Pittsburgh Pirates Draft: Three College Pitchers to Watch

The Pittsburgh Pirates could use some pitching that can climb the farm system quickly, making these three college pitchers one to watch in July's draft

The Pittsburgh Pirates will likely put a focus on pitching in this year’s draft past the first round. The first overall pick should be reserved for Dylan Crews and Crews only (not his teammate Paul Skenes, despite him also being highly talented and maybe the best pitcher the draft has seen in a decade or longer). The Pirate system could definitely use a boost when it comes to pitching that is close to being Major League ready.

That’s not to say that the Pirates have no good pitching prospects. Quinn Priester, Luis Ortiz, Jared Jones, Anthony Solometo, Bubba Chandler, Thomas Harrington, and Jun-Seok Shim are all very talented, and all have the potential to be top 100 prospects if they aren’t already. Don’t forget about ones who have undergone Tommy John surgery, like Mike Burrows or Hunter Barco. But there definitely could be more depth, which is something the Pirates should think about adding in this year’s draft.

Today, I want to highlight some college pitchers the Pirates should have on their radar. I tried to keep this as close to the rankings and based on the Pirates’ draft slots as possible. Of course, rankings are just rankings and not where players are officially landing. Though you can at least get a general idea of who could go in what round based on the rankings.

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.