2013 MLB Draft: Pirates connected to Colin Moran, Reese McGuire

I wrote a draft update tonight at MLBTR, and with the draft just over a month away, now seems like a good time to begin covering it here.

Essentially, the Astros and Cubs are up first, and it looks fairly likely that Mark Appel (blah) and fellow college pitcher Jonathan Gray will go, in some order, in the first two picks, although we still don't really know what the Astros are going to do, and they passed on Appel once before. After that, it isn't clear what will happen, although college hitter Kris Bryant, college pitcher Sean Manaea and a few others seem very likely to come off the board before the Pirates have their first pick at No. 9.

Baseball America writes that the Pirates like UNC third baseman Colin Moran. Moran has mature plate discipline and has shown good power this year, so he seems pretty likely to get through the minors without too much trouble, but there are questions about his swing (that last link is Insider-only). If he's still around at No. 9, though, he appears to be good value at that pick.

ESPN (again, Insider-only) connects the Pirates with Washington state high school catcher Reese McGuire. There isn't yet much agreement about how to value McGuire, with guesses ranging from No. 4 to No. 21, but ESPN notes that the Pirates have scouted McGuire heavily and have two picks within that range. McGuire is supposed to be strong defensively, and he hits left-handed, which is pretty sweet for a catcher in general and for a Pirates catcher in particular.

The great thing about this draft is that the Pirates could well take both these guys, given that they pick at No. 9 and No. 14. You might grumble that the Pirates drafted a third baseman in the first round in 2008 and a catcher in 2009, but that's really not the point; you don't draft for need.