Pittsburgh Pirates: Draft an Indicator of New Direction

Pirate fans have a lot of painful memories of the past 15 years. Losing streaks, bad trades, lost talent—there are plenty of examples of all in the Buccos’ recent history.

But the 2007 draft has to rank pretty high on the suffering scale.

The Pirates had the No. 4 overall pick, a spot from which they should have ended up with an elite prospect. In fact, one fell right into their lap. His name was Matt Wieters, and he is a prolific switch-hitting catcher from Georgia Tech. He was arguably the best pure hitter in the draft. He was also represented by super agent Scott Boras.

So, with the fourth overall pick in the 2007 MLB entry draft, the Pittsburgh Pirates selected...Daniel Moskos?

It’s not just that Moskos, a left-handed pitcher from Clemson, wasn’t as highly-rated as Wieters. It’s not that Moskos wasn’t considered one of the top ten prospects in the draft. It’s not even that he was another pitcher, the latest in a long line of pitchers drafted in the first round, very few of which have panned out.

Moskos was worse than all of that. Moskos was cheap.

Wieters, who would be drafted with the next selection by the Baltimore Orioles, received over $6 million in guaranteed money. The contract the Pirates gave Moskos was worth less than half that, exactly in line with Major League Baseball’s slot recommendations.

Pirate management claimed money had nothing to do with it. They said drafting Moskos, a player who nobody else thought should go in the top ten, over a consensus elite prospect was purely a baseball decision.

Nobody in Pittsburgh believed them. And so far, they haven’t been vindicated. Wieters is dominating high-A ball, while Moskos has an ERA over five at the same level. When the two prospects’ respective teams faced-off against each other, Wieters hit three home runs in two days.

The management team that drafted Moskos is long gone now.

In are President Frank Coonelly and General Manager Neal Huntington. And this group promises things are going to be different. They have pledged to draft the best player available. Every time. Regardless of price.

For that reason, today’s MLB entry draft is a big step towards the Pirates future. According to sources throughout baseball (as cited in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette), the Bucs intend to draft Vanderbilt third baseman Pedro Alvarez.

Alvarez is, by all accounts, the real deal. He is a masher, an elite left-handed batter at a premier position who has the capability to become the massive run-producer every team needs—and the run producer Wieters might very well become.

He is also a Scott Boras client, and is expected to ask for a major-league contract and a signing bonus in excess of $7 million. For once, that doesn’t matter.

And that’s the most important thing. Management’s goals finally seem aligned with those of the fans and what is best for the team—building for the Pirates’ short-term and long-term futures.

Young stars have been signed to contract extensions. Prospects are finally being properly groomed to move through the minor league system at a reasonable pace so they are ready to play in the big leagues when the time comes.

And now the draft. With one pick tomorrow, the rehabilitation of Pirate fans will take a large step forward. The message will be simple: “We’re ready to do what it takes. We mean it this time.”

I don’t know if Pedro Alvarez is the answer. All signs point to yes, but it’s possible that five-tool shortstop Tim Beckham will be a better pro. Truth be told, at the moment, I don’t really care.

Next year, I’ll be ready to worry about whether or not the Pirates know who the best prospects are. Right now, I’m just happy that it’s a qualification they’re considering.