This is MLB.com’s scouting report on the Pirates second round pick, Kevin Kramer. Stop me if you’ve heard this before:
With a Draft class that does have some depth in the middle infield department, Kramer does stand out with his ability to handle the bat. If he can get his surgically repaired shoulder all the way back, he could prove he can stay at shortstop, further raising his value. There’s little question Kramer can hit. He has an advanced approach at the plate with quick hands and the ability to spray balls to all fields. He doesn’t possess much power and is more of a doubles type of hitter than anything else.
Huntington’s tenure in Pittsburgh has long been marked by the club’s willingness to move good hitters into positions of need in the infield — one of the first things they did was move Neil Walker to second base, which is still paying dividends today. It’ll be interesting to see how the Pirates deal with Kramer, Newman, and Cole Tucker all in the low minors. I suspect that some of these guys will be finding new positions quickly.
Anyway, I know it’s early, but I saw Mike Ferrin point the Pirates out as one of the teams that he thought had a good first two rounds today. The hope for them with this draft was that because there wasn’t a ton of clear-cut top level talents but lots of depth that picking at 19, 32, and 62 could yield them some good results. Prioritizing a particular skill-set (contact hitters, in this case) makes sense as a strategy in that sort of situation. We should know if it worked in five or six years or so.
