Rum Bunter Pittsburgh Pirates Mock Draft 2.0

Competitive Balance Pick - Hunter Owen

We're going to go with another left-handed pitching prospect with the competitive balance pick. As stated earlier, the Pirates will probably focus on pitching in this year's draft (as well as outfielders). So with the 67th overall selection, I have the Pirates taking Vanderbilt Southpaw Hunter Owen.

Owen has pitched 64 innings for Vandy, working to a solid 3.52 ERA, 1.08 WHIP, and 4.47 K:BB ratio. The left-hander has consistently been a high strikeout pitcher in his college career, and 2023 is no different. He has a 28.9% K rate. But he's not just a pitcher who overpowers opponents with little control. He has just a 6.5% walk rate, though there is a flaw in his numbers. Owen has a 1.27 HR/9, identical to the conference average rate of 1.27.

Owen is even larger than Johnson, standing at a hulking 6'6", 261-LBS. For reference, Oneil Cruz is listed as 6'7", 220-LBS. The Vanderbilt ace typically sits around 94 MPH, though he can crank it up and reach 97. The pitch has carry up in the zone as well. Owen throws two breaking balls, a slider, and a curveball. The former is the better offering, as it's more of a mid-80s power slider. However, he can take a decent bit off to throw an upper-70s curveball. While his slider is the better pitch, his curve is still considered an offering with average potential. Finally, there's his change-up, which has some fading sink but is by far his least used offering.

Now there's a reason Owen isn't going in the first round. This was the first season he was able to pitch healthily as a starting pitcher. Because of that, there is some concern, but the talent is definitely there. Once he builds up his workload, he'll make some serious gains in the prospect stock department.