2018 Pittsburgh Pirates Draft Recap

I've written numerous Pittsburgh Pirates, Penguins, and Steelers draft recaps over the years. If this is new to you, please don't expect for in-depth analysis of the draft picks and possible career projections. Check out Pirates Prospects for that. Instead, enjoy a little light-hearted look at hopefully future Pittsburgh Pirates stars.

2nd round - Braxton Ashcraft, P, Robinson HS (TX)

I don't really have anything amusing or thought-provoking to write about Braxton Ashcroft. I just want to type Braxton Ashcraft over and over again. Braxton Ashcraft! Braxton Ashcraft! Braxton Ashcraft!

5th round - Grant Koch, C University of Arkansas
12th round - Zac Susi, C University of Connecticut
27th round - Ryan Haug, C University of Arizona
38th round - Brendt Citta, C University of Kansas

The trend seems to be to go faster and get guys who can shoot the 3, so this may be a calculated decision by the Pirates to zig where other teams zag. The Pirates drafted four college centers all from schools with impressive basketball histories. These four guys hope to match their predecessors like Wilt Chamberlain, Emeka Okafor, Cliff Robinson, Sean Rooks, and Channing Frye. We'll just forget about Hasheem Thabeet.

6th round - Michael Flynn, P University of Arizona

No one, I repeat no one made any references on Twitter to Flynn pleading the 5th, or chanting "Lock Her Up" or the fact that he might go to jail. Seems like a lot of people missed a golden opportunity.

8th Round - Zach Spears, P Miami University (Ohio)

Hit me baby one more time (is hopefully what opposing hitters are unable to do).



15th round - Jonah Davis, OF University of California

I just wanted to include him here as a personal preference. Carry on.

19th round - Will Kobos, P George Washington University

Don't blame me. I voted for Kang. (Not Jung Ho Kang, this Kang.)

31st round - Chase Lambert, SS Pepperdine University

A hard-hitting Lambert in Pittsburgh would be very, very popular.

36th round - Emanuel Andrews, OF Long Beach Poly High School (CA)

Want to feel old? Andrews was born on September 28, 2000. 2000?!?!?!

37th round - Lavoisier Fisher, OF North Gwinnett HS

Should we go with a Searching for Lavoisier Fisher reference or a pass the Lavoisier reference? Tough call.

38th round - Brendt Citta, C University of Kansas

Citta gets listed here twice for one very important reason. Little known fact that his family was the inspiration to one of my favorite 90s songs, Flagpole Sitta by Harvey Danger.



You can see all of the Pirates draft picks (though without my fun comments) on the Pittsburgh Pirates website.

Guess Who's Back?

After suffering a gruesome knee injury, in which Chris Coghlan should have been charged with a hate crime, Jung Ho Kang returned to the Pittsburgh Pirates on Friday and did this.



And then this...



The Korean broadcasters are outstanding. Let's Go Bucs!

Chris Coghlan Hates Asians

Let me preface this blog post by writing that this title is (probably) not true. I'm just a little upset that Chicago Cubs outfielder Chris Coghlan ended Jung Ho Kang's season by a dirty slide.

On May 24, 2009, Chris Coghlan, then of the Florida Marlins attempted to break up a double play by sliding hard into second base and into Tampa Bay Devil Rays second baseman Akinori Iwamura. Iwamura, from Japan, was injured as a result of Coghlan's slide and did not return to the major leagues until the end of August, more than three months later.

On Thursday, Coghlan again attempted to break up a double play but instead slid right into Kang resulting in the South Korean infielder suffering a torn left MCL and fractured tibia. Kang, a major part of the Pirates success this season and friend of K-Pop star Hyomin, is now out for the season.

So is it a coincidence that Coghlan has now significantly injured two of the few infielders born in Asia? Does Coghlan have something against players from Japan and South Korea (and possibly China, Indonesia, and others)?

I guess we'll let Commissioner Rob Manfred decide.

Hyomin Throws Out First Pitch At Pittsburgh Pirates Game

On Sunday, Hyomin, the lead singer of the K-Pop group T-ara, will throw out the first pitch at the Pittsburgh Pirates-Milwaukee Brewers game at PNC Park. I know that you're all big fans of Korean pop music, but in case you're not familiar with Hyomin and T-ara, I asked my Korean correspondent Christine if she knew of T-ara.

Yes, I have heard of T-ara - they were on the K-Pop news quite a bit before their "comeback" this summer and I think a current hit is "So Crazy". It doesn't surprise me that Hyomin would be sending out the first pitch somewhere. South Koreans love baseball (attending one of the games there was sooo much fun) and K-Pop itself is one of the cultural aspects that Korea has made major efforts to export.

Thanks to the power of YouTube, here is T-ara's "So Crazy."



I'm sure that this video reflects commentary on the role of the military and perhaps the privilege of power. Or the director wanted the members of T-ara to dress in cute, little sailor outfits.

Anyway, so why is Hyomin flying probably over 15 hours to throw out the first pitch at a Pirates game? The answer: Jaff Decker Jung Ho Kang. According to allkpop, a website I read daily, Hyomin is friends with Kang. That's quite a long trip to visit a "friend." Even if there is no romantic connection here, I'm sure that Hyomin hanging out with Kang, who maintains a massive following in South Korea, will be good PR for her and her career. Oh, and here's a picture of Hyomin from that allkpop article.

Update: This is proof of Hyomin throwing out the first pitch at PNC Park.

Does South Korea follow the same fashion policy about not wearing white after Labor Day? Anyway, since the Pirates won today, I think we need to start a petition to have Hyomin or another member of T-ara to throw out the first pitch at every Pirates game for the rest of the season and playoffs!