Best draft picks in Pittsburgh Pirates history

The Major League Baseball draft is unique among professional sports drafts. The 30 organizations pick teenagers and college students who will not join their big league clubs for years—if ever.

These athletes will spend that time honing their craft in the minor leagues, where long bus rides and minuscule paychecks are the norm. A few will move quickly up the ranks, seizing playing time opportunities to advance their careers and making their names known to scouts, fans, and other observers around the country.

Some of the best will become MLB stars, but there's minimal correlation to draft position. Four of the best draft picks nationally were picked after hundreds of other diamond darlings, and only two were #1 overall selections.

There's also more than a handful who didn't do much for the teams that drafted them, including superstars such as Nolan Ryan, Ozzie Smith, and Randy Johnson. Each of these players was traded before they evolved into Hall of Famers.

Still, calling the draft a "crapshoot" might be going too far. College players are "slightly more likely" than high schoolers to reach the revered stadiums of the majors, and third-rounders have a better chance than fifth-rounders, for example, though the margins are slim, as Vice reported. Teams not only make picks based on years-in-advance projections but also whether they can sign players, a step that must be completed before those youngsters begin playing professionally.

To see how clubs have fared since the inaugural draft in 1965, ATS.io compiled a list of the best draft picks in Pittsburgh Pirates history using data from Baseball Reference. The players were ranked using career wins above replacement, so not one recent choice was named. Unsigned picks were not considered, and players who were traded as picks were credited to their acquiring teams. Data is as of June 5, 2024.

#25. Bruce Kison
- Draft: 309th overall pick in 1968
- Position: Pitcher
- Games played: 380
- Career stats: 115 wins, 3.66 earned run average, 1.30 walks plus hits per inning
- Wins above replacement: 15.1

#24. Milt May
- Draft: 237th overall pick in 1968
- Position: Shortstop
- Games played: 1,192
- Career stats: 77 home runs, .263 batting average, .689 on-base plus slugging
- Wins above replacement: 16.4

#23. Gene Garber
- Draft: 387th overall pick in 1965
- Position: Pitcher
- Games played: 931
- Career stats: 96 wins, 3.34 earned run average, 1.26 walks plus hits per inning
- Wins above replacement: 16.7

#22. Jeff King
- Draft: 1st overall pick in 1986
- Position: Shortstop
- Games played: 1,201
- Career stats: 154 home runs, .256 batting average, .749 on-base plus slugging
- Wins above replacement: 16.9

#21. Don Robinson
- Draft: 68th overall pick in 1975
- Position: Pitcher
- Games played: 548
- Career stats: 109 wins, 3.79 earned run average, 1.30 walks plus hits per inning
- Wins above replacement: 17.4

#20. Chris Young
- Draft: 89th overall pick in 2000
- Position: Pitcher
- Games played: 271
- Career stats: 79 wins, 3.95 earned run average, 1.26 walks plus hits per inning
- Wins above replacement: 17.5

#19. Neil Walker
- Draft: 11th overall pick in 2004
- Position: Catcher
- Games played: 1,306
- Career stats: 149 home runs, .267 batting average, .764 on-base plus slugging
- Wins above replacement: 19.6

#18. John Smiley
- Draft: 300th overall pick in 1983
- Position: Pitcher
- Games played: 361
- Career stats: 126 wins, 3.8 earned run average, 1.23 walks plus hits per inning
- Wins above replacement: 20.0

#17. Rick Reed
- Draft: 644th overall pick in 1986
- Position: Pitcher
- Games played: 273
- Career stats: 93 wins, 4.03 earned run average, 1.22 walks plus hits per inning
- Wins above replacement: 21.0

#16. Ed Whitson
- Draft: 131st overall pick in 1974
- Position: Pitcher
- Games played: 452
- Career stats: 126 wins, 3.79 earned run average, 1.31 walks plus hits per inning
- Wins above replacement: 21.2

#15. Rick Honeycutt
- Draft: 405th overall pick in 1976
- Position: First baseman
- Games played: 797
- Career stats: 0 home runs, .132 batting average, .358 on-base plus slugging
- Wins above replacement: 21.6

#14. Bronson Arroyo
- Draft: 69th overall pick in 1995
- Position: Pitcher
- Games played: 419
- Career stats: 148 wins, 4.28 earned run average, 1.30 walks plus hits per inning
- Wins above replacement: 23.4

#13. Freddie Patek
- Draft: 434th overall pick in 1965
- Position: Shortstop
- Games played: 1,650
- Career stats: 41 home runs, .242 batting average, .633 on-base plus slugging
- Wins above replacement: 24.1

#12. Richie Zisk
- Draft: 56th overall pick in 1967
- Position: Outfielder
- Games played: 1,453
- Career stats: 207 home runs, .287 batting average, .819 on-base plus slugging
- Wins above replacement: 25.0

#11. Dave Cash
- Draft: 95th overall pick in 1966
- Position: Shortstop
- Games played: 1,422
- Career stats: 21 home runs, .283 batting average, .692 on-base plus slugging
- Wins above replacement: 25.6

#10. Richie Hebner
- Draft: 15th overall pick in 1966
- Position: Shortstop
- Games played: 1,908
- Career stats: 203 home runs, .276 batting average, .790 on-base plus slugging
- Wins above replacement: 32.9

#9. Tim Wakefield
- Draft: 200th overall pick in 1988
- Position: First baseman
- Games played: 627
- Career stats: 1 home runs, .117 batting average, .310 on-base plus slugging
- Wins above replacement: 34.4

#8. José Bautista
- Draft: 599th overall pick in 2000
- Position: Third baseman
- Games played: 1,798
- Career stats: 344 home runs, .247 batting average, .836 on-base plus slugging
- Wins above replacement: 36.7

#7. Dave Parker
- Draft: 332nd overall pick in 1970
- Position: Catcher
- Games played: 2,466
- Career stats: 339 home runs, .290 batting average, .810 on-base plus slugging
- Wins above replacement: 40.1

#6. Gerrit Cole
- Draft: 1st overall pick in 2011
- Position: Pitcher
- Games played: 300
- Career stats: 145 wins, 3.17 earned run average, 1.09 walks plus hits per inning
- Wins above replacement: 41.3

#5. Jason Kendall
- Draft: 23rd overall pick in 1992
- Position: Catcher
- Games played: 2,085
- Career stats: 75 home runs, .288 batting average, .744 on-base plus slugging
- Wins above replacement: 41.7

#4. John Candelaria
- Draft: 47th overall pick in 1972
- Position: Pitcher
- Games played: 600
- Career stats: 177 wins, 3.33 earned run average, 1.18 walks plus hits per inning
- Wins above replacement: 41.9

#3. Andrew McCutchen
- Draft: 11th overall pick in 2005
- Position: Outfielder
- Games played: 2,056
- Career stats: 307 home runs, .275 batting average, .832 on-base plus slugging
- Wins above replacement: 49.2

#2. Willie Randolph
- Draft: 167th overall pick in 1972
- Position: Shortstop
- Games played: 2,202
- Career stats: 54 home runs, .276 batting average, .724 on-base plus slugging
- Wins above replacement: 65.9

#1. Barry Bonds
- Draft: 6th overall pick in 1985
- Position: Outfielder
- Games played: 2,986
- Career stats: 762 home runs, .298 batting average, 1.051 on-base plus slugging
- Wins above replacement: 162.8

This story features data reporting by Karim Noorani, writing by Mike Taylor, and is part of a series utilizing data automation across 30 MLB teams.