‘Our List is Pretty Much Set,’ Ben Cherington on the Pirates Draft

With the first day of MLB’s draft upon us, Pirates fans are chomping at the bit to figure out who they should be welcoming to Pittsburgh when the time comes. In 2021 the Pirates and Ben Cherington had the pleasure of picking first overall in which they took catcher Henry Davis. The Pirates will have to wait a bit and pick fourth overall this year.

Many sites, fans, and individuals have come up with a plethora of potential options, but the main names that seem to stick out are Elijah Green, Termarr Johnson, Cam Collier, Brooks Lee, and Zach Neto. Speculation is always fun, but it seems as though the Pirates have their board set and know who they will take.

“We started the meetings 10 days ago,” said Cherington on his radio show on 93.7 The Fan. “The rankings and our order is in pretty good shape already on the first day. The rest of the meetings were really just stress testing that order on our board.”

Cherington stressed that there are occasions when a player may move on their rankings board. Cherington mentioned that when the meetings started ten days ago, they already had a good idea due to the Pirates scouts’ work during spring training.

“As of [Saturday] night, that order on our board is set,” said Cherington. “Now it’s about execution, and when the draft starts, you have no time to change the order, so you have to be ready to get your list set in the best place you can get it.

Now writers and fans alike will have to wait and see how the draft will unfold. The Pirates will have three picks Sunday night and have the fourth biggest draft bonus pool at $13,733,900. The only teams with more room to spend are the Orioles, Diamondbacks, and the Mets.