Not surprisingly, the Pittsburgh Pirates selected Pedro Alvarez with their first round pick. Alvarez is the closest to a "sure thing" as a power hitter comes. One could see him in the biggies next year and the Pirates may have drafted themselves a clean-up hitter for the next several seasons. His price tag may be steep (estimated $8.5 million) but what better way for Nutting to prove to Pirates fans that he is serious about winning?

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Well at least he won't curl up like a baby!

But seriously, I like this pick. The Pirates have struggled to have a good power hitter beyond Jason Bay. Of course, Bay may be gone by the end of the season. But if they pick up a couple middle infield prospects, we could be looking at a pretty decent infield in the future.

On the horizon, the Pirates have the rubber match tonight against the Astros. The Bucs will trot out Paul Maholm (also a first round pick). Maholm got off to a strong start but has struggled since May. Backe (starting for the Astros) has been vulnerable to the long ball lately, so hopefully it is tee off time for Bay and Mclouth.