2013 MLB Draft: Pittsburgh Pirates choose Austin Meadows, Reese McGuire in 1st round
By Larry Snyder
With the ninth pick overall in the first round of the 2013 Major League Baseball Draft, the Pittsburgh Pirates chose outfielder Austin Meadows from Grayson High School in Georgia.
March 20, 2013; Lake Buena Vista, FL, USA; A detailed view of a Pittsburgh Pirates hat and glove in the dugout before the game against the Atlanta Braves at Champion Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Rob Foldy-USA TODAY Sports
Meadows is listed at 6-foot-3 and 215 pounds; he bats and throws left-handed. The Atlantan was rated the No. 5 overall prospect by Baseball America. He has a college commitment to play for Clemson.
Former Cleveland Indians and Texas Rangers general manager John Hart, an MLB Network analyst, said, “I like the pick. This is an upside pick. If he plays center he’ll be a power-hitting center fielder. If he goes to the corner we’ll use a Jay Bruce kind of a (comparison)”
Pittsburgh was awarded the ninth overall pick as compensation for failing to sign Stanford pitcher Mark Appel, last year’s No. 8 pick and this year’s top draftee. The Pirates were limited in what they could offer Appel under baseball’s new draft spending limits. You can be penalized draft picks and tax dollars if you exceed the spending limit.
With their next pick at No. 14 overall, the Bucs chose catcher Reese McGuire from Kentwood High School in Washington. McGuire is listed as 6-foot-1 and 190 pounds. He bats left and throws right. McGuire was a 2013 Rawlings First-Team pre-season All-American and won USA Baseball’s Dick Case Award in 2013.
Baseball America rated McGuire as the fifth best position player and the 12th best prospect overall in this draft. He was rated the second-best defensive player among high school players. McGuire has a commitment to play for San Diego.
Draft Clipboard: Top five picks: The Houston Astros, with the No. 1 pick overall in the 2013 MLB Draft, chose righthanded pitcher Mark Appel from Stanford University. Appel is a Houston native who has been compared to Mark Prior…The Chicago Cubs selected San Diego third baseman Kris Bryant with the No. 2 pick…The Colorado Rockies went with Oklahoma righthander Jonathan Gray…The Minnesota Twins chose righthander Kohl Stewart, a prep pitcher from Texas…The Cleveland Indians took center fielder Clint Frazier from Loganville High School in Georgia.