Buccos Cove

As we prepare for tomorrow's day one of the 2021 MLB Draft, we take a look back at last year's picks to see how they are progressing in the Minor Leagues. Cherington's first picks didn't get the start they wanted but are progressing towards the Big Leagues in 2021. The 2021 MLB Draft is upon us as we get ready to meet the next generation of Pittsburgh Pirates players. It will be an exciting couple of days for athletes across the country as they are hoping their dreams to become professional baseball players are realized. For General Manager Ben Cherington and his team, it is their second draft as members of the Pirates front office, and they are looking to continue to add talent to this organization during their rebuild. 2020 was a difficult year to draft talent with COVID running rampant across the country, but they were able to bring in six talented players to the organization. Those six may not have exactly gotten the start they wanted to their pro career...

  Last season, General Manager Ben Cherington took a chance drafting Carmen Mlodzinski out of South Carolina with the 31st overall pick. However, that pick is paying off as Mlodzinski is turning heads with Class High-A Greensboro to start his professional career. When talking about the Pittsburgh Pirates 2020 draft class, the big name that stands out is first round, #7 overall pick, Nick Gonzales. Since the time he was drafted, the focus has almost solely been on him and where he stands in the Pirates system. However, one guy who has surprisingly not gotten a lot of attention from the media is the Pirates pick just 24 slots later. It was in the CBA round of the 2020 draft, and the Pirates ended up taking right-handed pitcher Carmen Mlodzinski from South Carolina with the 31st overall pick. Mlodzinski posted strong numbers during his final two years with the Gamecocks and went 2-1 with a 2.84 ERA over 25.1 innings of work in his pandemic shortened junior year. However, s...