Pittsburgh Pirates: My Favorite 2023 Draft Picks

The Pittsburgh Pirates 2023 draft class has some names that I like and think are worth highlighting

The Pittsburgh Pirates had yet another opportunity to add some talent to their farm system with the 2023 draft. The Pirates had the number one pick and took one of the most talented players (if not the most talented player) the draft has ever seen, taking Louisiana State University right-hander Paul Skenes. Skenes and the Pirates now hold the all-time signing bonus record, the second time the Pirates have broken the all-time signing bonus record, and the second year in a row they’ve broken a record (Termarr Johnson was the most a fourth overall pick has ever been given).

But one player doesn’t make a draft. While I think Skenes is a great pick, there are definitely other players I like the Pirates took in this year’s draft. Today, I want to highlight some of the picks I think are good for the Pirates. So with that being said, let’s look at our first player.

Zander Mueth

The Pittsburgh Pirates had a competitive balance round B pick (last year, their comp round pick was in round A and took Thomas Harrington). It was the 67th overall pick in the draft, and they took another right-handed pitcher. This time, it was a high schooler in the form of Zander Mueth, who is my favorite non-Skenes draft pick.

Mueth was ranked as one of the better high school pitchers in this year’s draft. Baseball America was very high on him, ranking him as their 56th-best draft prospect. Mueth has a lot of things going for him, including a strong pitch mix as well as some deception with his motion and arm slot.

Mueth typically sits in the low-90s. But he has shown some real velocity in the past, topping out in the mid-90s. His fastball doesn’t only have good velocity but has significant arm-side sink. It’s a pitch with plus potential. Then there’s his low-80s slider. It moves to his glove side and with sweeping-like action. He also throws a change-up with sinking action. It also flashes 60-grade potential because of its late sinking movement.

All three of Mueth’s pitches flash 60-grade potential. Everything plays up because of his arm angle. He has an arm slot that is comparable to Tanner Houck of the Boston Red Sox. The only downside of his game right now is that he lacks good command. But he did just turn 18 about a month ago, and there’s plenty of time for him to iron out his issues with location.

Mueth has the potential to be a good right-handed starting pitcher in the future. This could be a real dominant arm if he can get his command down, even to a fringe-average level. The velocity is already there, and as we’ve seen with a previous high school side-armer (specifically Anthony Solometo), adding another tick or two is well within reach. Mueth certainly has the frame (6’6”, 205 ounds) to become stronger and throw harder. The Pirates were able to sign Mueth for $1.8 million, which was about $700,000 over-slot.

Magdiel Cotto

The Pirates went with a very pitcher-heavy draft for the second year in a row. One of their mid-round picks was yet another college pitcher, this time coming in the form of left-hander Magdiel Cotto. Cotto is an interesting lefty out of the University of Kentucky. The Pirates selected him in the 11th round.

Cotto’s 2023 season had its fair share of positives and negatives. To get the bad news out of the way, he allowed 12 earned runs and walked about 11% of the opponents he faced through 18 innings. The good news is that he struck out a lot of batters. Cotto had a 31.7% strikeout rate, as well as allowing just a single home run, good for an HR/9 rate of 0.5.

While Cotto’s numbers in the SEC were mediocre, he did very well in the Cape Cod League last year. In 27 innings, Cotto owned a 2.67 ERA, 1.33 WHIP, and 2.4 K:BB ratio. Walks were still an issue with a sub-par 10.6% walk rate, but he still carried a healthy 25.7% strikeout rate and allowed just one home run. His HR/9 was even lower at just 0.33.

Cotto certainly has good stuff. He typically works in the mid-90s but can crank it up into the upper-90s. He also throws a tight slider in the mid-80s. Then there’s his change-up, coming in around the mid-upper-80s. While his change-up is his third offering, it does have some tumble to it. Cotto throws from a three-quarters arm slot, but has a whippy motion.

Because of his motion, he has some command issues. That was present throughout college and the Cape. But Cotto is a strongly built, 6’4”, 250 pound left-hander with a good arsenal. Cotto can potentially be a good left-handed reliever in the future.