Here are Pirates' Draft picks from Day 2

When you factor in new information, new tools, metrics, scouting reports and managing the available bonus pool, the MLB Draft can be “a little more art than science sometimes,” as Pirates director of amateur scouting Justin Horowitz put it. The goal is to leave with the best talent pool possible, and to do that, they need to nail both days of the event.

It’s why Horowitz emphasized being prepared for Day 2. This is the first year that the Draft has been shortened from three days to two, creating challenges and fewer opportunities to make calls and map out contingency plans once the picks start rolling in, but it was also an opportunity for the Pirates to get a deep class.

Horowitz was excited about what laid ahead and crafted a mantra and matching T-shirts for his Draft team. The message? “Plunder The Deep: The Day Two Project.”

“Super proud of everyone in that room, everybody that was part of our process,” Horowitz said over Zoom after the Draft concluded. “Scouts, CPB, R&D, medical, a variety of people from all different places of baseball ops participating in that project … We were able to land a number of the targets that we were excited about all year long, and kudos to them for all the hard work that went into that process and put us in a position to land some players that we think have a chance to exceed expectations hopefully and make an impact for the Pirates."

On Monday, the Pirates’ plundered from a variety of sources, going from the islands of Puerto Rico to the desert in their first two picks. From there, they took plenty of college bats, prep pitchers and players who they believe have unexplored upside.

Here’s who they took on Day 2:

Gustavo Melendez, SS (Pick No. 113 overall)
Round: 4
Bats/throws: L/R
School: Colegio Nuestra Señora de la Merced (PR)
Calling Card: The top Draft prospect out of Puerto Rico this year, the 17-year-old Melendez has a better hit tool than his 5-foot-8, 160-pound frame would suggest. He has the arm and range to potentially stick in the middle infield.
Quote: “He's not the biggest kid in the world, I'll tell you guys that right now, but the kid can hit. Natural feel, he's got a good swing. And defensively, he's got a good little glove, too. He can bounce around the dirt, play a variety of different positions. We're excited with what he's going to be able to do. Just give him time. Don't just look at the frame and watch him play. I think he's going to grow on a lot of people." -- Horwitz

Adonys Guzman, C (Pick No. 144 overall)
Round: 5
Bats/throws: R/R
School: University of Arizona
Calling Card: Guzman’s glove and arm are his best tools here, throwing out 17 would-be basestealers. He had a .907 OPS in his junior season and was named to the College World Series All-Tournament Team.
Quote: “The defense is certainly his calling card. It has been since his prep days as a high schooler. Kid can really catch and throw, and he's a leader behind the plate. He's tough. He can lead a staff. Then offensively, we believe that he took some major strides this year. Made a lot more contact. Started hitting the ball a little bit harder. When you start to add up those pieces for a catcher, that's a pretty attractive profile.” – Horowitz

More on the Pirates' 2025 Draft:

• No. 6 pick Hernandez hopes to become next stud in Bucs' rotation
• Hernandez, Carlson become first HS teammates to go top 10 in Draft
• Corona (Calif.) becomes 1st high school with 3 players picked in top 50 of same Draft
• Pirates Draft Tracker

Jack Anker, RHP (Pick No. 173 overall)
Round: 6
Bats/throws: R/R
School: Fresno State
Calling Card: Fresno State’s Friday night starter, Anker has a four-pitch mix anchored by a fastball that can touch the mid-90s and a changeup with good depth. He struck out 109 batters over 96 1/3 innings pitched.
Quote: “On the surface, what you see is a kid who has incredible strike-throwing ability, the ability to manipulate different pitch types, attack the zone, compete and find ways to win. And that's a pretty good foundation. And then what [scout] Mike [Sansoe] did a great job in doing is really getting to know his training age. Despite the fact that he's a college guy, he may be a little bit less tapped into than maybe some kids that have pitched in the SEC for three years, for instance. So we believe that there are some areas where we can help Jack, whether it's strength or delivery, different things that we think might be able to happen to help him tap into a little bit more power, which could elevate him into a pretty interesting pitching prospect.” -- Horowitz

Brent Iredale, 3B (Pick No. 203 overall)
Round: 7
Bats/throws: R/R
School: Arkansas
Calling Card: Iredale may have had a breakout offensive campaign at the dish, hitting 14 home runs with a .994 OPS. MLB Pipeline grades his power tool as a 55, noting that he produces some of the highest exit velocities in this Draft class.
Quote: “The kid can really hit. I think we see some upside in terms of what we may be able to tap into from a developmental perspective, both offensively and defensively on the corners.” -- Horowitz

Josh Tate, OF (Pick No. 233 overall)
Round: 8
Bats/throws: R/R
School: Georgia Southern University
Calling Card: The reigning Sun Belt Conference batting champion hit .362 this season and .369 as a sophomore. He showed good patience in the Cape Cod League last year (14.5% walk rate).
Quote: “One thing that stood out actually in the 'Plunder the Deep' project was how explosive he is, and despite not being a super physical big kid, he's got some twitch to him. Does that mean we think that he's going to hit a ton of home runs in the big leagues? Who knows, but there may be a little bit more in the tank that meets the eye. He can run and he can play center field, and he makes contact, and he has good swing decisions. Again, you start to add up those pieces, and you've got a pretty interesting profile, especially in that area of the Draft.” -- Horowitz

Jared Jones, 1B (Pick No. 263 overall)
Round: 9
Bats/throws: R/R
School: Louisiana State
Calling Card: The No. 101 Draft prospect according to MLB Pipeline, Jones boasts 60-grade power and a 65-grade arm. He slugged 64 home runs in his three years with LSU (including 22 this year) and helped them win two College World Series.
Quote: “He's got some things to work on, to improve upon, to be an impact Major League bat, but there's one thing that he can do that very few people in the world can do, and that's hit the ball really, really hard and really, really far.” -- Horowitz

Matt King, SS (Pick No. 293 overall)
Round: 10
Bats/throws: R/R
School: Arizona State
Calling Card: King had the most multi-hit games for the Sun Devils this year and hit .403 overall. He is athletic enough to potentially become a utility player.

Dylan Palmer, 2B (Pick No. 323 overall)
Round: 11
Bats/throws: L/R
School: Hofstra
Calling Card: Palmer hit .400 this year for Hofstra with 13 doubles and seven triples. He’s also shown he’s versatile in the field in his career, playing double-digit games at second, third, shortstop and the outfield, though he stuck at second and third base this year.

Cameron Keshock, RHP (Pick No. 353 overall)
Round: 12
Bats/throws: R/R
School: Samford
Calling Card: Keshock struck out 74 over 77 innings this year, with his sinker being his primary fastball. He’s also shown an ability to get depth on his offspeed and breaking pitches.
Quote: “Another awesome kid, fun to be around, competitive, hard-working. He throws strikes. He's deceptive, so we'll see where we can help him, and see some runway for sure.” -- Horowitz

Dylan Mathiesen, RHP (Pick No. 383 overall)
Round: 13
Bats/throws: R/R
School: Liberty
Calling Card: Mathiesen grew into fastball velocity at Liberty, in part due to his work at Tread Athletics, and can ramp up to the mid-90s. He struck out 84 over 65 2/3 innings in his first year fully as a starter. He’s also a local kid, playing for Montour in high school.
Quote: “We selected the player because we're super excited about his talent and his character, but it's also pretty cool that he's fairly local and wanted to be a Pirate.” -- Horowitz

Connor Hamilton, RHP (Pick No. 413 overall)
Round: 14
Bats/throws: R/R
School: Montgomery Bell Academy (TN)
Calling Card: Hamilton is rated by Perfect Game as the top right-handed high school pitcher in Tennessee. He has a fastball that sits in the low-90s. He is committed to Vanderbilt University.

McLane Moody, RHP (Pick No. 443 overall)
Round: 15
Bats/throws: R/R
School: Northside Senior HS (AR)
Calling Card: Moody is ranked as the No. 4 prospect in Arkansas, according to Perfect Game, and is committed to Arkansas. He has a projectable 6-foot-7 frame and has touched the mid-90s with his fastball.

Eddie King Jr., OF (Pick No. 473 overall)
Round: 16
Bats/throws: R/R
School: Louisville
Calling Card: King slugged .750 with 17 home runs and 19 doubles in his senior season with Louisville. He hit .500 (18-for-36) with three home runs in 10 NCAA Tournament games this season.

Carter Gwost, OF (Pick No. 503 overall)
Round: 17
Bats/throws: L/L
School: Little Falls HS (MN)
Calling Card: Gwost is committed to Nebraska. A two-way player in high school, his fastball sits in the upper-80s. As a hitter, there are videos of him registering exit velocities up to 107 mph with a metal bat.

Canon Reeder, OF (Pick No. 533 overall)
Round: 18
Bats/throws: R/R
School: Oregon State
Calling Card: Reeder batted .293 with an .891 OPS as a junior for Oregon State. He has played all three outfield positions, but mostly stayed in center in his turn in the summer West Coast League.

Brandon Cain, RHP (Pick No. 563 overall)
Round: 19
Bats/throws: R/R
School: Oklahoma
Calling Card: Split time as a two-way player for Oklahoma and for Frederick in the MLB Draft League. He struck out 10 over eight relief appearances with Frederick, where he was sitting 92-95 mph with his fastball.

Nick Frusco, LHP (Pick No. 593 overall)
Round: 20
Bats/throws: L/L
School: Miller Place HS (NY)
Calling Card: Frusco cracked the end of MLB Pipeline’s top Draft prospects list, ranking at No. 249. His fastball revved up to 91-92 mph at the Combine, and it’s a pitch that gets more whiffs because of Frusco’s delivery. He also has a slider and changeup in his arsenal.