Baseball America releases report card for Pirates' 2014 draft

Baseball America has released its report card (subscriber-only) for the Pirates' 2014 draft. The gist is that the Bucs didn't get many toolsy players, but they got some pitching upside in Mitch Keller (Round 2), Trey Supak (Competitive Balance Round B) and Gage Hinsz (who got a $580,000 bonus after the Pirates picked him in the 11th round).

The rest of it is filled with praise for first-rounder Cole Tucker, at least for how he compares to the rest of the Pirates' draft class. BA calls Tucker the best pure hitter and defender the Pirates drafted, and says 19th-rounder Carl Anderson is the only draftee who rivals Tucker's speed. Competitive Balance Round A pick Connor Joe is the Pirates' closest pick to the majors. Joe hasn't yet made his pro debut because of a back issue, but as an early-round pick out of college, it's hard to argue with that choice. BA also praises 20th-rounder John Sever, who dominated at Bristol, striking out 63 batters in 40 2/3 innings.