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

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.

2006 (Pick 4) - Brad Lincoln, RHP, University of Houston

Career Stats/Accolades: 222.1 IP, 4.74 ERA, 1.394 WHIP, 169 K, 9-11 W-L

Brad Lincoln was picked 4th overall in 2006 and made his Major League debut for the Pirates in 2010, getting off to a rocky start in the majors with a 1-4 record and a 6.66 ERA in 52.2 innings in his rookie season. After improving in 2011 and starting off hot in 2012, he was traded to the Blue Jays for Travis Snider, and played two more seasons in Toronto and Philadelphia before he was out of the majors for good by age 28.

2008 (Pick 2) - Pedro Álvarez, 3B, Vanderbilt

Career Stats/Accolades: 910 G, .236 BA, 704 H, 162 HR, 472 RBI, 15 SB, 5.0 bWAR, 1x ASG, 1x SS

The Pirates drafted lefty slugger Pedro Àlvarez in 2008 with the second overall selection, and he made his MLB debut in 2010. In 5 seasons with the Pirates, he hit 104 homers and made the All-Star team in 2013, leading the National League in home runs and winning the Silver Slugger Award in the process.

Many Pirate fans will remember him for batting .385 and hitting 3 home runs in 5 games against the Cardinals in the 2013 NLDS. The big-bat third baseman played 3 seasons in Baltimore after leaving Pittsburgh in 2015.

2009 (Pick 4) - Tony Sanchez, C, Boston College

Career Stats/Accolades: 52 G, .257 BA, 37 H, 4 HR, 18 RBI, 0 SB, 0.1 bWAR

The Pirates selected Boston College's stellar catcher Tony Sanchez with the 4th overall pick in 2009. Sanchez made his debut in 2013 on a stacked Pirates team and played in 51 games with the Pirates over the following three seasons. He bounced around the minors in 2016 and appeared in a single game for the Braves in 2017 before spending 2018 & 2019 in the minor leagues and hasn't appeared in pro baseball since.

2010 (Pick 2) - Jameson Taillon, RHP, The Woodlands High School (TX)

Career Stats/Accolades: 859.1 IP, 4.03 ERA, 1.228 WHIP, 773 K, 54-41 W-L

The Pirates selected of the most highly touted pitching prospects of the last 20 years with the second overall pick in 2010. Jameson Taillon didn't make his MLB debut until 2016, six years after being drafted, due to injuries that caused him to be sidelined from baseball as a whole in 2014 and 2015. In 2017, he missed time with testicular cancer, and in 2018, he played his first full injury-free Major League season.

He played with the Pirates until 2019 when he injured his arm and missed the remainder of that season and the entire 2020 season. He was traded to the New York Yankees in 2021 for Maikol Escotto, Roansy Contreras, Canaan Smith-Njigba, and Miguel Yajure, and played in New York for 2 seasons before signing a four-year deal with the Chicago Cubs this past offseason.

2011 (Pick 1) - Gerrit Cole, RHP, UCLA

Career Stats/Accolades: 1759.2 IP, 3.21 ERA, 1.102 WHIP, 2048 K, 138-73 W-L, 5x ASG, 1x ERA Leader

The Pirates used their number one overall pick in 2011 on what has become one of the best pitchers in baseball today. Gerrit Cole made his Major League debut in 2013 after just a season and a half in the minors and took the MLB by storm, posting a 3.22 ERA with 100 strikeouts in 19 games as a rookie. He played for the Pirates (and made the All-Star Game in 2015) until being traded to the Houston Astros in 2018 for Michael Feliz, Jason Martin, Colin Moran, and Joe Musgrove.

He made two All-Star Games with the Astros before signing a nine-year, $324 million deal with the New York Yankees in 2019. In his four seasons in New York, he has 712 strikeouts in 564.2 innings and a 3.19 ERA. Cole looks to be on his way to the Hall of Fame if he can continue his dominance in the Majors.

2012 (Pick 8) - Mark Appel, RHP, Stanford

Career Stats/Accolades: 10.1 IP, 1.74 ERA, 1.161 WHIP, 5 K, 0-0 W-L

One year after drafting one of the best pitchers of this generation, the Pirates drafted a player that is considered to be one of the biggest busts in MLB history. Mark Appel's baseball career has been tumultuous to say the least. After declining to sign with the Pirates in 2012, Appel was taken with the first overall pick in 2013 by the Houston Astros.

He played an injury-riddled five seasons in the minors (and was traded to the Phillies in 2015) before stepping away from baseball in 2018. In 2021, he came back to the game, playing a season and a half in the minors before being called up and making his Major League debut for the Phillies in 2022, 10 years after being drafted by the Pirates.

He played well as a reliever for six games in the Majors in 2022, but was released by the Phillies following a poor Spring Training in 2023. He has been optimistic about his journey, and is by all accounts a great guy who just hasn't found his way in the Majors.

2013 (Picks 9 & 14) - Austin Meadows, CF, Grayson High School (GA) & Reese McGuire, C, Kentwood High School (WA)

Career Stats/Accolades (Meadows): 417 G, .259 BA, 390 H, 70 HR, 238 RBI, 23 SB, 6.4 bWAR, 1x ASG

Career Stats/Accolades (McGuire): 270 G, .258 BA, 186 H, 12 HR, 59 RBI, 2 SB, 1.7 bWAR

The Pirates received a compensatory pick in 2013 because of their inability to sign Mark Appel in 2012. That pick, ninth overall, became Austin Meadows, and their thirteenth overall pick was used on Reese McGuire. Meadows made his debut for the Pirates in 2018, and was traded mid-season with Tyler Glasnow and a player to be named later to the Tampa Bay Rays for Chris Archer.

Meadows made an All-Star game in 2019 with the Rays, and was traded by Tampa to the Detroit Tigers in 2022, where he still plays in 2023. Reese McGuire was traded by the Pirates with Francisco Liriano and Harold Ramírez to the Toronto Blue Jays for Drew Hutchinson in 2016. He made his MLB Debut in 2018 and played in Toronto for four seasons before being traded to the Chicago White Sox. After one season in Chicago, McGuire was traded to the Boston Red Sox, where he still plays in 2023.

Career Stats/Accolades: 154 G, .211 BA, 92 H, 5 HR, 35 RBI, 4 SB, -2.1 bWAR

Cole Tucker made his MLB debut with the Pirates in 2019 after about five and a half seasons in the minor leagues. He hasn't become an everyday starter in the Majors to this point in his career, with only 154 games played in the MLB in four seasons. In 2022, he was selected by the Arizona Diamondbacks off waivers, and later became a free agent, signing with the Colorado Rockies, where he has played for their Triple-A affiliate for all of the 2023 season.

2015 (Pick 19) - Kevin Newman, SS, University of Arizona

Career Stats/Accolades: 494 G, .260 BA, 453 H, 23 HR, 170 RBI, 37 SB, 2.4 bWAR

Kevin Newman made his MLB debut in 2018 for the Pirates after spending almost four seasons in the minor leagues. He spent five seasons in Pittsburgh, with his best years coming in 2019 (.308 BA in 493 ABs) and 2021. He was traded after the 2022 season to the Cincinnati Reds for Dauri Moreta, and is currently in the Reds everyday lineup.

2016 (Pick 22) - Will Craig, 3B, Wake Forest

Career Stats/Accolades: 20 G, .203 BA, 13 H, 1 HR, 170 RBI, 0 SB, -0.7 bWAR

Will Craig was selected 22nd overall in the 2016 MLB Draft and made his Major League debut in 2020, playing two games in the Majors for the Pirates. In 2021, he played 18 games in Pittsburgh and 33 games in the minors before being released in July of that year.

Craig quickly signed to play in the South Korean KBO League, where he played decent ball but wasn't re-signed by the Kiwoom Heroes. In 2022, he returned to his alma mater as a student assistant coach for the baseball team.

2017 (Pick 12) - Shane Baz, RHP, Concordia Lutheran High School (TX)

Career Stats/Accolades: 40.1 IP, 4.02 ERA, 1.116 WHIP, 48 K, 3-2 W-L

Shane Baz's young career has been injury riddled, but when he's healthy, he's a fairly decent pitcher. The Pirates traded then-minor-leaguer Baz to the Tampa Bay Rays as a player to be named later in the aforementioned 2018 Meadows/Archer deal. Baz made his MLB debut for the Rays in 2021, and will not play in 2023 after having Tommy John surgery in September of 2022.

2018 (Pick 10) - Travis Swaggerty, OF, University of South Alabama

Career Stats/Accolades: 5 G, .111 BA, 1 H, 0 HR, 0 RBI, 0 SB, -0.2 bWAR

Travis Swaggerty made his Pirates debut in 2022 after three and a half minor league seasons. In his five Major League games, he didn't exactly impress, but his opportunities were limited. In 2023, he's back in the minor leagues continuing to develop and is hoping to have a chance to join the Pirates lineup again by the end of the season.

2019 (Pick 18) - Quinn Priester, RHP, Cary-Grove High School (IL)

Career Stats/Accolades: Has not pitched in MLB

2018 First Round pick Quinn Priester hasn't yet pitched in the Major Leagues, but there's buzz around Pittsburgh that he may be called up soon to show what he's got. He has been decent in the minors, so hopefully this exciting young prospect can make a splash in the MLB.

2020 (Pick 7) - Nick Gonzales, SS, New Mexico State

Career Stats/Accolades: 14 G, .304 BA, 14 H, 2 HR, 11 RBI, 0 SB, 0.3 bWAR

2020 7th overall pick Nick Gonzales has made quite an impact since his call-up on June 23rd. He has adjusted very well to big league ball in his limited stint, and fans are excited to see what he can bring to this franchise down the line.

2021 (Pick 1) - Henry Davis, C/RF, Louisville

Career Stats/Accolades: 18 G, .258 BA, 17 H, 1 HR, 7 RBI, 2 SB, 0.0 bWAR

The highly touted Louisville prospect Henry Davis was taken with the first overall selection in the 2021 MLB Draft by the Pirates. It didn't take him long in the minor leagues before he made his MLB debut on June 19th.

Pirate fans have been impressed with his tenacity, passion for the game, and incredible plate discipline thus far, and we all want to see him play more at the catcher position as the season continues.

2022 (Pick 4) - Termarr Johnson, SS, Mays High School (GA)

Career Stats/Accolades: Has not played in the MLB

Time will tell whether or not Termarr Johnson will pan out in the Major Leagues, but as of right now, the future looks bright for the 19-year-old Atlanta native. In 249 plate appearances at Low-A this season Johnson owns a strong .227/.391/.387 slash line with a 122 wRC+.

Looking back on the last 18 drafts, there have been some big hits, big misses, and some average players who have had respectable careers. As we approach the 2023 MLB Draft, where the Pirates hold the first overall selection, it will be intriguing to see who fans can look forward to watching in the future. If you'd like to read about the top three prospects in the 2023 Draft, I wrote an article breaking them down here.