Gonna get caught up on the blog here in a few minutes but one of our favorite players just got popped. North Pole High produces a 15th-round pick in lefthander Chris Aure, who went to the Pirates with the second pick of the round.

Aure is the best prep product from Alaska in years, probably since Chad Bentz came out of Juneau in the late 1990s. Bentz was signed out of Long Beach State and pitched briefly in the majors; Aure might be a better prospect. He’s not as physical but he has solid velocity in the mid-to-upper 80s, he’s touched the low 90s, and he’s shown solid-average secondary stuff. A 6-footer, he’s not typically projectable but he also is from the NORTH POLE. Well, not really, because North Pole, Alaska, is right around Fairbanks. But the point is, this guy has never been a full-time baseball player, and he could get a lot better with more experience.

Aure would be a perfect draft-and-follow. He committed to Cochize (Ariz.) JC after touring Arizona as a member of the Langley (B.C.) Blaze travel team, and might be a better pick after a year or two of juco ball.