Pirates sign 20 of their 21 Draft picks
Below is a list of every player drafted by the Pirates.
Each club had until 5 p.m. ET on Tuesday, July 25, to come to terms with its Draft selections. If a player has exhausted his collegiate eligibility, he can sign at any time up until one week prior to the next year’s Draft.
• Draft Central | Day 1 analysis | Day 2 | Day 3 | Best hauls
Draft-and-follow picks -- high school and junior college players selected after the 10th round who attend a two-year college after the Draft -- can sign with their selecting teams for up to $250,000 up until a week prior to the following year’s Draft.
Players drafted from Round 11 on do not count against the bonus pools unless their signing bonus exceeds $150,000; any amount over that total will count against the pool.
Total bonus pool: $16,185,700
MLB rank: 1
1 (1): Paul Skenes, RHP, LSU
Pick value: $9,721,000
Signing bonus: $9,200,000
With a signing bonus of $9.2 million, Skenes overtakes Spencer Torkelson ($8,416,300) for possession of the largest bonus in MLB Draft history. Given what Skenes accomplished at LSU, it's money well-earned. In his one and only season with the Tigers, Skenes eschewed his two-way responsibilities from his time at Air Force and dominated opposing hitting, posting a 1.69 ERA across 122 2/3 innings with 209 strikeouts, earning a laundry list of awards and honors en route to winning a national championship.
2 (42): Mitch Jebb, SS, Michigan State
Pick value: $2,045,900
Signing bonus: $1,650,000
In three years with Michigan State, Jebb hit .327/.413/.464 with seven home runs and 38 steals. Jebb's best attribute is his speed, which MLB Pipeline gave a 65-grade on the 20-80 scale. Jebb primarily played shortstop with the Spartans, but could see some time in the outfield as a secondary position. Before the Draft, Jebb worked with former Major Leaguer Adam Eaton, Michigan State's director of player development, on getting acclimated to the outfield.
CB-B (67): Zander Mueth, RHP, Belleville East HS (IL)
Pick value: $1,128,200
Signing bonus: $1,797,500
Due to a combination of his low three-quarters release and southwestern Illinois background, Mueth drew comparisons to Red Sox right-hander Tanner Houck. In addition to a fastball that sits in the 92-to-94 mph range that can touch 97, the right-hander also features a slider (80-82 mph) and changeup (mid-80s). Mueth ended up being the only player selected by the Pirates in the first 10 rounds to go over-slot.
3 (73): Garret Forrester, 3B, Oregon State
Pick value: $990,300
Signing bonus: $772,500
Forrester had been one of the Pac-12's best bats since he stepped onto Oregon State's campus. During his career with the Beavers, Forrester hit .326/.470/.500 with 26 home runs in 177 games. In his final year with the club, Forrester earned an All-Pac-12 First Team selection by posting a 1.007 OPS with 10 home runs. Forrester was drafted as a third baseman but could likely transition to first base in pro ball.
4 (104): Carlson Reed, RHP, West Virginia
Pick value: $646,900
Signing bonus: $597,500
Reed didn't join West Virginia's rotation in his third and final year with the program, but the right-hander stepped into -- and excelled -- as the team's closer. As a junior, Reed had a 2.61 ERA with 60 strikeouts across 38 innings, recording seven saves and earning All-Big 12 First Team honors. Reed command requires polish (5.2 BB/9 in his collegiate career), an attribute of his game that could be ironed out in a professional setting.
5 (140): Patrick Reilly, RHP, Vanderbilt
Pick value: $455,600
Signing bonus: $453,100
Reilly, who stands at 6-foot-3 and roughly 208 pounds, features a 60-grade fastball that sits in the mid-90s and tops out at 98 mph, complementing the heat with a slider and changeup. The right-hander had an opportunity to join Vanderbilt's rotation as a junior but ended up in the bullpen for most of the season, primarily due to inconsistent command. While Reilly racked up the strikeouts (11.7 K/9) in college, he also racked up the walks (5.8 BB/9).
6 (167): Hunter Furtado, LHP, Alabama
Pick value: $351,400
Signing bonus: $348,900
During his time at The King's Academy (West Palm Beach, Fla.), Furtado had an opportunity to be coached by a pair of former Major Leaguers in Brad Wilkerson and Jarrod Saltalamacchia, both of whom likely prepared the southpaw for pro ball. Following one season with Wake Forest, Furtado transferred to Alabama, where he posted a 5.56 ERA across 68 innings with 71 strikeouts in two seasons. Furtado features a mid-90s fastball (55-grade per MLB Pipeline) as well as a slider and changeup.
7 (197): Jaden Woods, LHP, Georgia
Pick value: $273,800
Signing bonus: $271,300
Following two seasons in Georgia's bullpen, Woods transitioned to the Bulldogs' rotation to mixed results. In 10 starts, Woods had a 5.77 ERA with 62 strikeouts to 25 walks across 48 1/3 innings, missing a good chunk of time down the stretch due to biceps tendinitis. Woods features a low-90s fastball (55-grade), an upper-70s to lower-80s slurve (55-grade) and changeup (50-grade). Woods will need to refine his command as a professional, having walked 82 batters in 155 2/3 career collegiate innings (4.7 BB/9).
8 (227): Austin Strickland, RHP, Kentucky
Pick value: $216,900
Signing bonus: $197,500
Strickland ranked as the No. 6 overall recruit in Ohio coming out of Archbishop Moeller High School, but the right-hander was never quite able to work his way into Kentucky’s rotation in his three seasons with the program. Strickland finished his collegiate career with a 5.28 ERA across 102 1/3 innings with 124 strikeouts to 42 walks.
9 (257): Danny Carrion, RHP, University of California - Davis
Pick value: $184,500
Signing bonus: $157,500
Carrion became the first player selected out of UC Davis since Tanner Murray in 2020. As a junior, Carrion had a 2.45 ERA with 34 strikeouts in 29 1/3 innings out of the bullpen. During his three seasons as an Aggie, Carrion didn’t allow a single home run.
10 (287): Landon Tomkins, RHP, Louisiana Tech
Pick value: $171,200
Signing bonus: $15,000
Tomkins was a workhorse for Louisiana Tech as a senior, pitching 76 2/3 innings across a team-high 30 appearances as a multi-inning reliever. In three seasons with Louisiana Tech, Tomkins had a 3.94 ERA over 132 1/3 innings with 132 strikeouts to 67 walks.
11 (317): Magdiel Cotto, LHP, Kentucky
Signing bonus: $197,500
Cotto initially began his sophomore year in Kentucky’s rotation but spent more time as a reliever midway through the season, then exclusively relieved as a junior. During his three seasons, Cotto, who’s listed at 6’4”, 250 pounds, had a 6.37 ERA with 71 strikeouts in 59 1/3 innings.
12 (347): Khristian Curtis, RHP, Arizona State
Signing bonus: $497,500
While most of the Pirates’ draft selections from the 11th to 20th round fall somewhere in the range of $150K, Curtis ended up receiving the sixth-highest bonus of anyone in the Pirates’ 2023 Draft class. Curtis’ collegiate career was a bit rocky. Curtis, during his time at Texas A&M, didn’t pitch in ’21 due to ulnar nerve transposition surgery, then only made five starts in ’22 before being shut down and undergoing a procedure to remove stitches from his elbow. Curtis’ numbers upon transferring to Arizona State (7.03 ERA in 15 games) weren’t great, but the right-hander’s stuff (four-seamer, two-seamer, slider, slower curve, changeup) remains enticing.
13 (377): Charles McAdoo, 2B, San Jose State
Signing bonus: $150,000
After posting a modest .703 OPS as a true freshman, McAdoo put together an astonishing two-year run as a sophomore and junior. The Antioch, California product finished finished with a career. 325/.396/.572 slash line, named a Second-Team All-American by Collegiate Baseball in 2022 and First Team All-Mountain West in ’22 and ’23. With the Pirates not drafting a single outfielder, McAdoo, who played football at powerhouse De La Salle is expected to play outfield as a secondary position.
14 (407): Garrett McMillan, RHP, Alabama
Signing bonus: $150,000
McMillan had mixed results in two seasons in the Crimson Tide's rotation, posting a 4.49 ERA across 128 1/3 innings in two seasons at Alabama. The right-hander did a fine job of minimizing walks (3.01 BB/9), but struggled with the home run ball (1.75 HR/9).
15 (437): John Lopez, C, Puerto Rico Baseball Academy (PR)
Signing bonus: $125,000
Lopez had a verbal commitment to play baseball at Bethune-Cookman University, but instead opted to sign with the Pirates.
16 (467): Justin Miknis, C, Kent State
Signing bonus: $75,000
Miknis hit from the second he stepped on Kent State’s campus and never quite stopped hitting. In three seasons with Kent State, Miknis slashed .319/.405/.505 with 20 home runs and 117 RBI, being named First-Team All-MAC once and MAC All-Defensive Team twice.
17 (497): Daniel Cuvet, 3B, ESB Academy (FL)
Cuvet was the Pirates' only draft selection who did not agree to terms. He has a commitment to the University of Miami.
18 (527): Kalae Harrison, SS, N.C. State
Signing bonus: $150,000
Following two seasons at Texas A&M, Harrison transferred to N.C. State for his junior season, where he hit .313/.436/.426, leading the team in walks (37) and ranking second in runs scored (42) and hits (61). Harrison’s father, Kenny, briefly played in the Pirates’ Minor League organization.
19 (557): Tyler Kennedy, RHP, Florida Southwestern State College
Signing bonus: $172,500
Kennedy is familiar with Pittsburgh, having played with the University of Pittsburgh for one season before transferring to Florida Southwestern State College. In his lone season with the Buccaneers, Kennedy had a 4.99 ERA with 59 strikeouts across 48 2/3 innings.
20 (587): Peyton Stumbo, RHP, Nevada
Signing bonus: $150,000
During his three years at Nevada, Stumbo had a 6.20 ERA with 113 strikeouts across 132 innings.
Non-drafted free-agent signings
RHP Ronaldo Gallo
Every team's signings:
How bonus pools and pick values work
Each choice in the first 10 rounds comes with an assigned value, with the total for a club's selections equaling what it can spend in those rounds without incurring a penalty. If a player taken in the top 10 rounds doesn't sign, his pick's value gets subtracted from his team's pool. Clubs near the top of the Draft often spend less than the assigned value for those choices and use the savings to offer more money to later selections.
Teams that exceed their bonus pool face a penalty. Clubs that outspend their allotment by 0-5 percent pay a 75 percent tax on the overage. At higher thresholds, clubs lose future picks: a first-rounder and a 75 percent tax for surpassing their pool by more than 5 and up to 10 percent; a first- and a second-rounder and a 100 percent tax for more than 10 and up to 15 percent; and two first-rounders and a 100 percent tax for more than 15 percent.
Bonus pools by club
Pirates: $16,185,700
Tigers: $15,747,200
Nationals: $14,502,400
Twins: $14,345,600
Athletics: $14,255,600
Reds: $13,785,200
Mariners: $13,170,900
Marlins: $12,829,600
Royals: $12,313,500
Rockies: $11,909,800
D-backs: $11,084,300
Brewers: $10,950,600
Rays: $10,872,100
Orioles: $10,534,800
Red Sox: $10,295,100
Rangers: $9,925,300
Giants: $9,916,900
White Sox: $9,072,800
Cubs: $8,962,000
Guardians: $8,736,700
Mets: $8,440,400
Braves: $8,341,700
Angels: $8,328,900
Dodgers: $7,274,600
Astros: $6,747,900
Blue Jays: $6,529,700
Cardinals: $6,375,100
Padres: $5,416,000
Yankees: $5,299,400
Phillies: $5,185,500