Pirates Clinch at least The Second Pick in 2021 MLB Draft
With a small marker team, no matter how successful or unsuccessful you are your eye is always towards the future. In 2020, the Pirates have been bad and are looking to replenish a farm system that is almost devoid of talent. That is why Friday night's loss, no matter how much it stung, was a positive for the future of the Pirates. With the loss, their record moves to 18-40 on the season and, with the Rangers win, they secured one of the top two picks in the 2021 MLB First-Year Player Draft. There are two clear-cut favorites to go in those two spots and the Pirates have their pick of one if not both talents.
The two pitchers mentioned are Vanderbilt's Kumar Rocker and Jack Leiter, who have both been powerhouses in the Vanderbilt rotation. For a Pirates team that severely lacks pitching depth, either pitcher would instantly rocket themselves to the top of the Pirates Top 30 prospect list and could help the Pirates as they look at their competition window being either the 2021 or 2022 season. New General Manager Ben Cherrington showed his eye for talent in his first draft as a general manager, taking shortstop Nick Gonzales in the first round of the 2020 draft, and I'm sure he has his eyes on these two talents heading into next year's draft. We are going to take a look at both players and where they might fit into the Pirates system in the future.
Kumar Rocker: 6'4 255 Lb RHP
Just looking at Kumar Rocker on a collegiate mound can be an intimidating sight for any opposing hitter. The 6'4, 255lb, pitcher is a force to be reckoned with and has the skills to back it up. He propelled himself onto the scene during his freshman season helping lead the Commodores to the College World Series and ended the season with a 3.25 ERA in 99.2 innings of work. While those numbers are good, where he really shined was in the College Baseball World Series. He made two starts for the Commodores during the World Series and went 2-0 with a 1.80 ERA and set a College World Series record with 11 strikeouts against Michigan. He would finish third nationally with 12 wins during the season while walking 21 and striking out 114 in his 99.2 innings of work.
The biggest aspect of Rocker's game is how he can control his pitches and change speeds effectively throughout an outing. His fastball isn't a flamethrower of a pitch by today's standard, averaging in the mid-90s, but he can dot it on the outside or inside corner making it hard for hitters to catch up. He also has a slider that drops about ten miles per hour slower and has an incredible break to force swings and misses. He uses both pitches in perfect tandem and showed that in a night to remember against Duke in the Super Regionals. Rocker would throw a no-hitter and struck out 19 batters in his team's win. It was the first time that many batters had been struck out at the Super Regionals and Rocker would go on to be named the MVP of the entire College World Series.
If Rocker is the one that Cherrington and his staff go after, I see them being aggressive with the 20-year-old arm. I wouldn't be surprised to see him start his career in the Bradenton Marauders rotation from day one and move through the Pirates system rapidly. He would join a group of top prospects including Quinn Priester and Carmen Mlodzinski, who look to make up the rotation of the future in Pittsburgh. Rocker already has the experience of big-game action that you like to see in a young guy and he seems mature beyond his years for professional baseball. Rocker would represent the second major piece of the future of this Pittsburgh Pirates team.
Jack Leiter: 6'0 195LB RHP
Jack Leiter not only plays the game of baseball but has lived it practically his entire life. He comes from a family of pitchers, the most famous being his dad Al Leiter, who pitched in the Major Leagues for 19 seasons. Jack Leiter is trying to follow in his dad's footsteps and had an opportunity out of high school. Even though he was being talked to by several scouts around Major League Baseball, Leiter opted to head to Vanderbilt to start his collegiate playing and educational career. Leiter brought with him some high accolades, including being named the 2019 New Jersey Gatorade Player of the Year and a 2019 Perfect Game All-American. Unfortunately, Leiter's freshman year got cut short, but he still made a big impact early on.
Leiter made just four appearances for the Commodores, three starts, and went 2-0 with a 1.72 ERA in 15.2 innings of work. While his walk percentage was a little higher than you like to see (13.3%) one thing he did show was an ability to strike out opposing hitters. He set down 22 batters in those 15.2 innings of work for a strikeout percentage of 36.6%. Even though he didn't get to finish the season, he still earned his first collegiate award, being named the SEC's No. 2 Impact Freshman by D1Baseball. He likes to go to the fastball, which sits in the low 90s, early in at-bats, but his go-to pitch is actually a knee-buckling curveball. With 15 inches of total movement, it is enough to leave any better swinging out of his shoes.
It remains to be seen what will happen during Leiter's sophomore year, but right now I see the Pirates starting him off with the West Virginia Balck Bears before promoting him to Bradenton. Leiter's control is the biggest thing he needs to work on and starting him out in the lower Minor Leagues would give him a chance to do that. However, his Baseball IQ is said to be higher than anyone else in the draft this season, making him a prime candidate to not only be drafted but follow in his Dad's footsteps and be a successful Major League pitcher. Ben Cherrington has shown he has an eye for talent and will base his decision on what his scouts say. No matter which arm they get the Pirates should be in good hands for season's to come whichever arm they choose.
The Pittsburgh Pirates (18-40) continue their final series of the year when they take on the Cleveland Indians (34-24) tonight at 7:10 pm. Joe Musgrove (0-5, 4.68) makes his final start of the 2020 season against Aaron Civale (4-5, 3.99) for the Indians. You can watch the game live on AT&T Sportsnet or listen on 93.7 The Fan as the Pirates look to bounce back from last night's walk-off loss.
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