Pittsburgh Pirates

Draft History
2024
Endy Rodriguez - protection
49 - J.P. France
98 - Michael Tonkin
106 - Matthew Batten
129 - Jacob Amaya

2023
Ji Hwan Bae - protection
34 - Garrett Stubbs
45 - Colin Poche
59 - Matt Reynolds
70 - Scott Effross
115 - Connor Capel

2022
Oneil Cruz - protection
20 - Frank Schwindel
50 - Paul Sewald
80 - Zach Littell
110 - Paul Fry
140 - Juan Lagares
141 - Austin Voth

2021
KeBryan Hayes - protection
26 - Kris Bubic
81 - Tyler Matzek
86 - Phil Gosselin
116 - Alex Jackson
146 - Pierce Johnson
176 - Dwight Smith Jr

2020
Bryan Reynolds - protection
107 - Tyler Webb
123 - Oliver Drake
133 - Cesar Puello
137 - Yu Chang
139 - Austin Adams
150 - Mike King

2019
Richard Rodriguez - protection
17 - Brandon Lowe
47 - Lou Trivino
86 - Cionel Perez
137 - Tom Murphy
149 - Dawel Lugo

2018
no protection
8 - Miguel Andujar
30 - Yandy Diaz
30B - Dominic Smith
38 - Brandon Morrow
42 - Dominic Leone
61 - Anthony Swarzak

2017
Tyler Glasnow - protection
15 - Jose De Leon
42 - Jeimer Candelario
45 - Roman Quinn
53 - Joseph Musgrave
105 - Brock Stewart
122 - Renato Nunez
127 - Tyler Austin
135 - Jose Rondon

2016
Jung Ho Kang - protection
10 - Lance McCullers
13 - Max Kepler

18 - Devon Travis
73 - Richie Schaffer
103 - Brian Johnson
133 - Andrew Faulkner

2015
Gregory Polanco - protection
8 - Dilson Herrera
44 - Kevin Quakenbush
74 - Roenis Ellis
88 - Enrique Hernandez
140 - Ben Paulsen
149 - Jason Rogers

2014

Gerrit Cole - protection
6 - Hyun-Jin Ryu
36 - Ryan Goins
41 - Josh Phegley
63 - Cesar Hernandez
109 - Matt Tuiasosopo

2013
Starling Marte - protection
9 - Quinton Berry
99 - Scott Moore
129 - Adam Rosales

2012
Alex Presley - protection

2011
Pedro Alvarez - protection
141 - Erik Kratz

2010
Andrew McCutchen - protection
16 - Derek Holland

57 - Junichi Tazawa
98 - Laynce Nix
105 - Andres Blanco
106 - Jose Lobaton
136 - Alberto Arias

2009
Sean Burnett - protection
41 - Jeff Nieman
71 - Sean Rodriguez
107 - Dewayne Wise
137 - Billy Sadler

2008
Steve Pearce - protection

2007

Josh Sharpless - protection
16 - Matt Kemp
79 - Wes Littleton
80 - Jason Hammel
84 - Todd Wellemeyer
110 - Cha-Seung Baek
122 - Nick Masset

2006
Zach Duke - protection
21 - Nate McLouth
23 - Tom Gorzelanny
48 - Anderson Hernandez
58 - Ronny Paulino
69 - Fernando Rodney
109 - Dan Ortmeier
119 - Walter Young

2005
Mike Gonzalez - protection
9 - JD Closser

38 - Gustavo Chacin
81 Ricky Bottalico
122 - Sergio Mitre
144 - Scott Atchison
145 - Justin Knoedler

2001
15 - Osvaldo Fernandez
45 - Hector Ortiz
81 - Brian Ward
141 - Elvis Pena

2025 Pittsburgh Pirates

2024: 68-94, 3rd in the AL West

Overview: The Pirates roster last season looked like an old quilt. Patches of mix-match pieces all over the place. They did manage to beat the Royals for 3rd by one game if that matters. The team relies on strong pitching to win games, but will they ever get enough offense?

Starting Rotation: “Avengers assemble!” The Pirates rotation definitely has a superhero feel. They get to add one of the best rookie arms ever to debut in MLB. Paul Skenes is going to be a legit Ace in 2025. He moves to the front of an already loaded group. Skenes is definitely the favorite for Rookie of the Year and possibly Cy Young. Look out AL! Tyler Glasnow would be an ace on most other teams, but here he is #2. Michael King, Gerrit Cole, and Clarke Schmidt are next in line and don’t fall off much at all. J.P. France will be called on to spot start here and there. This rotation has to rank up near the top if not the top in the NBC.

Bullpen: The Pirates bullpen is not the sidekick that the superheroes in the rotation need. There are a couple of good arms out in the pen. Michael Soroka could start some, but he will be more useful for Pittsburgh in the pen. Veteran Michael Tonkin is another quality arm to get the Pirates to the closer. The closer? Well, Paul Sewald has seen better days, but he will lock down a save when they need it. He has battled injury and could need help at some point this season. The rest of the pen will feature two injury prone lefties. Look for Sam Moll and Colin Poche to be in and out of the pen this season.

Designated Hitter: Starling Marte should see most of his time at DH. He is still a solid hitter and brings lots of speed to the bases. His defense has gotten worse recently so if called on to play outfield it would hurt the team more than help.

Outfield: The Pirates outfield is led by Bryan Reynolds. He can be counted on to bat in the middle of this lineup and is the Pirates number one offensive threat and isn’t too shabby in leftfield. Look for Mitch Haniger to man rightfield. Pittsburgh shouldn’t expect much from Mitch this season. Garrett Mitchell is a star in the making. When the Pirates can get him off the training table and, on the field, they will see why he is so highly rated. Manuel Margot has been brought in from Toronto to hold down the fort in center. Ji Hwan Bae could see some time filling in for injured outfielders in 2025

Infield: As great as the Pirates’ starting pitching is, one can possibly say their infield is that bad. Yes, there are a couple of very solid players. Dansby Swanson is a good SS and stands out in this group. He can do everything on average or above. Ke’Bryan Hayes has had injury problems, and his production will probably be affected. 2nd base and 1st base are sort of a mess. Pittsburgh hopes Connor Joe and Dominic Smith can hang around long enough to find the future at 1st base. Brandon Drury was brought in to play half time at 2nd and fill in for any time Hayes misses at 3rd. Adam Frazier is the other half of the 2nd base duo.

Catcher: Yet another area of concern is the catcher. Endy Rodriguez was injured in winter ball and will miss the entire season. That leaves Yasmani Grandal (36) and Tom Murphy (33) as the only backstops on the team for 2025. They will need to find help here as these old dudes can’t surely make it the entire 162 game season. Look for teams to take advantage of the Pirates catcher’s throwing.

Outlook: The seats will be full in 2025 just to see Paul Skenes pitch. It is too bad the offense hasn’t caught up though. Look for Skenes to have some tough luck loses in 2025, as will most the rotation. The offense will struggle mightily. Marte, Reynolds, Swanson, and a part time Mitchell are not enough to get the job done. How’s the draft look? Well, they will add a very good prospect at #10, but then they will have to wait until the 4th round to pick again. Could they trade out of #10? Maybe, but it might be smart to get a nice offensive player with some serious playing time available. Outfield, catching, 2nd base, or 1st base could all use help. Pirates will probably battle KC for 3rd again and miss the playoffs.