Pirates Sign 2013 First Round Selection Austin Meadows

The Pittsburgh Pirates today announced they have signed outfielder Austin Meadows, the ninth overall selection in the 2013 First-Year Player Draft. The announcement was made by Senior Vice President, General Manager Neal Huntington and Joe DelliCarri, Pirates Director of Scouting.

Meadows hit .535 with 14 doubles, one triple, four home runs and 28 RBI as a senior this year at Grayson (GA) High School. He was rated as the third-best position player and the fifth-best player overall in this year's draft by Baseball America. He was also rated by the same publication as the "Best Athlete", having the "Best Strike Zone Judgment", as well as the second-best "Pure Hitter", and "Closest Player to the Majors" among high school players.

"We are excited to add Austin to our already talented minor league system and for him to begin his professional career," said DelliCarri. "He is a talented young man who comes from a very strong family."

The 18-year-old outfielder was also a 2013 Rawlings pre-season first-team All-American. As a junior in 2012 at Grayson High School, he helped lead his team to the Georgia Class 6A state semifinals with four home runs, 28 RBI and 19 stolen bases. He also led the USA Baseball 16U National Team to the IBAF World Youth Championship in 2011 in Mexico, leading the team in hits (22), doubles (five), triples (three), RBI (28) and stolen bases (six) while also setting a record for the most RBI and earning a spot on he all-tournament team.

Meadows will begin his professional career with the Gulf Coast League Pirates.

The Pirates have now signed 19 players from the 2013 First-Year Player Draft.