Pittsburgh Pirates Draft: Three College Pitchers to Watch

Hunter Owen

Vanderbilt is one of the most famous baseball schools in the world. Many MLB All-Stars can trace their origins through Vandy, including Pirate All-Star outfielder Bryan Reynolds. The school will once again have multiple early-round players, one of which is a guy the Pirates could have available to them in the second round: left-hander Hunter Owen.

In 57 innings, Owen has a 3.16 ERA, 1.05 WHIP, and 4.19 K:BB ratio. Owen has a solid 0.95 HR/9 rate, but that’s arguably the weakest link in his statistics. He’s only walked 6.9% of the batters he’s faced while striking out 28.9% of opponents. His overall numbers may not be the most overpowering in college sports, but they’re overall very solid.

Owen typically sits 92-95 MPH with his fastball but has been able to crank up the heat when he needs to. While his four-seamer is an above-average offering, both his slider and curveball are arguably better pitches. His changeup tunnels really well with his four-seamer, adding deception to the off-speed offering.

Owen is a sizeable 6-foot-6 and weighs in at 260-LBS with a clean delivery. There have been some questions regarding his durability. He only pitched in 26.2 innings in 2022 and missed some time at the start of the 2023 campaign. This was the first time he was really given a chance to stretch out. He’s definitely a player I would seriously consider taking in the second round if I were in the Pirate war room.

Tanner Hall

Tanner Hall is a pitcher out of the University of Southern Mississippi. Hall has many traits that could make him a high-floor starting pitcher. Although not an overwhelmingly powerful arm, he has consistently shown a strong ability to command his stuff, which helps everything play up.

Hall has a 2.70 ERA, 1.13 WHIP, and 3.03 K:BB ratio in 2023. Hall has shown a strong ability to limit home runs throughout college and is sporting a 0.56 HR/9 rate. The only downside is that Hall’s walk rate and strikeout rate are both down from last season. Hall’s 8.8% walk rate and 26.8% strikeout rate are both solid numbers but a downgrade from the 3.1% walk rate and 32.2% strikeout rate he had in 2022.

Despite a downturn in overall numbers, Hall has still looked really good. The right-hander is not a flamethrower. He sits around 88-92 MPH but can generate a ton of weak contact with his four-seamer. But the real weapon in his arsenal is his change-up. Not only does it have some deception because of his ability to tunnel it so well with his fastball, but it has enough tumble and cut to be a pitch with plus-plus potential. Don’t sleep on his slider either, as it’s the pitch he gets the most swings-and-misses with.

Hall has almost laser-like accuracy when he throws his fastball. He also commands his slider and changeup well. Most sites don’t view him as a proto-typical starting pitching prospect, but you can’t help but be intrigued by his ability to command his stuff and put it where he wants. That could help his stuff play up in the long run and make him a long-term starting pitching project for whichever team drafts him.

Sean Sullivan

Not to be confused with that Sean Sullivan, this Sean Sullivan is a left-hander out of Wake Forest. The Southpaw wrapped up a highly productive season for his college team and is a potential third-round pick, based on current rankings.

Throughout 56.1 innings, Sullivan owned a 2.56 ERA, 0.89 WHIP, and 5.69 K:BB ratio. Sullivan’s peripherals were strong, as he struck out nearly 40% of the batters he faced (39.9% K-rate) with a walk rate of just 7%. Home runs and hit-by-pitches ended up being a weak spot in his stat line, however. A 1.10 HR/9 isn’t great, but still playable nonetheless, but he hit 11 batters. Granted, hit by pitches can greatly fluctuate, so it may have been a fluke.

Sullivan isn’t a hard-throwing pitcher, averaging out around 88-92 MPH while topping out at 95. However, despite his fastball lacking velocity, there are many traits in his game that make it play to a plus level. The first thing is his low release point. Because of his large 6-foot-4 frame, and wide angle, the pitch has outstanding carry, according to MLB Pipeline. He has a five-foot release height, per Baseball America.

His other two offerings are a slider and a change-up. Of the two secondaries, his changeup is the better offering. His primary off-speed pitch sits in the low-80s with fading action. His slider comes in the upper-70s with more sweeping action. Both pitches could be two more offerings that come out to an average level when he’s done developing.

Sullivan is younger than the other pitchers talked about today. He’s only 20 and won’t turn 21 until July 22nd. Although he is younger, he’s definitely a player the Pirates should at least keep on the radar. A good left-hander with some deception and control would be welcomed in any system.