Chicago Cubs: 2019 MLB Draft grades for NL Central
By Ryan Sikes
The Pittsburgh Pirates went heavy on position players in the first five rounds.
Here were the first five rounds for the Pittsburgh Pirates:
1st round, 18th overall: Quinn Priester, RHP (Cary-Grove High School)
Priester came in ranked as the 19th best prospect and the 7th best pitcher in the draft. He has a commitment to TCU in the fall, but a first-round slot could be enough for him to forgo college and start his professional career. His fastball reaches the high 90’s and his changeup has good spin. The 2019 Gatorade Illinois Player of the Year is a fantastic pick for the Pirates.
1st round, 37th overall: Sammy Siani, CF (William Penn Charter School)
Siani has a commitment to Duke in the fall but scouts are already raving about his bat. He is a bit undersized but figures to fill out as he matures. Siani has been harder to gauge playing in cold weather during the spring but performed well in summer showcases.
2nd round, 57th overall: Matt Gorski, CF (Indiana)
The Pirates grabbed a high school centerfielder with their 1st round compensatory pick and now they grabbed a centerfielder who is further along. Gorski was ranked as the 112th best prospect in this draft. He slashed 0.271/0.374/0.498 in his junior season while smacking 12 home runs and 46 RBI’s. Gorski is also a threat on the base paths as he swiped 57 bags in his three years in Bloomington.
2nd round, 72nd overall: Jared Triolo, 3B (Houston)
Another compensatory pick for the Pirates. Triolo developed into a polished hitter in his junior year at Houston. He slashed 0.332/0.420/0.512 with 7 home runs and 44 RBI’s. He also took more walks than strikeouts (31 to 30).
3rd round, 95th overall: Matt Fraizer, CF (Arizona)
Another centerfield for the Buccos. The nice thing about a centerfielder is they can realistically play all three outfield positions. Frazier played in just 19 games this spring for the Wildcats. He slashed 0.412/0.452/0.565 with 1 home run and 26 RBI’s, but I’d like to see a larger sample size as he played in just 3 conference games.
4th round, 124th overall: J.C. Flowers, RHP (Florida State)
Flowers figures to be a solid addition to the Pirates bullpen as he made 20 appearances for the Seminoles this spring. He did make 1 start for the team and tossed 23.2 innings while striking out 22 batters and locked down 11 saves. Flowers did walk 10 batters. His fastball reaches the low 90’s and his slider has proved inconsistent, hence the walks. That being said, he has a trajectory pointing up for the Pirates to be their future closer or 8th inning setup man.
Must Read. 8th round pick DJ Herz wanted to be drafted by Cubs. light
5th round, 154th overall: Grant Ford, RHP (Nevada)
Ford was the primary closer for the Wolfpack this spring. He made 28 appearances and locked down 5 saves in 45.2 innings of work while striking out 51 batters to just 13 walks. He has a great fastball that will touch the high 90’s and compliments it with slider that grades as a plus.
Five-round draft grade: B+