Jim Callis of Baseball America talks about Pirates second-round draft pick Josh Bell, who is sure to be the Pirates' most-discussed draft pick in the next couple months. Top overall pick Gerrit Cole is a lot more famous, but there are few worries that the Pirates will eventually sign him. There are no such assurances for Bell, who says he wants to attend the University of Texas rather than turning pro.
Ben (Leland Grove): Percent chance Josh Bell becomes a Pirate?
Jim Callis: Pretty small. His mother really wants him to college and he's virtually unsignable. I love the pick, though. Bell is the best high school hitter in the draft and would have been a mid-first-rounder on talent alone. That's much better than you're usually going to get with the 61st overall pick. If you sign him, that's a coup. If you don't, you get the 62nd pick in 2012. I'd take that gamble every time.
That pretty much sums it up. The Bucs took a risk in drafting Bell, but really not much of one, since they'll get another pick next year if Bell doesn't sign. They've also shown they're willing to pay a ton of money if they think a player is worth it - their second-round pick last year, Stetson Allie, got a multimillion-dollar bonus. It doesn't look like Bell will sign with the Pirates, but hey, you never know.