MLB Draft: Revisiting the Pirates 2011 haul

Members of the Pittsburgh Pirates front office should’ve been very proud of themselves Sunday. Yes, the Pirates have made the playoffs the past two seasons, but that’s not why. Yes, they’ve won 19 games since May 6 and five of their last six, but that’s not why either.

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They should be proud because the treasure they plundered from the 2011 MLB amateur draft glistened like a chest full of gold.

The 2015 MLB Draft is tonight, and franchises will be betting on the future. The draft is part art, part science, considering the vast majority of players never make it to the majors, but that doesn’t mean teams can’t hit it big. (The Astros could’ve hit it REALLY big.)

Just ask the Dodgers of the late 70s and early 80s. Those teams were lead by three players who were part of arguably the best draft in MLB history. In 1968, the Dodgers drafted Steve Garvey, Ron Cey and Davey Lopes. Those three amassed 20 All-Star Game appearances, five Gold Gloves and one MVP award (Garvey in 1974) and were part of the core of the 1981 World Series championship team.  Those weren’t the only three players the Dodgers drafted who ended up in the majors; Bill Buckner, Doyle Alexander and Geoff Zahn also made the majors, although most of their careers were with other teams.

It’s not entirely certain, but the Pirates’ draft in 2011 has the potential to be similarly robust. Only one of the players drafted that year has made the majors at this point, but more are sure to follow. Let’s look at what teams will try to replicate with their 2015 draft:

Sunday at Turner Field against the Braves, Gerrit Cole worked out of a bases loaded jam in the sixth inning with a strikeout of Joey Terdoslavich. In that at bat, Terdoslavich saw three fastballs above 98-mph and two befuddling sliders. Cole, the Pirates’ and the overall No. 1 in 2011 out of UCLA, has been overpowering hitters a lot this year. He now stands at 9-2 on the season with a 1.73 ERA, 1.10 WHIP and 86 strikeouts in 78 innings. By all accounts, he is the ace the Pirates hoped they drafted.

Up in Erie, Penn., the Pirates’ 2011 second round pick Josh Bell went 1-for-4 with an RBI and Dan Gamache (sixth round) homered for the Double-A Altoona Curve. Bell is the Pirates’ third overall prospect according to MLB.com, and he is having another stellar season, hitting .332 with 37 RBIs. He’s in line to take over at first base once Pedro Alvarez leaves for free agency after the 2016 season.  His average and on base percentage have gone up each of the last four seasons.

Also in Altoona, 2011 fifth-round selection Tyler Glasnow is on the disabled list, but he is developing into Cole’s future sidekick. After leading the Florida State League in ERA and WHIP and being second in Ks in 2014, Glasnow was holding opposing offenses to a .194 average and had a 2.76 ERA and 1.02 WHIP in 29 1/3 innings. The injury is seen as merely a pause button on his development.

The Pirates’ great draft was also on display in Las Vegas, where Alex Dickerson went 3-for-5 and scored three runs. Dickerson was drafted by the Pirates in the third round in 2011 and was traded to the Padres after the 2013 season. He’s been a productive hitter every season he’s played in the minors, and even though he isn’t a stout defender in the outfield, he appears to have the bat to play in the majors.

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Even the picks the Pirates weren’t able to sign attest to the fact that the Pirates knew what they were doing. They drafted Eric Skoglund, a pitcher, in the 16th round that season, but he decided to go to college and is now pitching well in the Royals organization. They also drafted Trea Turner, who is now one of the best shortstop prospects in the game and is lacing extra base hits all over minor league parks for the Padres—Nationals?—and will be in the majors very soon. They also drafted Tyler Beede, who won a College World Series at Vanderbilt and is now one of the Giant’s best prospects.

The 2011 draft was successful for a lot of teams—Sonny Gray, Kolten Wong, Trevor Bauer, Anthony Rendon and Jose Fernandez all were picked in the first round—but no team got more quality prospects than the Pirates did. The Giants come the closest, as second baseman Joe Panik and pitching prospects Kyle Crick and Clayton Blackburn were taken in the 2011 draft, but they likely don’t have the ceilings Glasnow and Bell do.
The Pirates have the talent, both now and in the future, to be perennial playoff contenders and World Series hopefuls, and starting tonight, the other 29 franchises have the opportunity to create a similar future.

All stats from Baseball-Reference, MLB.com and MiLB.com