Pirates Take Shortstop With 24th Overall Pick In MLB Draft
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- For the first time in two decades, the Pirates actually picked 20th or lower in the first round of the MLB Draft.
In fact, in addition to the 24th overall pick, they also picked up the No. 39 overall pick when they traded Bryan Morris to the Miami Marlins earlier in the week.
With the first pick they had at No. 24, the Pirates raised a few eyebrows by picking the player who was rated 67th by MLB.com and 84th by Baseball America
His name is Cole Tucker.
He's a tall infielder, standing at 6-foot-3, 185 pounds. He's a switch hitter who is more of a gap to gap hitter with not much power.
According to the Pirates, Tucker hit .404 (34-for-84) with eight doubles, four triples, five home runs, 30 RBI and 13 stolen bases for his high school in Arizona this past season.
He was also recently named the second-best high school player in Arizona.
The Pirates don't have a lot of organizational depth on the middle infield, so this looks like a draft of need.
With the 39th pick of the draft, the Pirates again went outside the box and took a player who wasn't even ranked in the top 100.
Connor Joe is a right-hand hitting outfielder/first baseman.
According to the Pirates, Joe hit .367 (80-for-218) with 21 doubles, two triples, nine home runs and 51 RBI in 53 games during his junior year at the University of San Diego this past season.
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