Looking Ahead at the Draft- What will the Pirates do at #2

Let's take a look at Monday's upcoming amateur draft and lets take a look at what the Pirates will do with the second overall pick.  With "The Chosen One" Bryce Harper going to Washington at number one, many names have surfaced about who the Bucs will select.

I've cut that list down to two, as there should only be two real candidates for that pick.  It should either be Miami Brito High School shortstop Manny Machado (pictured to the left) or right hander Jameson Tallion out of The Woodlands High School in Texas.

Let's look at Machado today.  Here is the scouting report on him.

Manny Machado - SS
Miami Brito HS, Sr.

Birthdate: 7/6/92

Height: 6'3"

Weight: 190lbs.

Bats: Right

Throws: Right

Scout's report filed: 3/18/10

Scouting Report

Hitting ability: Machado is swinging the bat very well, with authority. He led Team USA in hitting last summer
Power: He has the chance to have good power.
Running speed: He's run well in the past, though he might slow down as he matures.
Base running: He's fine on the basepaths.
Arm strength: He's got plenty of arm for his position.
Fielding: He makes the plays he can get to.
Range: This is the question, whether he'll have enough range to stay at shortstop as he gets bigger and stronger.
Physical Description: A big, strong athletic high school shortstop in the Miami area, Machado obviously draws young Alex Rodriguez comparisons.
Medical Update: Healthy.
Strengths: Big, strong, looks the part, plenty of tools, especially with the bat.
Weaknesses: Already pretty big, he may not be able to stay at shortstop in the long-term.

Summary: Machado entered the season as the top high school position player and has done nothing to diminish that evaluation. Big and athletic, he can do just about everything on the baseball field, with the ability to hit for plenty of average and some power as he matures. He's got more than enough arm to play shortstop and is fine there for now, though there is some concern he'll outgrow the position. Even if he does, he'd be just fine at third, both in terms of handling the position defensively and providing the kind of offense teams look for at the hot corner. Regardless of his position, Machado is primed to be one of the earliest names taken off the board in June.

You can also Check out video on Machado and other prospects

Here are clips of Machado playing in World Wood Bat Championships





He will be 17 at the time of the draft and it's hard for me to pass up on a guy with five tool talent like Machado.  Anytime a player draws any type of comparison to A-Rod then you have to pay attention.  At the end of May, Machado was hitting over .670 for his high school team.  Now this is Miami, so the competition is legit.  He has also hit 12 homers so far.  That number likely won't go up much as Machado is being intentionally walked most of the time now.

I would be all for taking this guy because most scouting reports have the "Can't Miss" label attached to him.  The Pirates are thin at short, but some see Machado being a third baseman in the big leagues.  If that were the case, it would likely mean a move to first base for Pedro Alvarez in three or four seasons.

The Pirates will likely pass on Machado though.  Reason one- well, they are the Pirates. Daniel Moskos, anyone?  Secondly, you guessed it.  Machado is represented by Scott Boras.  Could be a long and interesting summer of negotiating.

I will give you the full report on Tallion tomorrow.