The Pirates came into the first day of the 2013 MLB draft with the number nine and number fourteen picks, as well as the 51st overall pick in the second round. With those picks, they selected three high school players, two being left handed hitters, and the other being a left handed pitcher.
9th Overall Pick: Austin Meadows
Meadows came into the draft ranked number six on my draft board and number five on Baseball America's draft board. He is a potential five tool talent who was a centerfielder in the prep ranks, and the Pirates hope he can stay in that position as a pro.
The Pirates were heavily linked to high school catcher Reese McGuire with the ninth overall pick, but when Meadows fell to them, the Pirates didn't pass on the upside that Meadows brings. He could hit for average and power, along with being a threat on the base paths with great fielding range in center. He came into the year with a chance to be the number one overall pick, but he didn't hit for as much power as some scouts would've like to see from him. Still, he has a solid swing and a 6'3, 200-210 pound frame that is ideal for a power hitter. I see his upside as a Matt Kemp type player (when Kemp is healthy), but obviously that will take a lot of things to go the right way for that to happen. General Manager Neal Huntington stayed true to his draft board with this pick, something that you definitely like to see from your GM.
14th Overall Pick: Reese McGuire
As I previously stated, the Pirates were heavily linked to McGuire with the number nine overall pick, but took Meadows instead after he fell to them. I thought it would be unlikely that McGuire would still be available to the Pirates with the number fourteen pick, so I was surprised that he was still available there. Also available to the Pirates at that pick was Nevada pitcher Braden Shipley. I had ranked him as the seventh best prospect in the draft and actually preferred him to McGuire with this pick. I wanted Shipley because he was a college pitcher that isn't too far from the majors, with a good fastball, great changeup, and potential for an above average curve. Shipley has an upside of a number two starter, and I felt he would have been a good addition to the organization, especially after taking a high upside high school hitter with the first pick. That being said, I think Reese McGuire is a very good fourteenth overall selection, as there was some talk he could go as high as number four overall to the Twins. He is a defensive first catcher with a plus arm that can really control the running game. Also, McGuire has been calling his own games since little league, giving him great experience that is very rare from the high school ranks. The main question mark about McGuire is the upside that he brings with his bat. He's a left handed hitter that has the potential to hit for a decent/good average with moderate power, but his defense will always be the strong part of his game.
51st Overall Pick: Blake Taylor
With their second round pick, the Pirates selected high school projectable left hander Blake Taylor. Taylor sits in the low 90's with his fastball, but can reach the mid 90's at times. He has good sink on that fastball that leads to a lot of ground ball outs. He adds a curve to his arsenal, a pitch that has a chance to be above average in the future, but some feel it will remain an average pitch. He doesn't have a changeup at this point, something that he will need to develop in order to remain a starter. I didn't have Taylor ranked in my top 50 draft prospects, but I did add him in the next 25 prospect to watch section.
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