined with the fact that he has an elite changeup, a curveball that can hit 3000 RPM, and an above-average slider, and you can see why some had Hernandez going first overall.

The Pirates landing Hernandez sixth overall is massive for them. This is a pitcher who may already be above Bubba Chandler in terms of prospect rankings. Given how good the Pirates have gotten at developing pitching, Hernandez may potentially be in the major leagues much sooner than you'd expect a high school pitcher to be.