Pirates Take OF Travis Swaggerty With 10th Pick In MLB Draft
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SECAUCUS, N.J. (KDKA/AP) -- The Pittsburgh Pirates have drafted outfielder Travis Swaggerty from the University of South Alabama with the 10th pick in the 2018 MLB Draft.
Swaggerty, 20, is a left-handed hitter and was undrafted out of high school.
Watch as we select OF Travis Swaggerty with our first round selection. #MLBDraft pic.twitter.com/ec304Ee2BY
— Pirates (@Pirates) June 5, 2018
Travis Swaggerty hit 296 with 13HR for South Alabama. Comparisons's to Austin Meadows.. First player ever taken in first round from South Alabama #Pirates
— Bob Pompeani (@KDPomp) June 5, 2018
This season, as a junior, Swaggerty hit .296 with 10 doubles, 13 home runs, 38 RBI and .526 slugging percentage in 57 games.
Later, the Pirates picked up right-handed pitcher Gunnar Hoglund with the 36th pick.
With the 36th pick in the #MLBDraft the Pirates select RHP Gunnar Hoglund, Fivay HS. pic.twitter.com/zewYmL8Tlr
— Pirates (@Pirates) June 5, 2018
The No. 1 pick went to the Detroit Tigers who selected Auburn right-hander Casey Mize.
The 6-foot-3, 220-pound Mize had long been linked to the Tigers, and he pitched his way this season to the top spot on Detroit's list. Mize went undrafted out of high school three years ago, but developed into a potential big league ace while in college.
Mize is 10-5 with a 2.95 ERA and 151 strikeouts with just 12 walks in 109 2/3 innings while helping the Tigers to the NCAA Tournament super regionals. Mize has solid command of four pitches, including a fastball that hovers in the mid-90s (mph). His outstanding command and wicked split changeup whip up lots of swings and misses.
With the second selection, San Francisco took slugging Georgia Tech catcher Joey Bart, the Atlantic Coast Conference player of the year. Perhaps Buster Posey's replacement someday, Bart follows in the footsteps of big league backstops Matt Wieters and Jason Varitek, who also came out of Georgia Tech.
Bart led the conference in hitting with a .359 average and topped the Yellow Jackets with a .632 slugging percentage, 79 hits, 16 home runs, 55 runs and a .471 on-base percentage. He's also one of the country's best defensive catchers, with a .992 fielding percentage on the season while throwing out 12 of 33 would-be base stealers.
Wichita State third baseman Alec Bohm was the first of six players attending the draft to be selected, going third overall to Philadelphia.
He had some trouble buttoning his white Phillies jersey before heading to the podium to shake hands with Commissioner Rob Manfred.
"The holes are pretty tight. It was pretty tough," said the 6-foot-5 Bohm, later adding that his biggest strength is probably his maturity at the plate. "I'm just ready to go play ball."
Bohm is one of the top offensive players in the draft, hitting .339 with 16 homers — the most by a Wichita State player since 2004 — and 55 RBIs with 14 doubles and 39 walks. He also showed a knack for hitting in the clutch by setting a school record with three grand slams this year, and led the team with 10 go-ahead RBIs.
Oregon State second baseman Nick Madrigal went fourth to the Chicago White Sox.
Despite his short stature — 5-foot-7, 160 pounds — Madrigal is considered by many to be the best overall hitter in the draft. He rebounded nicely for the Beavers after missing half the season with a broken left wrist. He was hitting .406 with three homers, 32 RBIs and just five strikeouts in 133 at-bats while helping lead Oregon State to the NCAA Tournament super regionals.
Rounding out the top five was Cincinnati, which took Florida third baseman Jonathan India.
The Southeastern Conference player of the year has been an offensive force for the defending College World Series champions. He's the 12th player in school history to post 20 or more homers, 100 or more RBIs and 30 or more stolen bases in his career.
(TM and © Copyright 2018 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
