PIRATES' 2005 DRAFT (DAY ONE)

1st Round

ANDREW McCUTCHEN, OF — 10/10/86; '05 1st; Fort Meade, FL (HS)
R/R; 5-11, 175

Level	BA	OBP	SA	AB	2B	3B	HR	BB	K	SB	CS
2005 HS	.709		1.836	55	8	3	16			16

McCutchen was considered one of the strongest tools players in the 2005 draft. He's very fast and a legitimate CF with a good arm. He's not just a tools guy, though, as he's considered very advanced and possibly close to the majors for a HS prospect. The two possible drawbacks with him are questions about his power and the fact that he faced weak competition in HS. He hit for more power than expected during the 2005 season, however, and could have moderate power in the majors, although that issue will continue to linger due to his size. He's regarded as having a very positive attitude. McCutchen himself stated that he'd probably sign quickly and he did just that. The Bucs are likely to start him at Bradenton, but if he does well there they may try him at Williamsport or Hickory late in the season, as they did last year with Neil Walker.

2nd Round

BRAD CORLEY, OF — 12/28/83; '05 2nd; Mississippi State Univ.
R/R; 6-2, 198

Level	BA	OBP	SA	AB	2B	3B	HR	BB	K	SB	CS
2003 NCAA	.321		.397	224	15	0	1	16	44	4	4
2004 NCAA	.380		.678	245	12	2	19	17	44	4	6
2005 NCAA	.316	.370	.464	263	20	2	5	11	43	1	1

Corley was considered a top prospect after his big power year in 2004, but he was recovering from a broken thumb in 2005 and the power disappeared. He's considered good defensively with a strong arm. He had a 2-HR game at the end of the season that may have convinced the Pirates that he was rebounding from the injury, but it still appears they overdrafted him by several rounds. In fact, Corley himself was surprised to be taken so high. Aside from the weak junior season, he's never shown good plate discipline, so he's a risky pick on two counts. He should start off at Williamsport, but given the near-total lack of power at Hickory, the Pirates might try to move him there at some point in 2005.

3rd Round

JAMES BOONE, OF — 3/16/83; '05 3rd; Univ. of Missouri
B/R; 6-2, 175

Level	BA	OBP	SA	AB	2B	3B	HR	BB	K	SB	CS
2005 NCAA	.340	.457	.593	194	15	5	8	38	61	14	2

Boone was probably attractive to the Pirates as a switch-hitting CF with some power, good speed and a good arm. His K total, however, is alarming, although he at least drew a lot of walks. Boone's 2005 stats may have been affected some by a pinched nerve. Like Corley, he looks like a fairly significant overdraft. He should open at Williamsport.

4th Round

BRENT LILLIBRIDGE, SS — 9/18/83; '05 4th; Univ. of Washington
R/R; 5-11, 185

Level	BA	OBP	SA	AB	2B	3B	HR	BB	K	SB	CS
2003 NCAA	.388	.451	.699	183	16	1	13	16	48	9	5
2004 NCAA	.317	.428	.522	249	16	1	11	41	65	18	2
2005 NCAA	.330	.441	.574	209	19	4	8	36	52	13	5

Lillibridge is considered a good all-around player with a "gritty" attitude, whatever that means. He's played anywhere up the middle, including CF, and some scouts think he profiles as a UT guy. He has good power, but he swings very hard and doesn't handle offspeed stuff well, resulting in high K totals, the highest on his team the last two years. It also may not be a good sign that he had his best season in his freshman year. For a team that frets extensively about Ks at the major league level, the Pirates' interest in Boone and Lillibridge is strange.

5th Round

JEFF SUES, RHP — 6/8/83; '05 5th; Vanderbilt Univ.
R/R; 6-4,220

Level	W-L-Sv	G	GS	IP	H	BB	K	ERA
2005 NCAA	3-5-1	20	4	48.1	44	24	60	4.10

Sues is yet another player whom the Pirates appear to have overdrafted. He's been primarily a reliever in college and missed most of his sophomore season with elbow tendinitis. He throws 92-93 with a power slider and average curve. He's struggled with command and control in college. He was out of college eligibility and signed quickly. He'll head to Williamsport.

6th Round

CAMERON BLAIR, 2B — 10/27/82; '05 6th; Texas Tech Univ.
R/R; 5-10, 175

Level	BA	OBP	SA	AB	2B	3B	HR	BB	K	SB	CS
2004 NCAA	.371	.436	.625	256	23	0	14	29	27	19	3
2005 NCAA	.350	.472	.659	223	12	3	17	47	25	21	3

Blair has hit for surprising power for a small guy. He also reverses a trend of the Pirates taking college hitters with poor plate discipline. In 2004, he was the MVP of the wood bat Alaska League, which is the second toughest of the summer leagues. The Cardinals drafted him in the 18th round in 2004, but he was one of the few picks they didn't sign. He played SS in college but the Pirates announced him as a 2B, which isn't surprising given his very high error totals in college. According to at least one source, Blair has had serious attitude problems. He's a senior and signed shortly after the draft. Either he or Lillibridge could conceivably move to Hickory early on, given the Crawdads' lack of position prospects, but he'll no doubt start at Williamsport.

7th Round

JUSTIN VACLAVIK, RHP — 5/27/84; '05 7th; Univ. of Houston
R/R; 6-0, 180

Level	W-L-Sv	G	GS	IP	H	BB	K	ERA
2005 NCAA	4-2-12	26	0	42.0	39	15	51	3.21

Vaclavik was U. Houston's closer in 2005. He throws a 90-94 mph fastball and a slider. He signed quickly after the draft. He seems like a guy who could move fairly quickly.

8th Round

STEVEN PEARCE, 1B — 4/13/83; '05 8th; Univ. of South Carolina
R/R; 5-11, 190

Level	BA	OBP	SA	AB	2B	3B	HR	BB	K	SB	CS
2005 NCAA	.358	.420	.703	229	16	0	21	23	23	2	0

Pearce hit for considerable power, especially for a small 1B. He makes very good contact for a power hitter. He's another college senior, as the Red Sox drafted him in round 10 in 2004 but didn't sign him. The Sox and the Pirates drafting the same guy is not something you expect to see. Pearce signed quickly and should debut at Williamsport, although Hickory could certainly use somebody with some clout.

9th Round

DERRIK MOEVES, RHP — 8/5/83; '05 9th; Northern Kentucky Univ.
R/R; 6-3, 190

Level	W-L-Sv	G	GS	IP	H	BB	K	ERA
2005 NCAA	7-5-0	15	14	84.2	70	35	99	2.34

Moeves features a high-80s fastball that's hit 93, but his velocity has been inconsistent. His secondary pitches are considered average. He has a short arm motion that is thought to limit his projectability. He signed shortly after the draft.

10th Round

DEREK ANTELO, RHP — 11/30/82; '05 10th; Nova Southeastern Univ.
R/R; 6-2, 195

Level	W-L-Sv	G	GS	IP	H	BB	K	ERA
2005 NCAA	11-0-0	13	13	93.0	71	30	100	2.13

Antelo is another college senior. He put up good numbers in his last year, but it's hard to assess what those numbers mean since he didn't play in a major conference. He signed right after the draft.

11th Round

CHRIS JONES, C — 2/27/83; '05 11th; Long Beach State Univ.
R/R; 6-1, 205

Level	BA	OBP	SA	AB	2B	3B	HR	BB	K	SB	CS
2005 NCAA	.308	.396	.401	172	10	0	2	15	17	2	2

Jones was only a fair hitter in college, with little power. The Pirates took him for his glove and he seems most likely to be an organizational guy. He signed and should head for Williamsport.

12th Round

JASON DELANEY, OF — 11/9/82; '05 12th; Boston College
R/R; 6-3, 210

Level	BA	OBP	SA	AB	2B	3B	HR	BB	K	SB	CS
2002 NCAA	.348		.464	181	15	0	2	18	17
2003 NCAA	.283		.462	173	11	4	4	15	26
2004 NCAA	.368		.574	209	14	1	9	30	28
2005 NCAA	.337	.418	.538	199	12	2	8	28	28	13	3

Delaney has been a good but not outstanding hitter in college. His power looks a little short for a corner OF, which is how the Pirates apparently view him. He's shown good plate discipline. He's another senior who signed quickly and should head to Williamsport.

13th Round

MATTHEW SWANSON, RHP — 10/17/82; '05 13th; Univ. Cal. Berkeley
R/R; 6-8, 240

Level	W-L-Sv	G	GS	IP	H	BB	K	ERA
2002 NCAA	1-0-0	4	2	16.0	19	9	9	5.62
2003 NCAA	1-0-0	7	0	10.1	13	4	8	5.23
2004 NCAA	3-2-1	30	4	39.1	39	13	24	2.97
2005 NCAA	6-3-2	30	1	48.2	45	17	37	1.66

Swanson throws 88-93 and projects as a reliever. He's still another college senior and, not surprisingly, signed quickly. He'll probably start off at Williamsport.

14th Round

ALBERT LABOY, OF — 12/1/86; '05 14th; Boca Raton, FL (HS)
R/R; 6-0, 170

Level	BA	OBP	SA	AB	2B	3B	HR	BB	K	SB	CS

Laboy's selection broke the Pirates' long string of college players. He's a leadoff type who hit for a high average in HS. He was on the USA 18-under junior national team roster in August 2004. He was injured for part of 2005. He signed shortly after the draft and should start at Bradenton.

15th Round

JARRED BOGANY, OF — 1/4/87; '05 15th; Houston, TX (HS)
R/R; 6-3, 200

Level	BA	OBP	SA	AB	2B	3B	HR	BB	K	SB	CS
2005 HS	.415			53	7	3	1			9

Bogany is considered a very raw athlete with excellent tools, including good speed and a good glove in CF. He has power potential but hasn't learned to use it in games yet. He's committed to LSU and almost certainly will require well above slot money to sign. The Pirates have never paid above slot money under Dave Littlefield, so it'll be interesting to see whether they sign Bogany or whether they'll continue to be unwilling to invest strongly in their farm system.

16th Round

ERIC KREBS, RHP — 5/16/85; '05, 16th; Alvin (TX) CC
R/R; 6-3, 185

Level	W-L-Sv	G	GS	IP	H	BB	K	ERA

Krebs was a 2004 Royals draft-and-follow, taken in the 36th round, but he didn't sign. He's a reliever who throws 93-94, with a mid-80s cutter or slider. He's finished his second year of JC ball, so he couldn't have been a DFE, and in fact he signed in mid-July. He'll probably, although not definitely, open at Williamsport.

17th Round

DARREN NEWLIN, RHP — 11/20/82; '05 17th; Univ. Central Florida
R/R; 6-1, 205

Level	W-L-Sv	G	GS	IP	H	BB	K	ERA
2005 NCAA	9-4-0	14	14	80.1	78	30	65	4.48

Newlin was the 4th starter for UCF as a senior, putting up fair stats. He's most likely to be an organizational guy. He signed and probably will start at Williamsport.

18th Round

RYAN SEARAGE, OF — 11/23/82; '05 18th; Eckerd College
R/R; 5-11, 185

Level	BA	OBP	SA	AB	2B	3B	HR	BB	K	SB	CS
NCAA	.310	.383	.476	168	9	2	5	19	34	9	3

Searage was named to the all-conference team as a DH, although his stats weren't all that impressive. He likely was drafted as a courtesy to his father, Hickory pitching coach Ray Searage. He's signed and should head to Williamsport.

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