MLB Draft 2017: Pirates select Shane Baz with 12th overall pick

With the 12th overall pick in the draft, the Pirates have selected Shane Baz from Concordia Lutheran High School out of Tomball, Texas. In mock drafts, Baz was projected to go 12th by MLB.com, 13th by Baseball America, and 15th by ESPN.

Though he has been a two-way player in high school, Baz has more promise as a right-handed pitcher rather than being a third baseman. The 17-year-old, who is committed to TCU, throws a great mix of pitches, with his fastball reaching up to 98, his cutter causing lots of swing and misses, his curveball being effective and a changeup that can develop into a solid secondary pitch. Most scouts love his makeup and size (6-3, 190 pounds), but still has control issues from time to time. However Baz can be a frontline starter for the future for Pittsburgh.

Take a look at Baz’s cutter here: