Pirates Sign 1st-Round Draft Pick Quinn Priester
By Michael Luciano
The Pittsburgh Pirates are in the middle of a rebuild, with their top priority over the next few offseasons being the stockpiling of pitching talent. General manager Neal Huntington did just that with the selection of Quinn Priester 18th overall in the 2019 MLB Draft.
Priester, who was recently named Illinois Player of the Year, has now inked his first contract with the Pirates.
The Pirates announce the signing of first-round Draft pick Quinn Priester. He’ll begin his professional career with the Gulf Coast League Pirates.
— Adam Berry (@adamdberry) June 10, 2019
Priester, who dominated high school competition at Cary-Grove High School in Cary, Ill., has an easy, repeatable delivery and a tantalizing repertoire of pitches. With a fastball that touches 97 consistently, a plus two-seamer, and a terrific curveball with exceptional movement, Priester projects to be a frontline starter with a couple years of fine tuning in the minor leagues.
ICYMI, with our first pick in the 2019 #MLBDraft we selected RHP Quinn Priester from Cary-Grove HS (IL).
— Pirates (@Pirates) June 4, 2019
Watch ?: pic.twitter.com/qtBSES7lUJ
While the trade of Austin Meadows, Tyler Glasnow, and Shane Baz for Chris Archer has set the Pirates back a considerable amounr, prospects like Priester figure to burn through the minors to help Pittsburgh in the big leagues relatively soon. Look forward to a potential rotation that features him, Mitch Keller, and Jameson Taillon in due time.