Pittsburg, PA
Baseball America has the Pittsburgh Pirates taking two pitchers in their recent mock draft
Baseball America recently released their staff mock draft for the first 39 selections of the draft. Five of their writers, including Ben Badler, Carlos Collazo, JJ Cooper, Peter Flaherty, and Geoff Pontes, did their mock draft. The Pittsburgh Pirates have two selections in the first 39 picks. That includes the 9th overall pick and the 37th overall pick, with Pontes getting to choose the 9th pick and Badler taking the 37th pick. The two players they selected would build upon the biggest strength of the organization, but many fans probably wouldn’t like it as it ignores the weakest part of the system.
Pontes has right-handed pitcher Trey Yesavage trading in his East Carolina Pirates uniform for a Pittsburgh Pirates uniform. Yesavage has had a great season, working to a 2.09 ERA, 0.88 WHIP, and 4.96 K:BB ratio through 86 frames. Yesavage has struck out a staggering 41.7% of the batters he’s faced to pair with a strong 8.4% walk rate. He’s also only allowed four home runs this season.
Yesavage throws four pitches, all sitting at an above-average level or better. He isn’t like the Pirates’ last first-round pick pitcher, Paul Skenes, as he only sits 93-95 MPH, but it plays as an above-average pitch already because of its carry. His two breaking pitches include a slider and a curveball. Of the two, the former is the better. It’s a mid-80s offering with good lateral movement, according to MLB Pipeline. But his curveball is still a good pitch. His splitter gives him a plus off-speed offering.
Yesavage keeps his arm short in his wind-up and delivers the ball from an overhead arm slot. He is also from Pennsylvania, Pottstown to be specific. This arm slot also helps his fastball get good vertical movement through the zone. He will turn 21 soon after the draft and is considered a top-12 draft prospect by most outlets.
Kuhns is also a PA pitcher, hailing from the historic town of Gettysburg. He is a projectable arm as he stands at 6’3”, 177-LBS. The lanky right-hander can hit the mid-90s. Along with some projectability, he has a quick arm that should help him add velo as he ages. But his curveball is a fun pitch to watch. Kuhns’ breaking offering can hit 3000 RPM. He also can spin his slider well.
Now, it’s still only a mock draft. Nothing is set in stone, so take it for what you will. But if the Pirates truly went this direction with their picks (or even just took one pitcher with their first two picks), you’d almost have to assume they would deal from within the system at the trade deadline for controllable position players. Either way, this would add to a system that has arguably the most pitching depth among any team. However, we shall see how the Pirates draft come July.
Vegas Golden Knights (28-17-14, in the Pacific Division) vs. Pittsburgh Penguins (30-15-13, in the Metropolitan Division)
Pittsburgh; Sunday, 1 p.m. EST
BETMGM SPORTSBOOK LINE: Golden Knights -149, Penguins +125; over/under is 6.5
BOTTOM LINE: The Pittsburgh Penguins and the Vegas Golden Knights square off in a non-conference matchup.
Pittsburgh has a 14-8-7 record at home and a 30-15-13 record overall. The Penguins have scored 197 total goals (3.4 per game) to rank 10th in NHL play.
Vegas is 28-17-14 overall and 14-9-7 in road games. The Golden Knights are 27-6-8 in games they score at least three goals.
Sunday’s game is the first meeting between these teams this season.
TOP PERFORMERS: Anthony Mantha has 21 goals and 23 assists for the Penguins. Benjamin Kindel has six goals and one assist over the last 10 games.
Mark Stone has 21 goals and 38 assists for the Golden Knights. Pavel Dorofeyev has seven goals and three assists over the past 10 games.
LAST 10 GAMES: Penguins: 7-1-2, averaging 4.2 goals, 7.1 assists, 3.3 penalties and 6.9 penalty minutes while giving up 2.5 goals per game.
Golden Knights: 4-4-2, averaging 3.5 goals, 5.8 assists, 2.6 penalties and 5.8 penalty minutes while giving up 3.3 goals per game.
INJURIES: Penguins: None listed.
Golden Knights: None listed.
___
The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.
PITTSBURGH — Oneil Cruz needs to have a great season for the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2026 and his strong Spring Training continued in their most recent victory.
Cruz hit a three-run home run off of Houston Astros right-handed pitcher Jayden Murray in the top of the fifth inning, playing a big role in the 5-2 victory at CACTI Park of the Palm Beaches in West Palm Beach, Fla.
He waited on a changeup on the second pitch, 85.1 mph over the middle of the plate and sent it 106.4 mph off the bat and 368 feet, scoring both left fielder Billy Cook and third baseman Alika Williams with two outs.
That marks the first home run for Cruz in the Grapefruit League, who has had a great Spring Training so far, slashing .538/.600/.846 for an OPS of 1.446 in five games, with seven hits in 13 at-bats.
Pittsburgh got the win after the top of the sixth inning, after a rain delay ended the game.
Pirates Rookie Pitchers Have Up-And-Down Showing vs. Astros
Right-handed pitcher Braxton Ashcraft made his second start for the Pirates in the Grapefruit League and dominated vs. the Astros.
Ashcraft threw three scoreless innings, allowing just one hit and a walk, while posting two strikeouts for Pittsburgh.
Former Pirates pitcher, right-handed starter Mike Burrows, countered Ashcraft for the Astros. He threw three scoreless innings himself, allowed one hit and a walk and posted four strikeouts.
The Pirates traded Burrows to the Houston Astros in the three-team trade with the Tampa Bay Rays on Dec. 19, that landed them second baseman Brandon Lowe, outfielder Jake Mangum and left-handed relief pitcher Mason Montgomery.
Right-handed pitcher Bubba Chandler made his second appearance for the Pirates in the Grapefruit League and threw two innings.
Chandler immediately loaded the bases, walking both third baseman Carlos Correa and first baseman Christian Walker, then giving up a single to center fielder Cam Smith.
He came back and struckout right fielder Taylor Trammell and got left fielder Zach Dezenzo to pop out, but gave up a single to second baseman Brice Matthews and a run to the Astros, before ending the inning with a strikeout.
Chandler also gave up a solo home run to Astros third baseman Isaac Paredes, on a slider down in the zone.
He finished his outing with three hits, three walks and two earned runs allowed over 1.1 innings pitched, before left-handed pitcher Derek Diamond got the last two outs of the inning.
Chandler struggled in his first Spring Training start vs. the New York Yankees at LECOM Park in Bradenton on Feb. 23, where he allowed four earned runs over 1.2 innings of work.
The Pirates will need better showings from Chandler, who should serve as a key piece of their starting rotation in 2026.
Other Important Notes from Pirates Victory
The Pirates added two runs in the top of the sixth inning, as Cook hit a single that scored second baseman Nick Yorke and then Williams singled, scoring Cook to make it a 5-2 ball game.
Cook had just one hit in eight at-bats coming into this game and scored twice in the victory, as he walked before the Cruz home run.
Designated hitter Marcell Ozuna led the Pirates with two hits, a good sign for them, as they’ll rely on him greatly for his power and hitting in 2026.
The Pirates are now 7-2 in the Grapefruit League and tied with the Yankees for the top of the standings.
Make sure to visit Pirates OnSI for the latest news, updates, interviews and insight on the Pittsburgh Pirates!
Pittsburg, PA
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