Pirates Land California Hight School SS in Latest Mock Draft
PITTSBURGH -- The Pittsburgh Pirates will take their First Round pick in the 2024 MLB Draft on Sunday and will look to an infield prospect for the future.
Kiley McDaniel, an MLB Insider for ESPN, projected that the Pirates would take Bryce Rainer, a shortstop for Harvard Westlake School in Los Angeles, with the No. 9 overall pick in his latest mock draft.
Rainer previously committed to UCLA, but changed his mind and decided to commit to play baseball at Texas. If the Pirates or another top team selects him high enough, he will likely reconsider, as do so many talented high school recruits in each MLB Draft.
He had a sensational high school career at Harvard Westlake, but spent his freshman and sophomore seasons as a right-handed pitcher, not working as much at shortstop.
Rainer started playing shortstop as a junior and showed his strengths as the plate, hitting .436, while making 34 hits and 19 RBIs. He improved as a senior this past season, hitting .505 with 49 hits overall.
Standing at 6-foot-3 and 195 pounds, Rainer is the prototypical size of a true shortstop that any MLB team would want. His left-handed hitting stance makes him a difficult out for most pitchers, as his swing covers most parts of the plate and allows him to get great contact on many different pitches.
He also is a great fielder for his size, staying calm and making the right decisions when balls come his way. His athleticism also allows him to make fast, accurate throws for easy groundouts. If he continues to grow physically, he also may end up as a third baseman.
The Pirates have a history of taking shortstops in recent First Rounds in the MLB Draft. This includes Termarr Johnson out of Mays High School in Atlanta in 2022, Nick Gonzales out of New Mexico State in 2020, Kevin Newman out of Arizona in 2015 and Cole Tucker out of Mountain Pointe High School in Phoenix.
One player on the Pirates that is somewhat similar to Rainer is starting shortstop Oneil Cruz, who stands at 6-foot-7 and 215 pounds, while also hitting left-handed.
McDaniel sees Rainer going from picks No. 6-10, so Rainer at No. 9 to the Pirates makes sense. Other players that he sees the Pirates going after include both right fielder James Tibbs III and third baseman Cam Smith from Florida State, as well as Cam Caminiti from Saguaro High School in Scottsdale, Ariz., who is committed to LSU.
DOMINIC CAMPBELL