Underrated Pittsburgh Pirates draft picks from the 2024 class

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The 2024 MLB Draft came to a close on Tuesday, July 16. The Pittsburgh Pirates took 21 players in the 20 total rounds. Some names like Konnor Griffin, Levi Sterling, and Josh Hartle are getting a good amount of attention. They were three of the Pirates’ noteworthy early-round picks. Beyond that trio, there are some other names from the Pirates’ draft class that fans should know about. They’re underrated and could prove to be good selections.

3 underrated selections from 2024 Pirates MLB Draft class

Gavin Adams

Gavin Adams has a chance to be one of the Pirates’ best mid-round draft picks in their recent history. The Pirates took the right-hander out of Florida State in the eighth round of the draft. While they are rolling the dice on Adams, there’s a ton of potential here, given his eventual ceiling as a shutdown late-inning arm.

Adams transferred from JUCO ball to FSU but missed the entirety of the 2024 season because of Tommy John surgery. When healthy, Adams was firing off high-90s heat while topping out at 101. This pitch has a ton of arm-side sinking action to go along with its elite velocity. Adams will also throw an upper-80s slider and changeup.

Like many young power arms, Adams struggles with command and control. He walked 19 batters in 26.1 innings last year. One positive takeaway is that the Pirates have become good at improving young flamethrowers’ command in recent years. Jared Jones came out of high school throwing hard with poor command, and Kyle Nicolas has looked a lot better this season compared to last year.

We shall see if Adams can improve his ability to control his high-octane stuff once he returns from surgery next season. Even if he can get his control to a fringy level, the right-hander could be a force to be reckoned with in the near future.

Matt Ager

The Pirates’ sixth-round pick was right-handed pitcher Matt Ager. Ager was taken out of UC Santa Barbara, and the Pirates may have gotten a massive steal with this selection. The right-hander was ranked as the 104th-best prospect in the draft by Baseball America and the 135th-best by MLB Pipeline. The Pirates took Ager 167th overall.

Ager split his 2024 season between the bullpen and rotation, appearing in 24 games with nine starts, working to a 4.01 ERA, 1.39 WHIP, and 2.11 K:BB ratio. Ager walked 9.9% of the batters he faced with a 20.8% K%. However, he was not home run prone, and had a 0.57 HR/9 through 62.2 innings pitched. Batters rarely cashed in on his careless mistakes.

Ager’s 2024 season might not jump off the page, but he was a lot more effective in his sophomore campaign when he had a 3.12 ERA, 1.05 WHIP, and 4.42 K:BB ratio in 92.1 IP. During that season, he struck out 30.3% of opponents, posting a walk rate of just 6.8%, and limiting home runs well with a 0.49 HR/9 rate.

The right-hander sits in the low 90s with his fastball, topping out around 95-96, but he commands it well. His low-80s slider is an above-average offering with plus potential. According to Baseball America, his fastball and slider were his primary pitches, but he’ll also mix in a 12-6 curveball and a changeup. He has a feel for both pitches. Ager is a large presence on the mound, standing at 6’6” and 225 pounds.

MLB Pipeline’s Jonathan Mayo and Jim Callis recently named Ager as the best sixth-round steal of the 2024 draft. He was a borderline top 100 draft prospect according to Baseball America and a top 150 draft prospect in MLB Pipeline's estimation. While his 2024 season wasn’t as promising as his 2023 campaign, he still has the talent to be a noteworthy draft pick.

Taylor Penn

It’s always cool when a team finds a potential diamond in the rough with a late-round pick. The Pirates’ 21st and final selection of the draft, Taylor Penn, has the potential to be that late-round diamond in the rough. The right-hander is young, but has a projectable frame, which he could still add more strength to.

Penn only averages out around 89-90 MPH, topping out at 92. He also throws the pitch with good spin direction and spin efficiency. His primary offspeed pitch is an upper-70s changeup, while he also throws a slider with similar velocity and a curveball in the mid-70s. Penn throws from a three-quarters arm slot, but what makes him interesting is his projectability. The right-hander is listed at 6’4”, 190 pounds.

Penn will need to clean up his arm action. His fastball comes out of a different and lower arm slot than his slider. Penn is only 18 years old as well, which gives him time to add some strength and clean his mechanics up. He certainly has the frame to add some muscle and improve his velocity.

The question will be whether or not Penn signs. He is a late-round high school pick with a commitment to Western Kentucky University. But, if he does, he could be someone to watch over the coming seasons. He’s a young and projectable right-hander who is already hitting 90 MPH regularly. If he can improve his command and add a few ticks of speed to his stuff, Penn will be a good late-round steal.

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