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Re-drafting the Pittsburgh Pirates’ drafts from 2014-2017

By Ali Chaudhry

PITTSBURGH, PA - JUNE 16: Pittsburgh Pirates General Manager Neil Huntington shakes hands with 2017 First Round Draft Pick Shane Baz at a press conference to announcing his signing at PNC Park on June 16, 2017 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Justin Berl/Getty Images)
PITTSBURGH, PA - JUNE 16: Pittsburgh Pirates General Manager Neil Huntington shakes hands with 2017 First Round Draft Pick Shane Baz at a press conference to announcing his signing at PNC Park on June 16, 2017 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Justin Berl/Getty Images) /
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PITTSBURGH, PA – JUNE 04: Kevin Newman #27 of the Pittsburgh Pirates bobbles a ball hit by Austin Riley #27 of the Atlanta Braves (not pictured) during the sixth inning at PNC Park on June 4, 2019 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Joe Sargent/Getty Images) /

Everybody knows about the futility of the Pittsburgh Pirates — it is a poorly run franchise from top to bottom. 

The owner is cheap, the GM is incompetent, and the manager is outdated. Everybody knows this. Repeating it only perpetuates my personal grief and makes Pittsburgh Pirates’ fans realize that this nightmare will literally never end.

So that’s why I — and thousands of other Bucco fans — love to live in fantasy land. Thinking of what was or what could have been is the only enjoyment we can consistently get out of being a Pirates fan.

That’s why I am going to be conducting a re-draft of the Pirates’ past drafts dating back to 2014, discarding 2019 and 2018 as it is too early to tell anything from those. I am only going to be doing the first and second round, including supplemental picks, just to see how different of a team the Pirates could’ve had.

I understand that every team misses on top players. Trout went 25th overall, Pujols wasn’t drafted until the 13th pick, etc. Every team does whiff on their picks every now and then, but the Pittsburgh Pirates are especially talented with this.

Cole Tucker could be solid, but will not be special.

Kevin Newman could hit enough to be an all-star once or twice if the Pirates don’t have other candidates, but that seems to be about his ceiling.

Travis Swaggerty regularly got comps to Brett Gardner, who has had a long productive career, but is again not special.

Will Craig is also an unknown, but probably has the highest ceiling of the group, albeit the lowest floor as well.

But first-round picks are supposed to be at least players who can reach the majors and contribute, but the world series-winning teams have their first-round picks become superstars.

The Houston Astros picked Alex Bregman, George Springer, and Carlos Correa all in the first round. You could easily make the argument that this trio is better than any first-round trio the Pirates have had in decades.

Not to mention our horrid trades.

Or our refusal to sign free agents.

So, before I continue to vent about how poorly the Pirates are run, we should get on with the re-draft.

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