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2,497 MLB PLAYERS | 15,833 MLB DRAFT SELECTIONS
Draft  | Story | 10/5/2010

Pirates sit atop 2011 draft order

Efforts have been made in Pittsburgh to build for the future, trading away some of their pricer commodities for prospects and spending more aggressively in the draft.  So with the focus on the future, it’s not too big of a surprise that things got worse for the Pirates this season, finishing with the worst record in all of baseball while securing the first overall pick in next year’s draft.
 
The Pirates haven’t had a winning season since 1992.  Their average draft position from 1994 to last year was 7.5.  In the last 10 years (2001-2010) their average draft position was 4.7.  2011 will mark the third time the Pirates have owned the first overall pick during that span, taking Kris Benson and Bryan Bullington with the first pick in 1996 and 2002 respectively.
 
Speaking of those two players, Benson had a respectable career, but after showing flashes of brilliance early, he for the most part fizzled away.  Bullington, along with several other top pitching prospects selected with first-round picks (John VanBenschoten, Sean Burnett, Bobby Bradley and Clint Johnson), had their aspiring careers derailed by injury.
 
Brad Lincoln, the fourth overall pick from 2005, has also seen his career path slowed due to injury.  The eighth overall pick in the 2003 draft, Paul Maholm, has stayed healthy, but only has one full season under his belt with an ERA under 4.44.  Daniel Moskos, the fourth overall pick from 2007, has returned to his more comfortable role coming out of the bullpen in the minor leagues.
 
The Pirates have had a little more luck with positional prospects.  Pedro Alvarez, the second overall pick from 2008, had a nice debut this past season for the Pirates, and has plenty of room for improvement.  Neil Walker, the team’s first-round pick from 2004, finally made a mark at the big-league level, settling in at second base.  Their 2005 first-round pick, Andrew McCutchen, continued to play well and is one of the more exciting young players in the league.
 
After they were heavily criticized for passing on superior talents such as Matt Wieters with the fourth overall pick in 2007 for financial reasons, the Pirates loosened the purse strings in 2008 when it took six million dollars to lock up Alvarez.  They spent $8.7 million on their top 13 picks in 2009 and another $8.75 million on their top two picks from last year’s draft, Jameson Taillon and Stetson Allie.
 
So money shouldn’t play too big of a factor in their decision next June, and after finishing last in the National League in both ERA and runs scored, they shouldn’t get too cute trying to decide between a positional prospect or a pitcher.  The four players currently discussed as the likely candidates for that pick include right-handed pitcher Gerrit Cole of UCLA, lefty Matt Purke of TCU, third baseman Anthony Rendon of Rice, and outfielder George Springer of UConn.
 
If you’re a Pirates’ fan wondering if the Buccos may be the next big sleeper team to make a dramatic turnaround, consider that worst to first scenarios, or at least close to them, have happened twice in the last decade.
 
The Minnesota Twins, who owned the first overall pick in 2001 (the year they took Joe Mauer), finished 85-77, a 16-game improvement from the year before.  Starting the following year in 2002, the Twins have made the postseason six times in nine seasons.
 
The Rays made it to the World Series as part of the 2008 season, the same year they owned the first overall pick (the second year in a row that they did so).  While the Rays’ 31 games improvement from 2007 to 2008 was a huge surprise, they had a lot more talent in place than what the Pirates currently do.
 
In other words, you would have to hope a lot of things go right next year to pick the Pirates as a sleeper.  Slowly but surely the Pirates are accumulating impact talent, but it’s going to take some more time and patience for the pieces to come together.  The number one overall pick in next year’s draft will help bridge that gap.
 
A few other notes about the draft order:
 
•  The Pirates aren’t the only team that can’t seem to get out of the cellar.  The Orioles and Royals assumed their usual spots among the top five overall picks at fourth and fifth respectively. 
 
•  What appeared to be a breakout season a year ago, the Seattle Mariners dropped back down to earth, securing the second overall pick for next year’s draft as they did in 2009.  The 16 pick drop was the largest of any team from the 2010 to 2011 raw draft order.
 
•  The San Diego Padres had the largest jump in the draft order, going from ninth to 25th.  After not signing the ninth overall pick this past year (Karsten Whitson), the Padres have a pair of first-rounders in the raw draft order.
 
•  Both the Diamondbacks (third and seventh) and Brewers (12th and 15th) also have a pair of first-round picks since they didn’t sign their 2010 first-round picks (Barret Loux and Dylan Covey respectively).
 
•  The Mariners will receive a supplemental third-round selection for not signing third-rounder Ryne Stanek, the only other player in the top three rounds that did not sign by the August 16 deadline.
 
This is how the raw draft order in the first round stacks up with the end of the regular season (winning percentage in parenthesis -- tie-breakers are awarded to the team that finished with the worse record the previous year):
 
1.  Pirates (.352)
2.  Mariners (.377)
3. Diamondbacks (.401)
4.  Orioles (.407)
5.  Royals (.414)
6.  Nationals (.426)
7.  Diamondbacks (unsigned ’10 first-rounder Barret Loux)
8.  Indians (.426)
9.  Cubs (.463)
10.  Padres (unsigned ’10 first-rounder Karsten Whitson)
11.  Astros (.469)
12.  Brewers (.475)
13.  Mets (.488)
14.  Marlins (.494)
15.  Brewers (unsigned ’10 first-rounder Dylan Covey)
16.  Dodgers (.494)
17.  Angels (.494)
18.  Athletics (.500)
19.  Tigers (.500)
20.  Rockies (.512)
21.  Blue Jays (.525)
22.  Cardinals (.531)
23.  White Sox (.543)
24.  Red Sox (.549)
25.  Padres (.556)
26.  Rangers (.556)
27.  Reds (.562)
28.  Braves (.562)
29.  Giants (.568)
30.  Twins (.580)
31.  Yankees (.586)
32.  Rays (.593)
33.  Phillies (.599)
 
Be sure to stayed tuned to Perfect Game in the coming days for Allan Simpson’s top 300 prospects for the 2011 draft and top 200 list for 2012.
 

The thoughts and opinions listed here do not necessarily reflect those of Perfect Game USA.  Patrick Ebert is affiliated with both Perfect Game USA and 5 Tool Talk, and can be contacted via email at pebert@5tooltalk.com.


Draft | Story | 7/12/2026

2026 MLB Draft: Best Available

Tyler Henninger
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2026 MLB Draft: Best Available for Day Two  A total of 135 players heard their name called on Saturday. As always, signability, bonus pool strategy, and organizational preferences play a major role in how the board unfolds. With that being said, we saw a majority of the top half off the board get selected, but there are a number of players ranked inside our Top 150 that remain available. From high-upside prep talent to polished college performers, these are the top names still available according to our Final Top 500 Draft Board.  Top Prep Bats Available (with Top-500 Board Rankings) 38. Archer Horn, SS/RHP, St. Ignatius College Prep (CA) 58. Blake Bowen, OF, JSerra Catholic (CA) 64. James Tronstein, SS/OF, Harvard-Westlake (CA) 66. Noah Wilson, OF, McCallie School (TN) 71. Cole Koeninger, SS/RHP, Keller (TX) 77. Sean Dunlap, C, Crown Point (IN) 82. Alex Weingartner, OF//RHP,...
Tournaments | Story | 7/12/2026

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Perfect Game Staff
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Austin Way (2030, Yulee, FL) was 2-3 in game four, driving in a run and scoring once himself. Picked it well defensively at shortstop but really showed out in the box today. Works the barrel path to the middle of the field and whips the barrel through the zone. The RHH creates lift in the turn, and the ball jumps off the bat hot.  Sutton Walling (2029, Ponte Vedra, FL) is an athletic 5’11/160lb infielder who gets it done on both sides of the ball. Dominated at the plate right behind his teammate Way in the batting order going 3-3 with two doubles. He does a really good job with the barrel accuracy and works through contact with heavy hands. Lots of project-ability in the profile and is having a sneaky great week at the plate. Banks Kennedy (2030, Arcadia, FL) received it well behind the dish and was the leading force in this one driving in three rbis. He ended up going 2-3...
Tournaments | Story | 7/11/2026

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Kinley Kitchens
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Another week, another big tournament makes its way to Hoover.  This week, 104 of the nation’s top 17U teams will make their way to Hoover for the 2026 Perfect Game 17U National Elite Championship.  Featuring nationally ranked teams, Division I commits, and many of the country’s top 2027 players, the tournament promises another week of elite competition as teams battle for one of the biggest championships of the summer.  With many players already committed to some of the nation’s top college programs, every game in Hoover this week offers a glimpse into the future of college baseball.  Now entering its eighth year, the National Elite Championship continues to bring in the nation’s best. Past champions include Team Elite Scout Team, Canes National, USA Prime National, Scorpions/Giants Scout Team, 5 Star Performance National, Knights Knation Scout...
Draft | Story | 7/12/2026

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Tyler Henninger
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Storylines Heavy College Run Early We came into the day knowing that there were a lot of talented college players at the top of the board, more specifically college bats. That came to light very early in the day, as we saw just two prep players selected within the first ten picks. The college preference lasted throughout most of the entire first round. Nearly 75% of the first 40 selections were college players. It is clear teams want players at the top of the draft that can quickly get through the system and help the big league club as soon as possible. Underslot Strategy Throughout this cycle, we knew that once you get past the first handful of picks the difference in value you were getting for let say pick ten was not that difference compared to pick 30. Because there was a large collection of players that are relatively close in value, teams were looking to get creative. We saw this...
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Vincent Cervino
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It's draft day and that means it's time for our final Mock Draft with the 2026 group. 1. Chicago White Sox | Roch Cholowsky, SS, UCLA It’s between Roch and Grady Emerson at this pick, though there have been heavy rumors of a very late deal potentially with another top 5 pick. This boils down to negotiations and we think that they will get there.  2. Tampa Bay Rays | Grady Emerson, SS, Fort Worth Christian (Tex.) If Grady isn’t the first pick then he is almost certain to be the second pick. The Rays like to get creative but Emerson is a well worth prospect in his own right.  3.  Minnesota Twins | Vahn Lackey, C, Georgia Tech This is likely the floor for Roch Cholowsky, though the Twins might prefer Lackey to Roch outright. They are thought to be in on the top college players with Emerson a distant third.  4. San Francisco Giants | Jackson Flora, RHP, UC...
Tournaments | Story | 7/10/2026

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Perfect Game Staff
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‘28 INF Christian Ramirez (OH) WALKS IT OFF for @CincyDBulls2028 to win the chip! Has shown impressive tools throughout the weekend and in this AB showed the ability to adjust to the offspeed and win the game. #OVElite pic.twitter.com/J3MXJXFnbM — Perfect Game Ohio Valley (@PG_OhioValley) July 5, 2026 Christian Ramirez (2028, Mason, Ohio) helped his team win the championship batting out of the two-hole. Though he didn’t win tournament MVP, Ramirez was my favorite player to watch take a plate appearance. He has an advanced feel for the zone and sees the ball out of the pitcher’s hand quicker than most. Ramirez led the tournament with eight walks, batting .375 with a .583 on-base percentage. Much more than just the approach, the swing is efficient with little wasted movement, creates quality separation, and puts him in an excellent position at contact. With such an...
College | Story | 7/10/2026

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Perfect Game Staff
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Cape Cod League Scouting Notebook  Maverick Rizy | Ole Miss | RHP | Brewster Whitecaps  The towering 6-foot-9, 250-pound right-hander continues to stand out with one of the more unique looks on the Cape, pairing a massive frame with a low three-quarter slot that creates difficult angles for hitters. While his fastball velocity was down from its typical mid-90s range during this look, working mostly 90-92 mph, it still generated plenty of swing-and-miss. He paired the heater with an 81-83 mph gyro slider featuring tight bullet-spin action and mixed in an 85-mph changeup with quality separation. Rizy battled his command early in the outing I saw, before settling in to strike out five over three innings, showing the ability to adjust as the game progressed. Through 12.2 Cape League innings, he has recorded 18 strikeouts, and his combination of size, deception, and projectability...
Tournaments | Story | 7/10/2026

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Perfect Game Staff
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16u WWBA Scout Notes: Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3 ‘28 C Nico Ayars (FL) coming off a monster game yesterday & comes up with the biggest swing of this one. A triple right down the LF line to drive in two. Came into today hitting .833 this week. #WWBA @PG_Uncommitted @Florida_PG pic.twitter.com/Hvb7UvtkNi — Perfect Game Scout (@PG_Scouting) July 8, 2026 Nico Ayars (2028, Fort Myers, Fla.) has just been on the barrel throughout the week so far, collecting six hits across the first four games of the tournament. That didn’t slow down on day three at Mt. Zion High School as he came up with the biggest swing of the day, hitting a triple down the left field line to drive in a pair. It’s been a standout week so far for Ayars and he’ll be a driving force behind the run through the tourney for CBU 2028 Scout Team Lawson. Rylan Jenkins (2028, Tennille, Ga.) put...
Tournaments | Story | 7/10/2026

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Perfect Game Staff
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Tournaments | Story | 7/10/2026

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Perfect Game Staff
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