Pirates pick 2-way player Jack Brannigan, then prioritize pitching on 2nd day of MLB Draft

Before the MLB Draft, Ben Cherington acknowledged that the top of the draft was deep with talented position players but hinted that the Pittsburgh Pirates would prioritize pitching after the first round.

“Despite the changes that have happened at the major league level, it’s still true that really good starting pitching is really, really valuable,” Cherington said on July 13. “Good teams have it and we want to be a good team, so we’re no different. We want it, too.”

The Pirates started the second day of the draft by taking a two-way player in the third round for the second consecutive year. After taking Georgia prep pitcher/shortstop Bubba Chandler last year, the Pirates picked third baseman/right-handed pitcher Jack Brannigan from Notre Dame at No. 83 overall Monday afternoon.

The 6-foot-1, 190-pound Brannigan started 56 games at third base for the Fighting Irish and made 11 appearances on the mound this past season, including one start, and prefers to be a position player. The Pirates are expected to make that a priority before introducing him to pitching, much like they did with Chandler last summer.

There’s a lot to like about Brannigan’s bat. He slashed .291/.360/.540 with 15 doubles, 12 home runs and 46 RBIs, leading the team in doubles and finishing second in hits (62) and homers this season. He hit the go-ahead home run in Notre Dame’s 7-3 comeback win over top-ranked Tennessee on June 12, helping the program clinch its third all-time trip to the College World Series.

Jack Brannigan FOR THE LEAD! #GoIrish pic.twitter.com/FcXtcZXvOe

— Notre Dame Fighting Irish (@Insidetheirish) June 12, 2022

As a relief pitcher, Brannigan was 2-2 with a 7.36 ERA, two saves and 28 strikeouts against eight walks in 2022. In three seasons, he was 4-2 with a 6.94 ERA and 1.50 WHIP in 23 1/3 innings over 21 appearances, averaging 14.3 strikeouts and 5.4 walks per nine innings.

Considered the best college arm in the Midwest, Brannigan has a fastball that sits at 95-97 mph and touches triple digits, a mid-80s slider and a changeup. He is ranked the No. 164 prospect by MLB.com. The slot value for the 83rd pick is $770,300.

“Brannigan has the three-pitch mix, resilience and athleticism to make it as a starter,” MLB.com wrote in its scouting report. “He’d need to improve his control and his consistency which should happen if he focuses on pitching.”

Related:

• Pirates pick prep middle infielder Termarr Johnson with No. 4 overall pick in MLB Draft
• 'We believe in him': Pirates impressed by 1st-rounder Termarr Johnson's confident approach

The Pirates selected the draft’s top hitting prospect in middle infielder Termarr Johnson of Atlanta’s Mays High School with the No. 4 overall pick in the first round Sunday night. They added a pair of college pitchers in Campbell right-hander Thomas Harrington at No. 36 in the Competitive Balance Round A and Florida lefty Hunter Barco at No. 44 in the second round. The Pirates have a draft bonus pool of $13,733,900, the fourth-largest in the draft.

After Brannigan, the Pirates took pitchers with five of their next six selections, including a pair of lefties. Cherington indicated that the Pirates were searching for certain characteristics more so than production.

“What we’re looking for first and foremost is who has the physical traits, the pitch traits, the psychological traits to perform as a major league pitcher and focus on that first,” Cherington said. “If there are pitchers that we think have a better chance to be starters, to provide length in the game then those pitchers would get some credit. But beyond that, trying not to get too more precise than that because it’s hard enough to do the first few things. We just believe that, over time, if we can identify and develop enough good pitching, then we can figure out how to use them optimally at the major league level.”

The Pirates added a prep pitcher in the fourth round, selecting left-hander Michael Kennedy of Troy (N.Y.) High School. The 6-1, 205-pound Kennedy, who doesn’t turn 18 until Nov. 30, is an LSU commit with an above-average fastball, a good slider and a solid changeup. He was 6-0 with an 0.60 ERA in 35 innings, surrendering 15 hits and eight walks while striking out 65 as a senior. A member of USA Baseball’s 18-under team, Kennedy was ranked the draft’s No. 89 prospect by MLB.com. The slot value for the 110th pick is $554,600.

In the fifth round, the Pirates picked Georgia Tech outfielder Tres Gonzalez. The 6-foot, 185-pounder is a left-handed hitter who batted .339 with five home runs and 57 RBIs in 60 games, striking out just 27 times in 230 at-bats. Gonzalez finished second in batting average (.331) in the Cape Cod League last summer and has the speed and instincts to play center field, even though he didn’t play there much in college. Gonzalez is ranked the No. 138 prospect by MLB.com. Slot value for the No. 140 pick is $414,300.

Then it was back to pitching, taking a pair of prospects who they might be able to sign to deals under slot value. In the sixth round, they took 6-2, 200-pound right-hander Derek Diamond from national champion Ole Miss. Diamond was 4-4 with a 6.89 ERA and .292 batting average against with 57 strikeouts against 13 walks last season, when he went from Friday night starter to not pitching in the College World Series. Slot value for the No. 170 pick is $311,400. In the seventh round, they picked Minnesota right-hander J.P. Massey, who was 2-8 with a 6.52 ERA and had 63 strikeouts and 39 walks in 14 appearances, including 12 starts, as a senior for the Gophers. Slot value for the No. 200 pick is $242,800.

In the eighth round, the Pirates picked BYU lefty Cy Nielson. A 40th-round pick by Cleveland in 2019 who chose college instead of signing, the 6-3, 210-pounder Nielson made 10 starts in 50 appearances at BYU, going 6-6 with a 5.20 ERA. He made 28 relief appearances in 2022, going 3-0 with a 3.21 ERA and 1.04 WHIP, 45 strikeouts and seven walks. Slot value for the No. 230 pick is $193,000.

In the ninth round, the Pirates picked Yale right-hander Mike Walsh, who was 4-2 with a 5.68 ERA and 1.37 WHIP in 65 innings over 11 starts this season. Walsh had 80 strikeouts and gave up 31 walks and 12 homers. Slot value for the No. 260 pick is $166,100.

In the 10th round, the Pirates picked Oklahoma outfielder Tanner Tredaway. The 6-1, 175-pounder slashed .370/.414/.549 with 18 doubles, three triples, nine home runs and 66 RBIs as a fifth-year senior in 2022. Tredaway turns 23 on Aug. 24, so he’s likely to sign for less than the slot value of $154,900 at No. 290.