Clemson Star Goes To Pittsburgh Pirates in 2025 MLB Mock Draft
This would be a fun landing spot as the Pirates try to build a contender around Paul Skenes, one of the best pitchers in all of baseball.
Cannarella could theoretically anchor down the center field for Pittsburgh. While it hasn’t been a competitive team for a while, they could become one with someone like Skenes in the center of it.
Having a player like the Clemson star patrolling center field is an important step to contending. As good as the 21-year-old could be on offense, his glove is even more promising.
Right now, the Pirates have Oneil Cruz in center, but that is pretty much based solely on his traits. Cruz is good at a few things, but defense is not one of them.
In fact, he is quite poor on defense. He is fast and has a strong arm, which is why he is there. He just doesn’t do well on the more technical side of things.
So far this season, Cruz has a -1 OAA and FRV, ranking near the bottom of the league.
Cannarella has the athleticism that Cruz has, but pairs it with much better instincts on defense. He has a knack for tracking balls down and putting himself in a good spot to make crazy plays.
He made one of the best plays that the Tigers have had in recent memory last year in one of the biggest moments.
With two outs in the bottom of the 10th in a tied game against the Florida Gators in the Super Regional, he tracked a ball while running backwards and eventually made a leaping catch while hitting the wall.
That was also after he tied the game in the ninth inning with a three-run blast. Needless to say, he was able to come through in the clutch.
This season has been slightly less consistent at the plate for him, but he is still playing above average. He has a .319/.484/.429 slash line with one home run and an 18 wRC+.
Cannarella would be a solid selection with the sixth pick and could end up being a cornerstone player in Pittsburgh if he does go there come July.
