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

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.