Wednesday, May 21st, 2008 by Adam Wagner

Beckham or Alvarez?

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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.

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