The Pirates will have the first overall draft for the second time in three seasons next month and there are two names that are at the top of mocks, outfielder Dylan Crews and right-handed pitcher Paul Skenes, both out of LSU.
Those that are hoping the Pirates go with Skenes should be happy this this report.
In ESPN Kiley McDaniel’s latest mock, he says there is some “industry buzz” that Crews is “not interested” being picked by the Pirates.
“There’s a belief from those plugged into the Pirates pick that the Crews camp will not be willing to take whatever is offered at the first pick,” McDaniel writes.
He adds it could be a negotiation tactic as well and that the Pirates have been “aggressively looking into the non-Crews options,” since February.
It is also believed the Pirates will need to pay the full slot money allotment to pay for Crews if he’s picked first.
Crews batted .426 this season for LSU, with 110 hits, 16 doubles, two triples, 18 home runs and an OPS of 1.280.
He also helped the Tigers just win the College World Series.
If the Pirates do with Skenes, McDaniel says at worst he will be Jameson Taillon and at best, in the “David Price/Stephen Strasburg/Gerrit Cole tier.”