LOS ANGELES -- The Pirates concluded their Day 1 MLB Draft selections by taking a pair of collegiate pitchers, selecting right-hander Thomas Harrington from Campbell University at No. 36 with their Competitive Balance Round A pick, followed by University of Florida lefty Hunter Barco at No. 44 in the second round.
Baseball America ranked Harrington No. 48 prospect in this year's draft. Barco was No. 69.
Harrington was an All-American in 2022 after starting his collegiate career as a walk-on. He recorded a 2.53 ERA and 111 strikeouts over 92 2/3 inning and 15 starts.
The 6-2, 185-pound right-hander has a four-pitch mix, but usually relies on his fastball (which sits 90-93 mph) and his changeup.
Featuring one of the most efficient motions of this draft, the hope is that if he could grow and develop off of that foundation.
"I think he's a learner," senior director of amateur scouting Joe DelliCarri said. "He's well made. He's very detail-oriented and everything he does probably comes to the forefront."
Barco, 21, posted a 2.50 ERA over 50 1/3 innings across nine starts in 2022 before needing Tommy John surgery. The Pirates had tracked him since he was in high school, and Barco's stock was rising to most likely a first-rounder before the surgery.
Baseball America describes him as a backend-of-the-rotation starter with a high probability of reaching the potential, assuming he recovers.
"He really made tremendous progress over time, with a lot of strikes, figuring out his angles and deception, the command that he’s shown us before the Tommy John surgery," DelliCarri said.
"He’s very passionate about learning, has done a tremendous job figuring things out and knowing who he is and how he works. We factor in the injury without a question into some of the things we do. Imperfect as it may be, we definitely factored it in. That being said, there are several areas that we believe that Hunter brings to the table that align very well with what we can do in helping him going forward. We’re very excited to do that with him."
Barco can touch 94-95 mph, but usually sits in the lower 90s with potentially plus offerings with the changeup and slider.
The draft will continue Monday at 2 p.m. Eastern with rounds 3-10. The final 10 rounds will be Tuesday starting at 2 p.m.
