Back in the 2024 draft, the Pittsburgh Pirates selected Brian Curley out of VCU in the 16th round, but he was the only player in the entire class the organization failed to sign. Curley decided to go back to college, transferred to Georgia, and, well ... just became a third-round pick by the Arizona Diamondbacks. That'll close the books on that chapter, and Curley comes out looking fantastic.
The Pirates were able to see the talent Curley brought in 2024, but after waiting until the 16th round to select him, they didn't have a big signing bonus available to sway him away from another year of college, leading him to transfer to the SEC. That was evidently the best decision he could have made, as his stock went high enough to be taken 13 rounds earlier than last year.
When Pittsburgh drafted him, his fastball sat between 93-96 while competing in the Atlantic-10 Conference. Once he got to the Southeastern Conference with Georgia, his velocity shot up even higher, sitting 96-98 - with even some 100s that produced lots of movement. He got called the right-handed Nestor Cortes for his funky pauses on the mound.
If Nestor Cortes threw 100 mph...
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) February 18, 2025
He'd be Brian Curley from UGA. 😳 @briancurley42
97 mph with 22" of IVB
99 mph with 21" of IVB
100 mph with 20" of IVB pic.twitter.com/6kLSzyf6CP
Sneaking Curley into the 2024 draft class would have done wonders in this pitching lab the Pirates have created. If they would have been able to sign him, he would have shot through the organization and possibly would have joined the team's top 30 prospects, given his upside.
Diamondbacks take Brian Curley early, the only player the Pirates failed to sign in their 2024 draft class.
It is very clear that the Pirates are strong at analyzing pitching talent. They saw something in Curley before he really began to take off with Georgia. Pittsburgh has built such a deep pitching pipeline throughout every level in their organization, and all the credit goes to their scouting team.
In fact, their top 30 is full of pitchers throughout all levels, especially in Triple-A. Everyone up there is knocking on the door of making the big leagues and has really developed top-of-the-line stuff. Curley would have been just another name to add to that mix, but the Pirates were unable to sign him.
The Diamondbacks definitely got a good one in Curley. He has great stuff, especially a great fastball that will play in professional baseball. The Pirates' initial read on him indicated that he has a lot of upside, and if they'd been able to land him, their pitching pipeline would have been even deeper.