Pirates' 2025 MLB Draft Class Ranked Amongst Best

PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Pirates concluded their 2025 MLB Draft, with 21 selections and high praise from one MLB analyst.

Jim Callis of MLB.com rated his top five 2025 MLB Draft Classes and placed the Pirates at second best, with the Baltimore Orioles in first place. The Tampa Bay Rays came next in third, the Colorado Rockies ranked fourth and the Boston Red Sox came in at fifth.

The Pirates went with high-school pitchers for the first two picks, with right-hander Seth Hernandez at sixth overall in the first round and then Angel Cervantes at 50th overall in the second round.

Callis liked that the Pirates went after the player with the most talent, rather than take the safer route, like other teams did with Konnor Griffin, which made him available for the Pirates at ninth overall in the 2024 MLB Draft.

Griffin played in the All-Star Futures Game this year and after a strong performance at Single-A Bradenton, earned a promotion to High-A Greensboro, where he is batting .302.

Callis also praised selections like Oklahoma catcher Easton Carmichael, ranking him amongst the best at his postition, shortstop Gustavo Melendez from Puerto Rico for his bat and LSU first baseman Jared Jones for his power.

"For the second straight Draft, Pittsburgh landed the player with the most pure talent in the Draft despite not owning a top-five selection," Callis wrote.

"After getting Konnor Griffin at No. 9 last year while several teams had concerns about his swing, the Pirates were gifted Seth Hernandez at No. 6 because the industry is skittish about the risk associated with high school right-handers. They doubled down on that demographic with Angel Cervantes (second round), another polished prep righty with a quality arm and an advanced changeup."

"Oklahoma's Easton Carmichael (third) was one of the better college backstops, high schooler Gustavo Melendez (fourth) is a solid shortstop with a sneaky-good bat and Louisiana State first baseman Jared Jones (ninth) was a flat-out steal considering he may have more raw power than anyone in the Draft."

The Pirates have most of their best prospects from recent MLB Drafts, who they'll hope will give the franchise a better future.

Right-handed pitcher Bubba Chandler, the Pirates top prospect, came in 2021, while left-handed pitcher Hunter Barco (third), right-handed pitcher Thomas Harrington (fourth) and second baseman Termarr Johnson (fifth) all came from the 2022 MLB Draft.