Pirates sign 8 more members of 2025 draft class, bringing total to 12

The Pittsburgh Pirates announced eight more signings from their 2025 draft class Wednesday, all of whom were assigned to the rookie Florida Complex League in Bradenton.

Shortstop Gustavo Melendez (fourth round, Colegio la Merced, Puerto Rico), catcher Adonys Guzman (fifth, Arizona), outfielder Josh Tate (eighth, Georgia Southern), second baseman Dylan Palmer (11th, Hofstra), righty Cameron Keshock (12th, Samford), outfielder Eddie King (16th, Louisville), outfielder Canon Reeder (18th, Oregon State) and righty Brandon Cain (19th, Oklahoma) are now officially part of the Pirates organization.

The Pirates also announced the signing of non-drafted free agent Draven Zeigler, a right-handed pitcher out of LSU Shreveport.

Along with their No. 6 overall pick, 19-year-old righty Seth Hernandez, plus third baseman Murf Gray, right-hander Jack Anker and shortstop Matt King, the Pirates have inked 12 players from the 2025 draft.

Melendez, the highest-drafted signee of Wednesday’s bunch, was ranked the No. 140 overall prospect in this year’s draft by Baseball America. MLB.com listed him as the No. 1 prospect out of his native Puerto Rico.

Guzman comes off a junior campaign at Arizona in which he batted .328 with nine homers and 44 RBIs in 62 games.

He played two seasons with the Wildcats, compiling a .989 fielding percentage behind the plate, and began his college career at Boston College.

Tate was an offensive leader at Georgia Southern with his .362 batting average, collecting 89 hits with 46 RBIs as a junior. His average and hit total led the Sun Belt Conference.

Palmer set multiple Hofstra records, as he owns the most triples (12) in program history, ranking second with 82 stolen bases, third in hits (247) and fourth in batting average (.386). As a junior in 2025, he batted .400 (88 for 220).

The 6-foot-7 Keshock posted a 5.73 ERA over 77 innings with Samford, having spent the previous two seasons at Auburn.

As for King, he batted .367 (69 for 188) this past season at Louisville, hitting 17 homers with 63 RBIs to earn second-team All-ACC honors. He also had a 1.185 OPS, which ranked third in the league.

Reeder played three seasons for Oregon State, compiling a career average of .281.

Cain arrived at Oklahoma in 2025 after seasons with Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College (2024) and Coastal Alabama Community College-North (2023). He made just one pitching appearance for the Sooners last season and had 22 at-bats, without any hits.

Zeigler, the lone non-drafted free agent signing of the group, went 13-0 with a 1.76 ERA at LSU Shreveport, finishing as an NAIA Pitcher of the Year finalist. His Pilots team went 59-0 and won the NAIA World Series.