Pirates have struck gold early in recent Drafts. Can they do it again?

PITTSBURGH – Pittsburgh has the most pool money in this year’s MLB Draft, totaling $19,130,700 to upgrade its organization in 2026.

The Pirates have succeeded in the first round in recent years, adding Paul Skenes with the first overall pick in 2023 and Konnor Griffin with the ninth pick in 2024. 2025 first-rounder Seth Hernandez is already shining, ranking as baseball’s No. 6 prospect per MLB Pipeline.

With the fifth overall pick in the 2026 Draft, the Pirates hope to strike gold again.

“Internal development is really important to who we are as Pirates,” Pittsburgh farm director Michael Chernow said. “We take a lot of pride in guys that we acquire through the Draft, through the international market, and that extends to guys that we acquire through professional ways as well, whether it's free agents or trades.”

Assistant general manager Kevan Graves will run the Draft process for Pittsburgh after former director of amateur scouting Justin Horowitz departed for the Nationals. While Skenes and Hernandez are at the top of the list in drafted pitching, the Pirates have produced even more arms through the Draft in recent years. Pittsburgh’s entire starting rotation was drafted and developed by the organization.

The Pirates have gone the high school route with their first pick in three of the last four years, with Skenes as the exception. Pittsburgh often goes with the best player available rather than a selected position, unafraid to take a position already filled. In 2025, Pittsburgh selected 12 hitters and nine pitchers. Matt King was selected as a pitcher but moved to the infield.

“It's just such a cool time,” Chernow said. “You've got 20-ish players who are experiencing a life milestone, and then they get to come into our care and we get to walk alongside them in their journey and go through onboarding and introduce them to the pro game and then learn about them, learn about their skill sets, learn about who they are as people, and really try to guide them and challenge them into maximizing their tools.”

• Day 1 picks: 5, 34, 44, 51, 80, 108
• Bonus pool allotment: $19,130,700
• Last year’s top pick: Seth Hernandez, SP, pick 6 ... The top high school pitcher in the class, Hernandez has soared since beginning his professional career. Hernandez is the Pirates' top prospect and the No. 6 prospect in all of baseball. After a promotion to High-A Greensboro, Hernandez has tallied a 2.59 ERA through 15 total starts this season.
• Breakout 2025 pick: Murf Gray, IF, pick 73 ... Gray has cut down his chase rate and produced at the plate. The Pirates' No. 17 prospect has a 1.030 OPS in High-A Greensboro. He’s primarily played third base and was taken in Competitive Balance Round B after a prolific career at Fresno State.

Pittsburgh’s recent surge of talent has featured a few pickups in rounds outside the first. Jared Jones (the first baseman) was selected out of LSU in the ninth round in 2025 and has built a .958 OPS thus far this season. A year earlier, seventh-rounder Connor Wietgrefe and 10th-rounder Derek Berg were steals, each excelling through the system.

The Pirates can use their league-best bonus pool total to bolster the system or use it as trade leverage. Pittsburgh currently holds six Day 1 picks, the second most in the National League. Their 34th overall pick is especially intriguing, rumored to be in possible trade talks and valued at $2,897,400.

In MLB.com’s recent mock draft, expert Jonathan Mayo predicted Pittsburgh to go with a pitcher again, though this time from the college level. He chose Jackson Flora, a right-hander from UC Santa Barbara, over Eric Booth Jr., a high school outfielder from Oak Grove, Miss.

“It comes down to a choice between Flora and Booth Jr.,” Mayo said. “I opt that the Pirates will continue to try to build pitching, and Flora gives them another guy to come in behind the guys that have already gone to the big leagues and Seth Hernandez, who's on his way up.”