Pirates use first two picks on high school pitchers
PITTSBURGH — The Pirates selected right-handed pitcher Shane Baz with the 12th pick in the first round of the 2017 MLB Draft on Monday.
Baz is a 17-year-old from Concordia Lutheran High School in Tomball, Texas. At 6-foot-3 and 190 pounds, Baz has a large, projectable frame and is also able to hit 95 mph with his fastball. He also throws a slider as his other primary offering.
In the 2017 season, he has a 6-2 record with a 0.93 ERA and 96 strikeouts. He was a Rawlings-Perfect Game All-America selection He was ranked 11th in the nation by Baseball America coming into the draft.
Baz has a commitment to play college baseball at TCU and may be difficult for the Pirates to sign. The pick has a pool value of $4.032 million.
Pirates’ 2015 first-round pick Ke’Bryan Hayes also played for Concordia Lutheran and the two players know each other well.
The last time the Pirates used their first-round pick on a high school pitcher was in 2010, when they drafted fellow Texan Jameson Taillon.
鈥� The Pirates selected RHP Steven Jennings with the 42nd pick in the second round. Jennings is a high school pitcher from Smithville, Tennessee. He is 6-foot-2 and 175 poinds. He was also a quarterback fro Dekalb County High School. Jennings has committed to play college baseball at Mississippi.
鈥� With the 50th pick in the second round, they selected OF Cal Mitchell from Rancho Bernando High School in San Diego, California. Mitchell is a 6-foot-1, 190 pound 18-year-old that is a hitter first. He maintained a .369 batting average and drove in 34 runs in 34 games as a senior. He is committed to the University of San Diego.
鈥� With the 72nd pick in the second round, it was another prep outfielder as they selected Connor Uselton from Southmoore High School in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Uselton is 6-foot-3 and 185 pounds and has the defensive skill to centerfield or the arm for a corner. The 19-year-old is committed to Oklahoma State.