Reevaluating Ben Cherington's first Pirates draft four years later

Second-Round Pick: Jared Jones

In the second round, the Pirates went with an 18-year-old right-handed pitcher from California. That pitcher is Jared Jones, the Pirates' standout rookie. Before Jones was a star in the Pirates rotation, he was a prospect in the Pirates farm system. He did not perform consistently well in his minor-league career, but he really took the next step for the 2024 season.

In his minor-league tenure, Jones posted a 4.31 earned run average with a WHIP of 1.33 and struck out 391 batters. Opponents batted .238 against him, but his control was consistently shaky. He did dominate with the Altoona Curve in 2023, but after promotion to Indianapolis, he lost things. That led to his run at 2024's spring training, where he did not allow a single earned run and earned himself a spot in the rotation.

Since joining the Pirates' rotation, Jones has emerged as one of the best rookie pitchers in all of baseball. He has a 5-6 record with an earned run average of 3.56 in 91 innings pitched and has struck out 98 batters. Opponents are batting just .220 against him, to go along with a 1.11 WHIP.

Jones is still just 22 and is already at the top of the league as a rookie. He is also the final player in Cherington's first Pirates draft class to make the big league roster ... so far.

Third-Round Pick: Nick Garcia

In the third round, the Pirates took an elite closer from a Division III college named Nick Garcia. He was an exciting story, but he did not have a very long career with the Pirates, as he was traded to the Rockies in 2022 in exchange for Connor Joe.

With the Pirates, Garcia was transitioned into a starting pitcher and struggled in his first year, but did solidly in his second. He went 4-4 with an earned run average of 3.66 in 113 innings pitched and struck out 109 batters. His WHIP sat at 1.20 with an opponents' batting average of .218. After that solid season, he was sent to Colorado's minor leagues, but after a year, he found himself in the Giants' farm.

Garcia is currently in Triple-A with a 5.74 earned run average in 15.2 innings pitched and has a WHIP of 1.91. He lost his control as he was put back into the bullpen with the Giants organization. Despite not having a long career in Pittsburgh's system, Garcia was able to get the Pirates Joe, at the very least.