2015 MLB Draft Day 2 open thread: Pirates pick Casey Hughston, Jacob Taylor

The second day of the draft gets underway at 1:00, and teams will head rapid-fire through rounds three through 10. I'll post at least one more thread later today (perhaps once Round 5 is completed) before recapping the day once it's complete.

If you missed it, the Pirates drafted Arizona shortstop Kevin Newman, Texas high school third baseman Ke'Bryan Hayes and UCLA shortstop Kevin Kramer yesterday. None of them appear to be all that difficult to sign, so the Pirates should have some room to take risks today (or in the 11th round tomorrow) if they want to. Here's a list of the top remaining players. Big names still available include injured Duke pitcher Michael Matuella as well as Tennessee high school pitcher Donny Everett, a hard-throwing righty who was connected to the Bucs in mock drafts. There are a number of other interesting high school pitchers available as well, including Justin Hooper and Dakota Chalmers. Also still on board is Virginia outfielder Joe McCarthy, who had been connected to the Pirates in at least one mock draft and who would fit in well with the rest of this draft class so far, in that he's a contact-oriented college hitter.

UPDATE: The Pirates have selected Casey Hughston, an outfielder from the University of Alabama, in the third round. MLB.com notes that it looks like he'll be a corner outfielder even though he has the wheels to play center, since he his reads and routes aren't the best. He hit .332/.389/.502 with six homers and 12 steals this year. He did not, however, control the strike zone last year as well as the Pirates' Day 1 college picks did -- Hughston had 55 strikeouts against 22 walks. Baseball America ranked him the No. 105 prospect in the draft, describing him as a potential fourth outfielder who could become something better than that if he can improve his approach at the plate or improve defensively. He turns 21 today and is a draft-eligible sophomore.

UPDATE: The Pirates have taken Jacob Taylor, a righty from a Mississippi community college, in the fourth round. Until recently, he was mostly an outfielder, but MLB.com (which ranks Taylor the No. 77 prospect in the draft) notes that he sits at 93 MPH now and can throw as hard as 97 MPH. He has a slider that's inconsistent but potentially good, and he needs to work on his changeup, which probably isn't surprising given his background and youth (he won't turn 20 until next month). He's 6-foot-3. Baseball America (which ranks Taylor No. 97 in the draft and No. 1 in Mississippi) characterizes him as a "project" but notes that he has terrific tools. He's committed to LSU, so he might require a significant signing bonus.