The Pittsburgh Pirates have officially signed LHP Hunter Barco, their second round pick from the draft, according to Jim Callis.
Barco, the 44th pick of the draft, signed for $1,525,00 . The Bucs get their 2nd pick of the 14 college pitchers they drafted for around $250,000 under the slot value.
The lefty starter spent his collegiate career as a Florida Gator, bursting on the scene in 2020 with an impressive 1.40 ERA in 5 games.
Hunter was off to a good start to the 2022 season as well, posting a 2.50 ERA through 9 starts, before his season was cut short due to getting Tommy John Surgery in May.
His pre-draft ranking was 75th by MLB Pipeline.
Before his injury, many saw him being a potential first rounder if he kept his solid form throughout the season.
If he does bounce back to be the pitcher he was before the surgery, he could be seen as a second round steal by the Pirates. He is said to have a nasty sweeping slider at around 80-mph and then can come right back at you with a fastball around 95-mph.
Hunter is also known to have advanced command of his pitches and could see an uptick in velocity as well due to his surgery.
Tommy John is known to take up to a year or longer to recover, it is yet to be seen how the Pirates will handle his timetable.
