Major League Baseball

Pittsburgh Pirates: 2017 MLB Draft Slot Allotments Announced

Updated Mar. 4, 2020 12:54 p.m. ET

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Fansided, Nicholas Caporoso/FanSided via Rum Bunter

Although the MLB Draft is months away, the MLB officially proposed the draft slots for each team.  The Pittsburgh Pirates have one of the larger bonuses to work with.

The Pittsburgh Pirates have four draft picks in the top 72 picks for the 2017 MLB Draft.  These picks include the number 12, 42, 50, and 72 picks overall.  Two of the four picks are add-on picks. Pick number 42 is compensation for failing to sign Competitive Balance pick Nick Lodolo in 2016. Also, the 72nd pick was awarded to the Pittsburgh Pirates as part of the Competitive Balance lottery.

The fact that they have additional draft picks, with relatively high picks in each round, gives the club a bonus that is larger than what they have had in quite a few years.  The Pittsburgh Pirates will have a bonus allotment of $9.652 million.  This gives them the seventh highest bonus in the league.  Teams ahead of them are: the Twins, Reds, Rays, Padres, Athletics, and Brewers.

For comparison, the Pittsburgh Pirates had $6.9 million to spend during last year’s draft.  The main reason is because they finished significantly better in 2015 than they did in 2016. They had a solid draft last year, but the extra money this year may allow them to take a chance on a player with more risk/higher ceiling in the first round.  Last year, the Bucs played it safe and took a solid college bat, who is a very good hitter, but lacks big time upside as an all around player. With having nearly $3 million extra to spend, the Pirates should be able to take a chance on a higher end talent, who may require an over-slot bonus.

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Another note regarding the bonus allotment, is the amount of money the Pittsburgh Pirates first round selection is given.  With the  number 12 overall pick, the Pittsburgh Pirates will be allotted $3.839 million. This is significant because they originally had the number 13 pick, which is slotted at about $150,000 less.  Although it may seem insignificant on paper, this amount of money could be the difference between a mid-round prep player signing with the Pirates or going to college.

Essentially, the more money allotted, the more flexibility it will give the Pittsburgh Pirates. With such a big budget compared to their draft positions, the Pirates will have a great opportunity to sign a lot of high-end talent this year.  This is a very important draft for the Pirates. The Bucs have graduated a lot of talent over the last two seasons, and they will continue to do so this year.  With four picks in the top 72, and one of the highest bonus allotments, they should be able to restock the farm.

All Bonus info is courtesy of Baseball America

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