Below are bios and a list of the four selections (12th, 42nd, 50th and 72nd) the Pirates made in the first day of the 2017 First-Year Player Draft.
Round 1 (#12) - Shane Baz RHP Concordia Lutheran (TX) HS
Was named a first-team all-district in 2017 while going 6-2 with a 0.93 ERA and 96 strikeouts ... Was tabbed by Baseball America as having the second-best fastball among high school pitchers in this year's draft along with being the 11th-best prospect available overall ... Earned 2017 Rawlings-Perfect Game First-Team All-American honors as well as Texas All-Region First-Team accolades..Is the first high school pitcher the Pirates have selected in the first round of the draft since Jameson Taillon in 2010 ... Was a member of the 18U U.S. National Team that won a Gold Medal in October of 2016 ... Posted a 1.06 ERA and 46 strikeouts over 23 innings of work as a junior at Concordia Lutheran ... Attended the same high school as minor league infielder Ke'Bryan Hayes, who the Pirates selected 32nd overall in the supplemental first round of the 2015 draft.
Round 2 (#42) - Steve Jennings RHP DeKalb County (TN) HS
Was named a 2017 Rawlings-Perfect Game honorable mention All-American and a Southeast All-Region First-Team ... Was rated by MLBPipeline.com 47th on the 2017 Prospect Watch ... .Also played football for DeKalb County, where he was the quarterback of the team and the 4-3A Offensive MVP in 2015 after passing for 2,131 yards, 19 touchdowns and three interceptions while also rushing for 908 yards.
Round 2 (#50) Calvin Mitchell OF Rancho Bernardo (CA) HS
Was a 2017 Rawlings-Perfect Game First-Team All-American and California All-Region First-Team selection ... Hit .369 (38-for-103) with six doubles, 11 home runs and 34 RBI in 34 games as a senior at Rancho Bernardo.
Comp B. (#72) Conner Uselton OF Southmoore (OK) HS
Was a 2017 Rawlings-Perfect Game First-Team All-American and West All-Region First- Team selection.