The
Pittsburgh Pirates are a
Major League Baseball (MLB)
franchise based in
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. They play in the
National League Central division. Since the establishment of
the Rule 4 Draft the Pirates have selected 72 players in the first round. Officially known as the "First-Year Player Draft",[1] the Rule 4 Draft is MLB's primary mechanism for assigning players from high schools, colleges, and other amateur clubs to its franchises. The draft order is determined based on the previous season's standings, with the team possessing the worst record receiving the first pick.[1] In addition, teams which lost
free agents in the previous off-season may be awarded
compensatory or supplementary picks.[2]
Of these 72 players, 27 have been
pitchers, the most of any position; 20 of these were right-handed, while 7 were left-handed. 17
outfielders and 15
shortstops were selected. The Pirates have also drafted 7
catchers, 3
first basemen, and 3
third basemen, but have never selected a
second baseman in the first round.[3] Eleven players came from high schools or universities in the state of California, while eight came from Florida.[3]
The Pirates have failed 3 times in signing a first-round draft pick. This first occurred in 2012, when the Pirates selected RHP Mark Appel from Stanford University, who sought a significant bonus which, according to new MLB rules, would have cost the Pirates a future draft pick. The Pirates received the 9th overall pick in the 2013 draft for their failure to sign Appel.[11]
Pedro Álvarez (2009) nearly went unsigned as he faced a contentious process in which Álvarez and the Pirates reached an initial deal after the signing deadline (with permission from MLB); his agent
Scott Boras and the
Players Association filed a grievance challenging this post-deadline deal, and ultimately the Pirates renegotiated a deal with him in September that year.[12][13] The Pirates have had ten compensatory picks overall since the first draft in 1965.[3] These additional picks are provided when a team loses a particularly valuable free agent in the previous off-season,[2][14][V] or, more recently, if a team fails to sign a draft pick from the previous year.[15]
V Through the 2012 draft,
free agents were evaluated by the
Elias Sports Bureau and rated "Type A", "Type B", or not compensation-eligible. If a team offered
arbitration to a player but that player refused and subsequently signed with another team, the original team was able to receive additional draft picks. If a "Type A" free agent left in this way, his previous team received a supplemental pick and a compensatory pick from the team with which he signed. If a "Type B" free agent left in this way, his previous team received only a supplemental pick.[15] Since the 2013 draft, free agents are no longer classified by type; instead, compensatory picks are only awarded if the team offered its free agent a contract worth at least the average of the 125 current richest MLB contracts.[73] However, if the free agent's last team acquired the player in a trade during the last year of his contract, it is ineligible to receive compensatory picks for that player.[74]
The
Pittsburgh Pirates are a
Major League Baseball (MLB)
franchise based in
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. They play in the
National League Central division. Since the establishment of
the Rule 4 Draft the Pirates have selected 72 players in the first round. Officially known as the "First-Year Player Draft",[1] the Rule 4 Draft is MLB's primary mechanism for assigning players from high schools, colleges, and other amateur clubs to its franchises. The draft order is determined based on the previous season's standings, with the team possessing the worst record receiving the first pick.[1] In addition, teams which lost
free agents in the previous off-season may be awarded
compensatory or supplementary picks.[2]
Of these 72 players, 27 have been
pitchers, the most of any position; 20 of these were right-handed, while 7 were left-handed. 17
outfielders and 15
shortstops were selected. The Pirates have also drafted 7
catchers, 3
first basemen, and 3
third basemen, but have never selected a
second baseman in the first round.[3] Eleven players came from high schools or universities in the state of California, while eight came from Florida.[3]
The Pirates have failed 3 times in signing a first-round draft pick. This first occurred in 2012, when the Pirates selected RHP Mark Appel from Stanford University, who sought a significant bonus which, according to new MLB rules, would have cost the Pirates a future draft pick. The Pirates received the 9th overall pick in the 2013 draft for their failure to sign Appel.[11]
Pedro Álvarez (2009) nearly went unsigned as he faced a contentious process in which Álvarez and the Pirates reached an initial deal after the signing deadline (with permission from MLB); his agent
Scott Boras and the
Players Association filed a grievance challenging this post-deadline deal, and ultimately the Pirates renegotiated a deal with him in September that year.[12][13] The Pirates have had ten compensatory picks overall since the first draft in 1965.[3] These additional picks are provided when a team loses a particularly valuable free agent in the previous off-season,[2][14][V] or, more recently, if a team fails to sign a draft pick from the previous year.[15]
V Through the 2012 draft,
free agents were evaluated by the
Elias Sports Bureau and rated "Type A", "Type B", or not compensation-eligible. If a team offered
arbitration to a player but that player refused and subsequently signed with another team, the original team was able to receive additional draft picks. If a "Type A" free agent left in this way, his previous team received a supplemental pick and a compensatory pick from the team with which he signed. If a "Type B" free agent left in this way, his previous team received only a supplemental pick.[15] Since the 2013 draft, free agents are no longer classified by type; instead, compensatory picks are only awarded if the team offered its free agent a contract worth at least the average of the 125 current richest MLB contracts.[73] However, if the free agent's last team acquired the player in a trade during the last year of his contract, it is ineligible to receive compensatory picks for that player.[74]