PITTSBURGH (AP) — The Pirates have signed the No. 2 overall pick in the June amateur draft, Houston high school right-hander Jameson Taillon, and second-round pick Stetson Allie, another right-hander with a power arm.
Leaning heavily on the draft to rebuild a franchise that is closing in on a record 18th consecutive losing season, the Pirates kept up their recent tradition of being among the highest-spending teams in the draft.
Taillon and Allie, both 18, have fastball that have been clocked in the high 90 mph range, and Pirates general manager Neal Huntington rated them as being the two best power pitchers in the draft. Some teams passed on Allie because they weren’t certain if he would pass up a scholarship to North Carolina.
The Pirates bypassed Florida high school shortstop Manny Machado to choose Taillon, who was 8-1 with a 1.79 ERA and 114 strikeouts in 62 2-3 innings at The Woodlands High.
