Pittsburgh Pirates: Less than a Month Until the 2023 Draft

The Pittsburgh Pirates have a chance to have another really exciting Draft class.

The only other pick to keep in mind is the Competitive Balance B pick which is at #67 overall. The Bucs get this extra pick every year as do the 10 smallest market and revenue teams due. This not only gives them a chance to acquire a high-end prospect but also gives them a bigger bonus pool to use during the Draft.

The Pittsburgh Pirates have the largest amount to spend, with their bonus being just over $16 million. The next closest is the Detroit Tigers who are about $400,000 less than the Bucs. This gives the team a lot of options and flexibility to grab higher upside prospects late in the Draft.

Even with the reputation that Dylan Crews has coming into the Draft, there are still precedents. No top pick has ever signed for more than slot value at pick #1. In fact, in the last six drafts, there has only been 1 player to receive full-slot at pick #1. The other five #1 overall selections all signed for under slot. So that should not be much of a concern and there really has not been a concern for teams in previous years.

Yes, the Pittsburgh Pirates took a different route in the 2021 Draft. They saved money on the top pick to use toward other valuable prospects later in the Draft. They still got Henry Davis who is a consensus Top 10 catching prospect in all of Baseball. The 2023 Draft Class is a little different, there are clear-cut talents who will likely go off the board without any bonus games being played.