The Pittsburgh Pirates have used three draft picks to address the outfield, pitching and the infield in successive rounds. In the fourth round, the Pirates selected outfielder Brandon Thomas out of Georgia Tech. Charlie Wilmoth of Bucs Dugout says that Thomas, a switch-hitter, could find a home in center field because of his speed.
He's a switch-hitter, and Jim Callis thinks he can stick in center (presumably due in part to good speed). He easily could have been a second-round pick, so again, the Pirates aren't going to let Scott Boras and Mark Appel dictate what they do here.
Signability could be a minor concern here, but the Pirates are looking to find a player that could be a big contributor.
In the fifth round, the Pirates selected right handed pitcher Adrian Sampson out of Bellevue Community College. He is currently committed to Oregon, so it remains to be seen if he goes to college or decides to sign with Pittsburgh. Wilmoth says that this was a good value pick for the Pirates.
Baseball America ranked him the second-best prospect in the state of Washington and No. 84 nationally, so again, this is a very solid pick in terms of value.
Sampson did have Tommy John surgery a few years ago, but he looks fully healed from that procedure.
In the sixth round, the Pirates selected third baseman Eric Wood from Blinn College in Brenham, Texas. There is not much on him currently, but he was selected in the 37th round by the Oakland Athletics last year, so there is something there that the Pirates scouts see.
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