The Pirates have signed four more draft picks, in addition to sixth-rounder Dan Gamache: 24th-rounder Brian Sharp, 29th-rounder Kirk Singer, 30th-rounder Matthew Benedict, and 31st-rounder Derek Trent. All four are with State College, and the Spikes' roster appears to be ready to go.
UPDATE: You can add Taylor Lewis, the Pirates' 10th-round draft choice out of the University of Maine, to the list of signees. Lewis will probably be the Spikes' main center fielder, at least for now.
PITCHERS
Stetson Allie, Cliff Archibald, Matt Benedict, Fraylin Campos, Emmanuel De Leon, Mitchell Fienemann, Ryan Hafner, Nick Kingham, Kevin Kleis, Joan Montero, Vincent Payne, Joely Rodriguez, Bryce Weidman
CATCHERS
Samuel Gonzalez, Matthew Skirving, Derek Trent
INFIELDERS
Jorge Bishop, Jesus Brito, Walker Gourley, Brian Sharp, Kirk Singer, Michaelangel Trinidad
OUTFIELDERS
Justin Bencsko, Exicardo Cayonez, Wesley Freeman
Obviously, the roster will change as more picks sign. Some notes:
-P- In minor-league camp, Kyle Stark told me that Brito had been switched to pitcher, but here he's listed as an infielder. Weird.
-P- Among the pitchers, the top prospects are Allie, Kingham, Hafner, and perhaps Rodriguez and Payne.
-P- Bishop split time at shortstop and second base last year, but is now listed as a second baseman. Gourley, Sharp and Singer are all listed as shortstops, while Brito is listed as a third baseman. It'll probably be a couple weeks before we find out what all that means.
-P- Of the new draft pick signings, Trent might turn out to be the most interesting. He was a college senior, so he didn't have much leverage, but at least a couple sources I've seen, including WTM and John Sickels, think he's a prospect. Given the lack of outfielders currently on the Spikes roster, Trent could see some time out there on days he's not catching. I assume the Pirates will also want to find some at-bats for Samuel Gonzalez, who's already 22 but hit really well in the DSL last year.
-P- I assume the Pirates will eventually add an outfielder or two through the draft. Right now, the only one who should be a really high priority is Cayonez (who's the best position-player prospect on the team). It's amazing that Freeman is still only 21; it feels like he's been around forever. He hasn't hit at all.
-P- Singer and Benedict both appear to be organizational players. Sharp hit well for California Baptist, but is already almost 23 after taking a couple years off to do firefighter training, so he'll have to move quickly to be a prospect.
-P- It isn't yet clear where Gamache will be assigned. I would've thought he'd be at State College, but so far he isn't listed there.
-P- Kimera Bartee will be the Spikes' manager; Dave Turgeon, who had been scheduled to managed the Spikes, is now the pitching coach at West Virginia, after Jeff Johnson took a leave of absence.
-P- I'm not sure if there will be an announcement about the GCL roster - we'll probably just have to wait for the games. But the roster currently posted at MILB.com at least makes some sense, given the players at minor-league camp and the rosters for other teams. Obviously, as more picks sign, this will change. But so far the big prospects are Luis Heredia, Dovydas Neverauskas, Cesar Lopez, Jared Lakind, and Gregory Polanco.