Wednesday, May 21st, 2008 by Adam Wagner
Beckham or Alvarez?
The Pirates are reportedly down to considering five players with their second overall pick in the MLB Amateur Draft. Two of these players are Georgia high school SS Tim Beckham and Vanderbilt 3B Pedro Alvarez, both players who have performed this season and both players who are expected to become major league sluggers.
Just from following the two over the past season, right now I would have to say that Beckham is the better choice since he would give the Pirates more versatility and, even though he plays SS right now, maybe be able to move over to 3B at some point. He is widely considered the most well-rounded player in the draft, as well, something that the Pirates should definitely take into consideration.
Alvarez is a slugger, but he has struggled at times and had a broken hand earlier this year. Last year, I saw him draw comparisons to a young Albert Pujols on one message board, something that wasn’t shouted down too loudly.
Both players are probably going to hit, but with P Trevor Crowe or Florida State C Buster Posey probably going first overall to the Tampa Rays, the Pirates are going to need to get this pick right as whoever it is will immediately become the second-best prospect in the Pirates’ organization.
2 Comments
May 23rd, 2008 at 3:57 pm
Assuming that Posey does not go #1 overall, the Pirates should do everything in their power to draft him. I have seen the kid play more than 20 times this year and I can tell you that he is fantastic and will probably be player of the year.
Buster is talented enough that he could be moved anywhere on the diamond, but specifically at a corner infield or outfield position and develop into a legit prospect.
Of course, knowing the Pirates, they will be enthralled by the 10 innings he has pitched this year, try to turn him into a late-inning setup man, and promptly blow out his elbow.
May 26th, 2008 at 11:29 pm
If I were the Pirates and Posey was still on the board if the Rays didn’t take him, then it would be most beneficial for them to draft Posey. With a lack of depth behind the plate, and legitimate players at 3B (Bautista & Walker) and SS (Wilson, Bixler, Friday), I believe that the Pirates are best off by taking a catcher. Not to mention the fact that they can always transition Posey to another position, which is not a major problem. With Alvarez’s injury and Bekman’s inexperience; high school players can be hit-or-miss or considered high risk-high reward, compared to a college player, the Pirates should greatly consider taking Posey with their second pick.
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