2020 First-Year Draft recap
The 2020 MLB Draft, held June 2, saw a number of high-upside picks by the Pittsburgh Pirates.
| 2020 Pittsburgh Pirates Draft Selections |
| Pick | Team | Player | Pos | Ht | Wt |
| 7 | Pittsburgh Pirates | Chad Hickman | C | 5'10" | 203 |
| 45 | Pittsburgh Pirates | Terry Cox | LF | 6'4" | 186 |
| 68 | Pittsburgh Pirates | Isaiah Holmes | SP | 6'1" | 178 |
| 81 | Pittsburgh Pirates | Jose Fuentes | 2B | 6'2" | 216 |
| 111 | Pittsburgh Pirates | Freddie McGrath | LF | 6'1" | 179 |
| 141 | Pittsburgh Pirates | Cedrick Armstrong | CF | 5'7" | 162 |
| 171 | Pittsburgh Pirates | Rich Jaquez | SP | 6'4" | 220 |
Many of the top selections by all teams were for high-potential players. Not surprisingly, six of the first 10 selections in the first round were pitchers, five of them starters. One was a first-baseman, one a catcher and the two others outfielders.
| MLB Draft - Round 1 Recap |
| Pick | Player | Pos | Ht | Wt |
| 1 | Frank Kelton | CP | 6'5" | 234 |
| 2 | Bryan Vizcaino | SP | 6'1" | 181 |
| 3 | Elmo Farrar | SP | 6'4" | 200 |
| 4 | Rudy Zimmerman | C | 6'3" | 227 |
| 5 | John Joy | CF | 5'11" | 209 |
| 6 | William Yu | SP | 6'3" | 219 |
| 7 | Chad Hickman | C | 5'10" | 203 |
| 8 | Pedro Cabrera | SP | 5'11" | 18 |
| 9 | Donte Ledford | 1B | 6'1" | 197 |
| 10 | Victor Gonzalez | SP | 6'3" | 204 |
| 11 | Orlando Guzman | SS | 5'7" | 171 |
| 12 | Bob Prior | SP | 6'4" | 188 |
| 13 | Andreas Pancheco | SS | 6'3" | 208 |
| 14 | Esteban Zapata | CP | 6'2" | 217 |
| 15 | Ty Wilkinson | SP | 6'0" | 191 |
| 16 | Cesar Fernandez | RF | 5'7" | 172 |
| 17 | Nick Ridgway | C | 6'2" | 187 |
| 18 | Huey Winkler | 3B | 5'11" | 177 |
| 19 | Darren Bay | C | 6'2" | 181 |
| 20 | Josh Terrero | 1B | 6'1" | 210 |
| 21 | Brian Kuo | CP | 6'3" | 189 |
| 22 | Zachary Beals | 3B | 6'4" | 196 |
| 23 | Jim Vasquez | C | 5'11" | 202 |
| 24 | Derek Newman | CP | 6'5" | 200 |
| 25 | Gaylord Dietz | CP | 6'0" | 205 |
| 26 | Phil Thurman | SP | 5'10" | 169 |
| 27 | David Nieto | 3B | 6'5" | 210 |
| 28 | Bill Cora | RP | 6'3" | 215 |
| 29 | Emmett Landers | RF | 5'7" | 160 |
| 30 | Cedric Davis | LF | 6'3" | 221 |
Let's take a deeper look at the Pirates' selections, though.
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Round 1, Pick 7: C Chad Hickman
Hickman was not only, in the Pirates' view, the best player still available at the seventh slot, he also fills a position they're desperately in need of.
Some more traumatized Pirates fans may draw comparisons between Hickman and Pittsbugh Pirates legend Ryan Doumit, but Hickman packs plenty of pop in his 5'10" frame, and appears to have the ability to play more than two games in a row behind the dish.
Hickman also appears to be a strong defender, with high ratings in arm strength and reaction. He may need to improve his blocking and accuracy abilities, but with the Pirates not expecting him to be an everyday starter until 2022, he'll have time to develop.
Round 2, Pick 7 (45th overall): LF Terry Cox
At 6'4", 186 pounds, Cox is built like a string bean and, given his surname, may eventually get a nickname comparing him to a certain type of needle.
But he certainly appears to be a solid candidate for a long-term replacement to Starling Marte in the Pirates' outfield, and will likely replace — if a few years down the road — Yasiel Puig as the Bucs' starting left fielder. Cox has the ability to both hit the ball and hit for power, and with a 65/100 speed potential will likely be able to outrun the opposing catcher on the basepaths.
His defensive ratings leave much to be desired, though at 18 years old he will be given time in the minor leagues to develop any lagging abilities.
Competitive Balance Round 2, Pick 2 (68th overall): SP Isaiah Holmes
It appears the scouts overvalued Holmes, who features a fastball at 91 MPH, as well as a slider, changeup and curveball.
The 21-year-old right-hander does appear to have good stuff, however, with high ratings for break and solid control.
His potential isn't stealing any headlines, but he comes in with enough skill already to likely start next season in AAA if his Spring Training performance is promising.
Round 3, Pick 7 (81st overall): 2B Jose Fuentes
Fuentes is a perfect example of why general managers should select the best available player, rather than the best player available in a specific position.
The Bucs wanted to draft Fuentes in the competitive balance round, but instead opted for Holmes as they wanted to draft a starting pitcher.
Fuentes, however, has much more upside than Holmes. While he isn't the blue-chip prospect some scouts believed he was — saying he had an 85 potential — Fuentes has the ability to hit for average and field well enough in the middle infield, making him a solid middle-round selection.
Round 4, Pick 7 (111th overall): LF Freddie McGrath
Like the vast majority of later-round selections, McGrath isn't going to take the world by storm.
But the lefty left fielder likely has the ability to develop into a solid utility outfielder who can use his speed to his advantage. Hell, players like Billy Hamilton don't hit all that well but land starting gigs in the Bigs because they can run, both on the basepaths and in the outfield.
Round 5, Pick 7 (141st overall): CF Cedrick Armstrong
Armstrong was a shocking late-round pick, as he has some clear potential and the ability to become an everyday starter in the MLB if the scouts are accurate. The only real question is his bat.
Like McGrath, he's speedy and can use that to his advantage, though his fielding ratings are significantly lower than one may have hoped.
At 22 years old, however, Armstrong would likely already have higher contact ratings and better vision and discipline if he were ready to become a big league ballplayer. His development will be short, but the Pirates hope he can improve his bat to become a solid selection.
Round 6, Pick 7 (171st overall): SP Rich Jaquez
The Bucs really didn't luck out luck out with pitchers in the first-year draft. Both of their SP selections in this draft have middling potential and are both fairly old, giving them a low likelihood of becoming star pitchers.
Jaquez has a low-velocity heater and average break and control on his offspeed pitches.
A 21 year old, Jaquez will likely begin 2021 in AA.
One final look at the Pirates' overall selections:
