Pirates Have To Think 'LSU' With First Pick

How Damaging Could Wrong Pick Be?

As it stands, the Pirates’ fan base is very sour towards the team. They started out hot winning 20 of their first 28 games. They followed that up by playing some of the worst baseball of any team since the end of April. Want to win over a fan base as a front office? That’s not the way to do it.

Pittsburgh’s farm system entered this season as a top-five farm system in most rankings. They didn’t have any guys that were destined to be a star. However, their prospect depth is fairly deep. The cupboard is way less bare than when Neal Huntington left. The problem is that Cherington has had way too many high picks not to have a home run.

Cherington’s first round picks in order: Nick Gonzales, Davis, and Johnson. This is his fourth draft. Taking a guy like Langford wouldn’t be a terrible idea if this were the 2021 draft all over again. Even in that draft, Davis wasn’t considered the overall top guy and ended up signing under slot, much to the Pirates’ liking. With the first pick in 2023, the Pirates just can’t do that again.

I’d feel for Langford or even high-school prep player Max Clark if either go first. They’re both supremely talented players that likely deserve to go number one in many drafts. But the Pirates’ fan base is so fixated on Crews and or Skenes that they will inevitably dislike one of the other two for all the wrong reasons.

So…Skenes or Crews?

I am a big believer of taking the best player available in baseball simply because most guys don’t make it to the majors quick enough to worry about their position. Davis is a lifelong catcher and the Pirates are using him in right field nearly every night. Things can change quickly and players can change position if needed for organizational depth purposes. This is why both guys would be the right pick for the Pirates.

Crews is a five-tool outfielder and the Pirates’ overall organizational outfield depth isn’t the strong suit. If fast-tracked, Crews could be in Pittsburgh by the late summer of 2024. He’s got the tools and would likely start out in High-A or even Double-A. As for Skenes, the 6’6″ right-handed pitcher has the tools to be in an MLB rotation in a hurry. It’s unclear of the Pirates would have the guts to do that. Their penny-pinching ways may try and keep him in the minors long enough to gain that extra year if control.

If I were Cherington, I’d select Crews as the Pirates first pick. He’s been the consensus top guy for a while now. Skenes, however, makes sense as well because the Pirates aren’t a big market club. Their best chance of acquiring a talent like Skenes is through the draft. He’d eventually likely take the Gerrit Cole route and price himself out of Pittsburgh. But the Pirates could still get a handful of his prime years.

In just a few hours, we’ll find out what the Pirates’ ownership and front office truly care about: drafting the potential next huge MLB-star or saving a few dollars and selling to their fans a load of garbage.