Pittsburgh Pirates Draft: Six Potential Later Round Picks

Amani Larry

Amani Larry posted some eye-popping numbers at the University of New Orleans in 2022. He batted .370 with an OPS of 1.055 while walking (32) more often than striking out (29). The icing on the cake was his 16 stolen bases. However, many were unsure of the numbers. While they were impressive, he didn't face higher-end competition like he would the following year in 2023. Larry then transferred to Mississippi State in the SEC and has continued to be a highly productive hitter.

Across 230 plate appearances, Larry has slashed .297/.451/.512. The infielder's plate discipline has only gotten better, despite the step forward against better competition. Larry has walked in a whopping 14.8% of his plate appearances while having a strikeout rate of 11.3%. His power hasn't gone up significantly, mostly maintaining where he was in 2022. His ISO clocked in at .208 with New Orleans and .215 with Mississippi. He's also swiped 19 bases with a success rate of 90.5%, a 14.3% uptick from 2022.

Larry makes a lot of contact. In his post-college amateur career, he's struck out more often than he's walked with just one team, that being in the Northwoods League in 2022. Even then, he had a strong 13:14 BB:K ratio in 106 plate appearances. Larry isn't much of a home run hitter. His 16 home runs throughout 488 college plate appearances are respectable, but he's driven the gap to hustle out a double 29 times.

Larry has mostly taken up the keystone in his amateur career. However, he has a couple of games sprinkled in at shortstop and third base. Whichever team drafts him might be inclined to give him some reps at shortstop to see if he can handle the position, even semi-regularly.