As expected, there’s still no word on the potential signings of first overall pick Gerrit Cole or second-rounder Josh Bell as the Monday-night deadline to sign 2011 MLB Draft picks approaches Monday night. There is, however, news on two of the Pirates’ higher-upside picks from later in the draft.
Ninth-round pick Clay Holmes, a high school pitcher from Alabama who has a commitment to Auburn, is close to signing, Kendall Rogers reported Sunday night. Also, Tim Williams from PiratesProspects.com writes that the Pirates are having 15th-round pick Kody Watts, also a high-school pitcher, take a physical, which typically indicates that a signing is imminent. These two pitchers will likely command substantial bonuses to lure them away from college, so assuming the Pirates eventually sign at least Cole, it appears they’ll be well on their way to being one of the top-spending teams in the draft yet again.
One player it appears they won’t get is 13th-rounder Brandon Platts, who has a commitment to Missouri. Kendall Rogers reports that the Pirates are unlikely to sign him.
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