The Pirates spent the 117th overall pick on Nick Kingham.
Follow the jump for his pre-draft report.
Nick Kingham Position: RHP School: Sierra Vista HS State: NV Height: 6’5’’ Weight: 210
Birth Date: 11/8/91 Seiler Rating: 1C2 Commitment: Oregon
Nick Kingham is a tall, projectable right-handed pitcher from Sierra Vista High School in Las Vegas, Nevada, the same school that produced power-hitting prospect Chris Carter. Kingham transferred in to Sierra Vista as a junior, but Nevada athletic rules prevented him from playing as a result, and he only appeared on the major prospect scene last summer. However, he’s come on fast ever since then, and he’s now one of the top pitching prospects in the west. Scouts look at him as a potential number three starter because of his tall, projectable build and current stuff, and it’s not a stretch to see him pitching well in the minor leagues right away. His fastball is already an above-average pitch, sitting 90-92 and touching 94, and he commands it well to either side of the plate by using a fairly simple, repeatable delivery. His breaking ball is a potential above-average curveball that gets fairly good late break, but a few scouts believe he needs to firm it up and add a little zip behind it to make it an impact pitch. His third pitch is a potential plus changeup with excellent depth and fade, and it could be one of the best changeups in the prep class. With that pitch mix, he could stand to get through a lineup multiple times, which is the reason scouts believe he has a future as a mid-rotation innings-eater. He is expected to go somewhere in the second to fifth round range, and while he might need more than slot money in the back end of that range, he’s not expected to reach school this fall.