The Pittsburgh Pirates had 3 selections on day 1 of the 2023 Draft. Of course, the most important day is day 1 and the good news is the Pittsburgh Pirates were able to sign their first day selections. In fact, they signed 20 out of the 21 players that they drafted.
Pick 1, $9.72 million slot: Paul Skenes, Pitcher, LSU
The Pittsburgh Pirates gave Paul Skenes a record bonus of about $9.25 million, surpassing Spencer Torkelson's record bonus in 2020 by nearly $800K. Skenes would end up getting the largest bonus out of any player in the Draft which was a surprise as many expected Dylan Crews to surpass the number Skenes received.
Pick 42, $2.05 million slot: Mitch Jebbs, SS, Michigan State
The Pittsburgh Pirates went under slot with their second selection in Big 10 infielder Mitch Jebb. The former Michigan State Spartan received approximately $1.65 million which was about $400K under the slotted amount. Still, he ranked as a top 50 player in the Draft so the Bucs did well here.
Pick 67, $1.13 million slot: Zander Mueth, RHP, Belleville East HS
The biggest over-slot deal that Bucs gave out went to prep pitcher Zander Mueth. The 6'5'' prep arm is already ranked as one of the team's top pitching prospects. FanGraphs ranks him as the team's 15th-best prospect already. Mueth signed for a bonus of about 1.8 million which was about $700k over-slot.