Bucs go for prep pitchers with upside
PITTSBURGH -- The Pirates came into the first-year player draft saying they were willing to spend money to sign their picks.
Well, after two days and 31 selections, it looks like the Pirates are going to have to spend a lot of money.
The Pirates took 27 more players Wednesday in the second day of the three-day draft. The 50-round draft ends today with the final 20 rounds.
Pirates general manager Neal Huntington said 21 of the 31 players selected have signing bonus demands in excess of $100,000. Conversely, the Pirates drafted only three college seniors, who have no negotiating leverage and almost always sign for bonuses of $5,000 or less.
"We felt coming into this draft that there was not necessarily going to be the type of player available to us in the first round who would command a large bonus but we also felt we would be able to draft players in the later rounds who we feel could also turn into quality major-league players," Huntington said from the Pirates' draft headquarters at their spring training base in Bradenton, Fla.
"It is working out that way and we feel like this is going to be one of the deepest and most productive drafts in Pirates' history and we're not done yet. We're very excited about the players we drafted."
While sources close to the negotiations said Wednesday the Pirates and first-round pick Tony Sanchez, a catcher from Boston College, already have a handshake agreement on a contract with a $2.5-million signing bonus, Huntington will need to sign more players for this to be a successful draft.
"Obviously, we're not going to sign everyone. No team ever signs all 50 picks," Huntington said. "We do have the flexibility, though, to where if we don't sign Player A then we can be able to sign Player B and Player C."
The Pirates employed a strategy last year of drafting high school players who appeared solidly committed to going to college then wooing them with large bonuses.
There were a number of players selected Wednesday who fit that profile, including four intriguing pitchers in right-hander Zack Von Rosenberg, the sixth-round pick from Zachary (La.); left-hander Colton Cain, the eighth-round pick from Waxahachie (Texas); right-hander Jordan Cooper, the 17th-round pick from Shelbyville (Tenn.) Central; and right-hander Michael Heller, the 29th-round pick from Sarasota (Fla.) Cardinal Mooney.
The 6-foot-5 Von Rosenberg has signed a letter of intent with Louisiana State and was 11-1 in leading Zachary to its third straight Class 4A state championship this spring. He also hit .489 with 10 home runs and 45 RBIs while being named the Gatorade Louisiana Player of the Year.
Cain, who has signed with Texas, was ranked as the 109th-best prospect in the draft by Baseball America after going 6-2 with a 2.17 ERA and 118 strikeouts in 10 games this season. He also pitched for USA Baseball's 18-and-under national team last summer that won the silver medal in the world junior championships at Edmonton, Alberta.
Miller, a Kentucky recruit, was ranked as the 81st-best high school player in the draft by Baseball America. He participated in the prestigious Area Code Games last summer in Long Beach, Calif.
Heller, who has signed with Florida, was 5-4 with one save and a 2.46 ERA this season while striking out 77 batters in 54 innings and pitching one shutout.
The most intriguing college player drafted by the Pirates on Wednesday was Florida center fielder Matt Den Dekker in the 16th round. Baseball America had him ranked as the 44th-best position player in the draft but he slipped in the eyes of many teams after a sub-par junior season with the Gators in which he hit .296 with five home runs and 37 RBIs in 61 games.
Den Dekker was selected to the Southeastern Conference's all-freshman team in 2007 and was a first-team all-SEC pick last year.
Through the first two days of the draft, the Pirates have selected 19 pitchers, four infielders, four outfielders and three catchers. They have also chosen 14 players from high schools, 13 from four-year colleges and four from junior colleges.
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