Pittsburgh Pirates Draft: Revisiting Every First-Round Pick Since 2005

As we approach the 2023 MLB Draft, let's look back and see where former Pirate first-round picks ended up

2005 First Round Pick Andrew McCutchen
2005 First Round Pick Andrew McCutchen / Justin K. Aller/GettyImages
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
1 of 18
Next

There's been a ton of buzz and speculation around who the Pittsburgh Pirates will select with the first overall pick in Sunday's MLB Draft. As we approach the draft and anxiously await the selection of the next great Pittsburgh Pirate, let's take a walk down memory lane and see how the careers turned out for the Pirates' first round selections from 2005-2022.

Note: This article will omit compensatory/supplemental picks other than Austin Meadows

2005 (Pick 11) - Andrew McCutchen, OF, Fort Meade High School (FL)

Career Stats/Accolades: 1969 G, .277 BA, 2018 H, 297 HR, 1030 RBI, 214 SB, 48.5 bWAR, 5x ASG, 1x MVP, 4x SS, 1x GG

One of the greatest Pittsburgh Pirates of all time and arguably the best player in the 2005 Draft, Andrew McCutchen has been a fan favorite since his MLB debut in 2009. He leads all 2005 1st Round picks in career Wins Above Replacement (WAR), an all-encompassing metric that determines a player's value. He is the only Pirate to win MVP (2013) since Barry Bonds in 1992.

Cutch returned to Pittsburgh in 2023 after stints with the Giants, Yankees, Phillies, and Brewers from 2018-2022, and will hopefully finish out his career in the black and gold before heading to the Hall of Fame. Prior to hitting the injured list on Friday, Cutch was hitting for a .268/.383/.425 slash line with a 123 wRC+ and a 124 OPS+, his best offensive season since at least 2018.