Pirates add Michigan State SS Mitch Jebb, prep RHP Zander Mueth with 2nd, 3rd picks in MLB Draft
The Pittsburgh Pirates selected Michigan State shortstop Mitch Jebb in the second round of the MLB Draft on Sunday night in Seattle.
Jebb, 21, batted .337/.438/.495 with 15 doubles, seven triples, one home run and 36 RBIs this past season for the Spartans. He also shined in the wood-bat Cape Cod League last summer, batting .356 with 22 RBIs, 40 runs scored and 26 stolen bases.
The 6-foot-1, 185-pounder played third base in the Cape but primarily plays shortstop and second base and is ranked the draft’s No. 46 prospect by MLB Pipeline. The slot value for the 42nd pick is $2.05 million.
Mitch Jebb @MSUBaseball is a huge "sleeper" in the 2023 MLB Draft. Covers the inside part of the plate better than anyone. Elite contact rates. Elite "spoil" rates. Budding EVs. Versatile glove. Gonna be a solid player at the next level. Tommy Edman? Jeff McNeil? 2B/LF for me. pic.twitter.com/dPsB1j2rjS
— Joe Doyle (@JoeDoyleMiLB) July 6, 2023
2023 RHP (6’6 190) Zander Mueth (Belleville East) sat 94-96MPH tonight is his Bullpen tonight. Locked In, filled up the zone! Ole Miss Commit.#MPLAthlete pic.twitter.com/OiQcVQIC3S
— Maximized Pitching Lab (@MaxPitchingLab) January 24, 2022
With their third pick, the Pirates selected right-handed pitcher Zander Mueth from Belleville (Ill.) East High School in the Competitive Balance Round B.
The 6-foot-6, 205-pounder was selected with the No. 67 pick, which has a slot value of $1.13 million, and is ranked the No. 83 prospect by MLB Pipeline. An Ole Miss commit, Mueth had a 2.63 ERA with 62 strikeouts in 37 ⅓ innings over 10 starts as a senior. He throws a fastball that touches 97 mph, a low-80s slider and a mid-80s changeup.
Kevin Gorman is a TribLive reporter covering the Pirates. A Baldwin native and Penn State graduate, he joined the Trib in 1999 and has covered high school sports, Pitt football and basketball and was a sports columnist for 10 years. He can be reached at kgorman@triblive.com.
Remove the ads from your TribLIVE reading experience but still support the journalists who create the content with TribLIVE Ad-Free.