5 underslot college seniors that should be on the Pittsburgh Pirates’ MLB Draft radar

Eddie Micheletti

Eddie Micheletti was one of Virginia Tech’s best hitters, ranking in the top three in OPS, OBP, and home runs among their hitters with at least 150 plate appearances this season. This was after transferring from George Washington University. Along with producing well with the stick, Micheletti comes with utility at a handful of different positions.

Micheletti put up a .311/.464/.599 triple-slash with a dozen homers in 240 plate appearances. His isolated slugging percentage sat at .288. The left-handed batter drew walks 20% of the time while striking out in less than 15% of his trips to the dish (13.3%). Micheletti is 6’1”, 220, but he can also generate good pop with his quick bat.

Micheletti has some experience in the wood bat Cape Cod League. Last year, he posted a solid .274/.374/.377 line in 171 plate appearances. Although he did not hit for much power, he still drew plenty of walks with a 12.9% BB% while striking out in a minuscule 9.9% of his PAs for the Orleans Firebirds.

Micheletti has experience all over the field. He only played right field this year for Virginia Tech. However, he was utilized as a first baseman at George Washington University. Micheletti also squatted down behind the plate, appearing in 22 games as a catcher in 2021 between his time at GWU and the Appalachian League.

His numbers at the Cape Cod League were very promising. He draws walks at a healthy rate and does not strike out much. If he can carry that patient approach into pro ball while hitting for some pop, he’ll be a good batter. Where he’d play long-term is up for debate, but given his experience between corner outfield, first base, and catcher, there are certainly options for where to play him.

Drew Woodcox

One of Texas Tech’s best batters last year was corner outfielder Drew Woodcox. Woodcox had the best OPS and SLG% and the second-most home runs of any Red Raider. Baseball America and Prospects Live both named Woodcox a top senior in this year’s draft class.

Woodcox finished out his 2024 season batting .321/.403/.642 with 14 dingers. He struck out in 20.3% of his 192 plate appearances and drew walks at a 12% rate. Woodcox hit for a decent amount of pop. Along with over a dozen homers, his isolated slugging percentage was well over .300, clocking in at .321. Prospects Live mentions that Woodcox has a chase rate sitting around just 20% with average contact rates. He was pitched around a lot and was in the bottom 20% in strikes.

Woodcox’s numbers in the Northwoods League, a wood-bat collegiate summer league, add an extremely promising angle to his resumé. Through 186 plate appearances, Woodcox batted .329/.414/.642. Despite using a wood bat, Woodcox hit for good power with ten homers and a .274 isolated slugging percentage. The league average ISO was just .104. The outfielder drew walks at a 12.4% rate with an above-average 17.2% K%.

While Woodcox is a good athlete, he’s a below average runner with fringy arm strength. He has experience between all three outfield spots, but he started his career out as a first baseman. In 2021 and 2022, Woodcox played 28 games at first. Given his lack of great range, he’d likely see more time back at first base as gets into pro ball.

Woodcox is a bat-first prospect, but someone who has already had success in a wood-bat league. That’s going to stand out for teams, as it shows his raw power can play. Woodcox would be a great senior draftee for the Pirates if he continues to make good swing decisions, make contact at an average rate, and show some utility by playing corner outfield and first base.

Hunter Cranton

University of Kansas right-handed reliever Hunter Cranton seems to be the consensus best senior draft prospect. Baseball America has him listed as the best, while Prospects Live also has him as their favorite senior. If Cranton is that good, then the Pirates should definitely have him on their draft radar ,because we all know how much they like taking pitching in the draft.

Cranton struggled in 2023, pitching both out of the rotation and bullpen, but turned in an excellent 2024 as a reliever. He tossed 25 frames, saving seven games while posting a 2.16 ERA, 1.20 WHIP, and 4.22 K:BB ratio. Cranton walked batters at an 8.7% rate while striking them out over a third of the time with a 36.5% K%. He also was not home run prone, only allowing two home runs, resulting in an HR/9 of 0.72.

Cranton has a fastball that can hit 99-100 MPH, consistently sitting in the mid/upper-90s. According to Prospects Live, his fastball sits at 17.5 inches of induced vertical break, and he’s locating it at the top of the zone better. His slider sits in the upper 80s with better movement than last year. Cranton’s arm action is similar to that of Pirates’ relief prospect David Matoma in the way he brings the ball back and up in his delivery.

If a team wanted to, they could move Cranton through the minor leagues with haste and get him into the big leagues as soon as this year. The stuff already plays at a high level. If that’s the case, then maybe the Pirates can find a reliever that can help this year in the draft. 

Chris Cannizzaro

Micheletti isn’t the only senior from Virginia Tech who put up some impressive numbers in his final season. Outfielder Chris Cannizzaro has batted well over .300 throughout his college career while rarely striking out. Although his approach makes his profile risky, you can’t deny that it’s worked so far and could make him an interesting pick-up for the Pirates.

Cannizzaro slashed .346/.414/.626 through 209 plate appearances. Although not known for his huge power, he hit a career-high dozen homers with a .280 isolated slugging percentage this past season. However, the real attraction to Cannizzaro is his ability to make contact at a high rate and rack up a ton of hits.

This is the second year in a row Cannizzaro has batted over .330. His career batting average is .335. He struck out in just 11.5% of his plate appearances and can expand the zone. According to Baseball America, he made contact on fastballs 88% of the time this spring. Unfortunately, this approach leads to a mediocre walk rate. Cannizzaro has a career BB% of just 7.9% and he clocked in at 8.6% this year.

Cannizzaro mostly played left field in college, but has experience in all three outfield positions. His ability to make contact at such a high rate and spray hits all over the field makes him an intriguing fifth-year senior to consider taking. While he may never hit for much power, Cannizzaro gives you the chance to grab an outfielder who can consistently put up a good batting average.