Pirates 2014 draft: Day 3 roundup

The bonus pool system has taken much of the drama out of the last day of the draft, but the Pirates do usually manage to draft a few players to watch on the last day. This year they did just that, with 11th-rounder Gage Hinsz and perhaps also 34th-rounder Colin Welmon probably being the guys to watch. A lot of the information here comes from Baseball America, and I highly recommend subscribing. Here are the key Pirates draftees for Day 3.

11. RHP Gage Hinsz, Montana HS. Yes, he's a high school pitcher from Montana with the goofiest name this side of "Wirfin Obispo," but he's probably the most interesting guy the Pirates got today. That's not surprising, given that the 11th round is the first one in which you can draft a player like this without fear of losing bonus pool money if he doesn't sign. Baseball America ranks Hinsz the No. 188 prospect in the draft, and he's a big kid with low-90s velocity, a fluid delivery and decent secondary pitches, so he has the potential to stick as a starter. He's committed to Oregon State, and if you were paying attention to the draft you surely noticed that Oregon State has done a pretty good job cranking out draftable talents, so it will probably take a significant bonus to sign him. He might be worth it.

12. SS Tyler Filliben, Samford. Baseball America ranked Filliben the No. 320 prospect in the draft and the No. 7 prospect in the state of Alabama, suggesting he would probably move to another position, perhaps third base, with a move to first or the outfield down the line. He's a senior, so signability shouldn't be an issue.

15. RHP Eric Dorsch, Kent State. BA rank: 443. He's a senior and a potential bullpen guy. He's also 6-foot-8 and 270 pounds, so if baseball doesn't work out, he could try joining the Steelers' offensive line. BA notes that his velocity only gets as high as 93 MPH, which isn't the greatest, since he surely doesn't have much projectability left.

16. RHP Sam Street, Texas-Pan American. BA rank: 485. He's another senior, and he throws with little velocity and from a low arm angle, so he'll probably be a bullpen type.

21. OF Eric Thomas Jr., Texas HS. BA rank: 281. He's fast and toolsy but raw both offensively and defensively, so he'll be a project. He's committed to Sam Houston State.

23. LHP Zach Warren, New Jersey HS. BA doesn't rank Warren, but it praised him in a report last year. He's tall, at 6-foot-4, and he throws in the high 80s. He's committed to Tulane. He comes from the same school as Angels second-rounder Joe Gatto.

24. 3B Denis Karas, California HS. I don't know much about him, but he's committed to Cal, so he's probably a reasonably good talent, and it probably won't be easy to sign him.

31. RHP Luis Paula, UNC. BA doesn't rank him in their top 500, but they do name him the No. 21 prospect in the state of North Carolina. Paula is a junior at a big program, so it's unlikely the Pirates will sign him unless they really see something they like.

32. RHP Montana DuRapau, Bethune-Cookman. BA describes this guy as a "crafty senior," but I want to draw your attention to his awesome name. He'll surely be signable, so we'll probably get to savor it for a couple years.

34. RHP Colin Welmon, Loyola Marymount. BA rank: 174. BA says Welmon has only back-of-the-rotation potential and uses the word "moxie" in its scouting report, which is never a great sign, but it appears he has reasonable velocity and the makings of a couple of average secondary pitches. MLB ranks Welmon the No. 143 prospect in the draft. He finished his season with three straight complete games. He's a junior. It's unclear why he fell this far, but signability probably has something to do with it.

37. LHP Bryant Holtmann, Florida State. Holtmann (seen in the photo above) is a tall lefty with low-90s velocity, but he went down in April with a forearm strain and hasn't pitched since. The Pirates may wait for a month or so to try to determine if he's healthy. If he isn't, he could end up going back to Florida State, since he's a junior.