3 college outfielders the Pittsburgh Pirates should keep on their draft radar

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The Pittsburgh Pirates need some position player talent in the system. Overall, they have very few position players who could be up within the next 1-3 years and have the potential to make a significant impact. The weakest position is arguably any of the outfield spots, as they only have one truly good outfielder right now: No. 11 prospect Lonnie White Jr. Others, like Shalin Polanco and Estuar Suero, have talent but are also very young, especially Suero.

The Pirates could get someone in this year’s draft that they could potentially move through the minor leagues quickly and make a noteworthy impact at the major league level by taking a college outfielder. So, who should they consider as one of their draft picks in 2024?

Mike Sirota

One outfielder who could still be available when the Pirates are on the clock for their competitive balance-round pick is Mike Sirota. The outfielder out of Northeastern University was selected by the LA Dodgers in 2021 when he was still a high schooler, but he would not sign. Now, he’s one of the best outfielders in the 2024 draft class.

Sirota started off the 2024 season on the wrong foot but has heated up and is doing well now. Through 247 plate appearances, Sirota owns a .298/.473/.513 triple-slash. He has hit for some power and has a .215 isolated slugging percentage, but he has also been a threat on the basepaths and has 19 stolen bases in 23 attempts. Sirota has walked (23%) much more often than he’s stuck out (18.8%) as well.

One extremely promising thing about Sirota’s amateur career is his numbers at the Cape Cod league, one of the most competitive wood bat summer leagues in the US. Sirota has stepped to the plate 144 times in the Cape Cod League while batting .312/.465/.477. While he hasn’t hit for as much power compared to his time with Northeastern, he has still only struck out 22.9% of the time with a healthy 18.8% walk rate.

Sirota projects similarly to former All-Star outfielder A.J. Pollock. He does everything well but doesn’t have any elite tools on his belt. Everything projects as a 55. He’s someone who could hit .270 in the future with a few 20/20 seasons and solid defense in center field. Sirota has a chance to still be available when the Pirates are selecting at No. 37.

Dylan Dreiling

Another hitter who could go within the first few rounds of this year’s draft is University of Tennessee outfielder Dylan Dreiling, who is in the midst of an outstanding sophomore season. He would add a much-needed bat to the organization as well, even if he’s not the best defender.

Dreiling is slashing .317/.439/.673 through 221 plate appearances. He’s hit for a good amount of pop this year with 16 doubles and 17 homers, leading to a .356 isolated slugging percentage. He's drawn a good amount of walks with a 17.2% BB%. Meanwhile, his strikeout rate clocks in at a solid 21.3% rate.

Drafting Dreiling means you’re buying into the bat. He has displayed a good ability to draw walks and make consistent contact to all fields. He can also make some loud contact, which gives him the potential for average or better power, and can manage the strikeouts to an average degree. That gives him the potential to be an above-average hitter in the future.

But Dreiling isn’t much of a fielder. He has mostly manned left field this year, where he’s looked good but not great. He’s an above-average runner but doesn’t have the instincts for center, nor does he have the arm to play right field. However, Dreiling could remain in the outfield grass in left, but don’t rule out a move to first base, either.

Dreiling is ranked as a consensus top 100 draft prospect. He’s a decent hitter, and while he might not be the best defender in the draft, grabbing a good bat to put into the system is something the Pirates could use. If he can remain at least an average defensive outfielder, he’d be worth taking sometime early in the draft.

Will Taylor

Will Taylor originally attended Clemson University as a two-sport athlete, playing both baseball and football. He and Bubba Chandler were supposed to be teammates. But Taylor dropped the gridiron to focus on baseball after 2023. The move has seemed to help him out, however, as his talent has been on full display.

He's been slowed by injuries this year, but he is still slashing a strong .230/.465/.480 through 145 plate appearances. He already has seven home runs with a .250 isolated slugging percentage and has walked in nearly a quarter of his plate appearances with a 22.8% BB% while only striking out 17.9% of the time. He’s a good runner and has been successful in six of seven stolen base attempts.

I wouldn’t be too worried about the low batting average. Taylor is walking more often than he’s striking out, and his batting average on balls in play of just .239 indicates some bad batted ball luck. It’s been less than 150 plate appearances, so with time, I would expect this to increase. After all, he batted .362 with a .460 BABIP.

Taylor isn’t considered a big power hitter. According to Baseball America, his pop projects as fringe average, but he does hit the gaps with authority. He can occasionally be fooled by off-speed stuff, though, so this is something he will need to sharpen up as he enters pro ball. Taylor is a plus runner with a great glove. He should be able to stick up the middle, but he has a strong enough arm to move to a corner if he is required to.

Taylor has a feel for contact with great fielding prowess and speed. He has missed a good chunk of 2024 due to a fractured wrist, which might be enough for him to slide into the third or fourth round. He is still a bit of a raw talent, but one of the better outfielders in this year’s draft.

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