Pirates Day One Draft Grades: First Pick Nailed, What About the Rest?

The Pittsburgh Pirates made four picks on the first day of the 2025 MLB Draft, which covered the first three rounds as well as all the compensation picks.

The Pirates took two high school pitchers to start the draft and followed with a pair of college position players.

How did they do? Let’s evaluate all four picks.

Round 1 Pick 6: RHP Seth Hernandez, California (H.S.)
Grade: A

It’s hard to find much to complain about with the Pirates’ first-round pick. For the second straight draft, the Pirates went for upside and took the reigning National Gatorade Player of the Year.

Hernandez is considered by some to be the best high school pitching prospect in draft history. That’s heavy praise, and it’s exactly the kind of player a team like the Pirates needs to target in order to add potential star talent to the organization. 

Hernandez has all the makings to be a top-of-the-rotation starter in the big leagues. He has at least three plus pitches and perhaps four. He’s athletic and polished for a teenager. The stuff is there. The physical traits are there. Now it all comes down to development and health. 

There’s some risk with any high school pitcher, but the potential reward is worth it.  

Round 2 Pick 50: RHP Angel Cervantes, California (H.S.)
Grade: B+

The Pirates followed their Hernandez selection by taking another high school right-hander from California in Cervantes. Like Hernandez, Cervantes features a fastball, slider, curveball and changeup.

There’s a lot to like with his pitch mix. His fastball is well-regarded and the assumption is he’ll add more velocity as he matures. His best pitch is a devastating changeup. While his curveball and slider aren’t as advanced, there are reasons to believe both pitches could become more effective as he starts his professional career.

Cervantes doesn’t turn 18 until towards the end of next month, so he’s one of the younger pitching prospects in this year’s draft and is more projectable than polished. But the upside is real. 

Round Comp B Pick 73: 3B Murf Gray, Fresno State
Grade: B-

Gray gives the Pirates what they need. His 6-foot-4, 230-pound frame offers legitimate power potential as evident by the 18 home runs and .639 slugging percentage he posted as a junior at Fresno State. If his power translates to the professional ranks, this pick has the chance to be a home run – no pun intended.

But there are also some questions about his game. MLB Pipeline gives him 40-grade speed, and the jury is still out on where he will end up defensively.

Gray was a bit of a reach given where he was ranked by different analysts, but it also feels like the Pirates could be able to cut a bit of a deal with Gray and allocate more funds to their later picks.

Round 3 Pick 82: C Easton Carmichael, Oklahoma
Grade: B+

Carmichael might not have extremely high upside, but he should be someone that enters the organization with a pretty high floor.

The 21-year-old performed exceptionally well in the tough SEC and with a wood bat in the Cape Cod League last summer. For a catcher, he’s very athletic and has received positive reviews for his defensive ability. 

Though there isn’t one area of his game that will necessarily stand out, Carmichael possesses solid tools across the board. 

The Pirates went with riskier picks in the first three rounds of the draft, particularly with the prep pitchers. Carmichael is more of a safe choice.


Source link

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *