Draft Dope: Pirates

June 6, 2007

Draft History (Click the year to view the picks)
Year	Top Pick
1992	Jason Kendall
1993	Charles Peterson
1994	Mark Farris
1995	Chad Hermansen
1996	Kris Benson
1997	J.J. Davis
1998	Clint Johnson
1999	Bobby Bradley
2000	Sean Burnett
2001	John VanBenschoten
2002	Bryan Bullington
2003	Paul Maholm
2004	Neil Walker
2005	Andrew McCutchen
2006	Brad Lincoln

Scouting Director: Ed Creech (first year: 2002)
Order in 2007 Rotation: 4th
Extra Picks: None
Lost Picks: None
Trend: The Pirates built a reputation for taking toolsy athletes in the 1980s and 1990s, but they've drafted pitchers with their top pick in seven of the last nine years, and only lefthander Paul Maholm (2003) has worked out. The rest have had arm surgery of some kind--most recently 2006 pick Brad Lincoln, who went down this spring--or simply failed to pan out (Clint Johnson).
This Year's Outlook: Word among scouts had the Pirates bearing down on hitters due to their recent troubled run of first-round pitchers. That's also an area of need because their big league team is stocked with homegrown pitchers such as Maholm, Tom Gorzelanny and Ian Snell. Due in part to PNC Park, the Pirates were said to be focusing on lefthanded bats.