Why didn't you sign me? pt2

Last month I showed off an autograph of a former Pirates draftee that didn't sign and is doing very well in his pro career.  I always think it's fun to look at draft picks and see who drafted them out of high school.

Trea Turner is currently one of the most exciting shortstops in A ball and was a 13th overall pick by the Padres in the 2014 MLB Draft.  He was a former 20th round pick of the Pirates in that very exciting 2011 draft class that produced young prospects like Gerrit Cole, Josh Bell, Tyler Glasnow and the very projectable Clay Holmes.  Trea chose not to sign with the Bucs and went to North Carolina University.

Because Trea is a member of the Padres, it made sense to show off this one time Pirate draft pick as the Pirates take on the Padres this weekend.

My Newest PC is a 2014 MLB Draft Pick

Cole Tucker was viewed as a reach on draft day and I have to admit I was a little disappointed when I heard his name instead of Jacob Gatewood, Monte Harrison, Michael Chavis, Michael Kopech, or Spencer Adams.  To be perfectly honest, I had never even thought of Cole Tucker as anyone prior to round 4 due to where Baseball America, MLB.com, and other analysts were expecting him to go.

That all changed an hour after he was drafted by the Pirates with the 24th overall pick in 2014.  After viewing a picture of him from his little league days wearing a Pirates cap and jersey on Twitter with the caption, "I've been waiting my whole life to be a Pirate." he instantly became one of my favorite players.  The  day in the life of Cole Tucker documentary helped too.

He was one of the first first rounders to sign from the 2014 draft class and one of the first Pirates to sign.  He signed for slightly below slot and there are numerous sources stating that the A's would have selected him with pick #25 if the Pirates hadn't drafted the fast switch hitting defensive teenager.

Because of all this, I am adding Cole Tucker to my latest player I hope to PC.  This is in addition to being a supercollector of Charlie Morton and having nice size collections of Andrew McCutchen (I've been lacking with this due to the massive amount of cards produced over the past few years) and Tony Sanchez.

The first card in my PC is a gorgeous 2013 Panini USA Baseball 18U Auto and Dual Patch card numbered 1/10.

This is hopefully the start of a very nice PC of one of the Pirates most exciting young middle infielders.

A look back at the 2013 Draft on Draft Day

The Pirates 2012 season ended in disappointment. At the All-Star break they were one of baseball's best teams and it seemed certain that they would have their first winning record in nearly two decades.  Due to injuries and struggles by the pitching staff, the Pirates would end up with the 13th worse record in baseball and continue their losing streak.  That year, they also saw their first round draft selection, Mark Appel, return to Stanford as a college senior.

2013 Leaf Trinity Reese McGuire Inscriptions 10/10

Since the selection of Appel was a protected pick, that allowed the Pirates to draft 9th overall in the 2013 draft in addition to 14th overall.  Many reports linked the Pirates to high school catcher Reese McGuire prior to the draft.  When the draft day arrived and super talented five tool athlete Austin Meadows was still available 9th overall, the Pirates selected him.  When it came time to draft 14th overall, Reese McGuire was still available and the Pirates fulfilled those early discussions by selecting him.

The 2013 draft for the Pirates was a succesful draft, but much of the talk revolved around those two first rounders.  However, the draft included several other probable major leaguers.  The Pirates focused on left handed pitching and middle infielders in rounds 2-7 before stock piling right handed pitchers.  They were able to add to their farm system top 20 prospects like left handed pitchers Blake Taylor (2nd round) and Cody Dickson (4th round), shortstops like JaCoby Jones (3rd round) ,Trae Arbet (5th round), and Adam Frazier (6th round).

In a short time, the Pirates will be drafting with the 24th overall pick, something they haven't had to do in over 20 years.  It's nearly impossible to pinpoint one name they will draft, but I suspect that Neal Huntington will continue to draft the best player available even if that means drafting someone they doubt they will be able to sign that dropped due to signability issues (like Appel in 2012).  My personal preference if he's available is college first baseman Casey Gillespie.  I really like the bat he has and think that he will be a quick rise to the majors.

Pirates add another future ace to recent draft history

Who would have thought that Stanford righty Mark Appel would slide from the projected number 1 pick to the Bucs at number 8?  No one saw that happening!  No one!

While I would have loved adding a power bat to the farm system, adding another projectable power arm to the already stocked farm system is looking strong.  The Pirates have one of the best pitching staffs in baseball this year despite having the worse offense in the majors.  And look at where the team is at: 1 game over .500, 3 games out of first place. 

The Pirates future rotation is looking like a homegrown version of the 90s Braves or 70s Orioles teams.

It's going to be interesting to see if Appel will sign for slot since he is a Scott Boras agent and was projected to receive a signing bonus of $7 million plus if he got drafted 1st overall.  Since he was selected 8th, he could potentially have lost $4 million since the 8th overall pick slot is $2.9 million.

I'm hoping that the Pirates sign Appel to slot and not a penny over.  Appel doesn't have a lot of leverage since 4 of the teams that selected above the Pirates yesterday currently have some of the worse records in baseball.  This means that Appel could only go up in draft if any of those teams choose to pick Appel next year.  If Boras and Appel can't reach an agreement prior to the July signing deadline, they need to just walk away and get the 9th overall pick next year which looks to be a stronger draft anyway. 

Let's hope GM Neal Huntington signs Appel to slot to add another ace pitcher to the system.

Today's the last day to root for the Bucs for the Reds series.
Once the game starts, no more entries will be permitted.

LET'S GO BUCS!

MLB Draft prediction and Lets Go Bucs Contest Winner

The Pirates have been closely associated with Deven Marrero being their 1st round draft pick in the 2012 MLB draft.  While I would rather the Bucs select a player with more offensive upside, I do like the pick because Marrero could be a future gold glove shortstop.

I bought the above card for $1.25 off ebay a couple weeks ago when scouts and analysts started talking about Marrero as a future Buc.  I saved on shipping too because I had bought several other cards from the same seller so I figured the card was well worth the price even if he didn't end up in black and gold.

There are about half a dozen names that the Pirates have scouted heavily recently including high school southpaw Max Fried.  The Pirates have taken a number high upside pitchers over the past 3 drafts and have the best minor league 1-2 punch in terms of stuff in Gerrit Cole and Jameson Taillon.  Both Cole and Taillon look like future aces.  The Pirates may be thinking a positional player with the number 8th overall selection.

Marrero is a glove first shortstop who projects to stay at the position throughout his career.  Going into the season he was perceived as a top 5 pick, but his offensive stats have taken a dip this season.  If Marrero isn't selected by the Bucs, it's predicted that he will fall to the Reds at the 14th overall selection.  I can't wait for the MLB draft as I honestly have no idea what the Pirates are planning on doing or who may fall to them.

The Pirates just swept the Cubs in a 3 game series so someone will be winning the Cubs cards. 
For those that have won these contests, could you please do a post about your winnings or send me an email so I know that the cards have been received. 

LOTS OF PACKAGES WENT OUT LAST TUESDAY!

Let's find out who our winner is this time...

nope it's not Greg

or Jeff cause I have to randomize it three times
We have a first time winner for the Cubs series.

 

Dhoff of the great blog Coot Veal and the Vealtones is our winner of the 3 Cubbies cards.  Enjoy!

The Pirates are battling the NL Central leaders Cincinnati Reds at home for a 3 game set.  Let's hope the Bucs can beat them Redlegs to put them back to at least .500
Let's Go Bucs!!!!

Normal rules apply..
if the Pirates win the series, one person wins the cards by random.org
must say Let's Go Bucs in the comments section (along with anything else you have to say)
If the Reds are your favorite team, you get entered twice (just let me know that you root for the Reds)

Here's this series offerings...

 a Frank Robinson 2004 Legendary Cuts Significant Swatches jersey and a 1975 Topps Joe Morgan

LET'S GO BUCS!!!