As bad as the Pirates have been over the past two decades, it's actually shocking they haven't had the first overall pick in the draft more often. Unfortunately, it means they've missed out on some incredible talent, most notably Stephen Strasburg and Bryce Harper. I'm not at all bitter though. Nope, not at all. That aside, they did have the first overall pick in 2011 and with it they selected my #2 Pirates Prospect, Gerrit Cole. With the Pirates selecting him actually marked the second time Cole was drafted in the first round of the rule 4 MLB draft. In 2008, the New York Yankees
drafted Cole with the 28th overall pick. He reportedly turned down four-million dollars and instead elected to attend UCLA. For Cole, it was a risky maneuver, at least financially, but ultimately it paid off. The Pirates offered Cole eight-million dollars and
this time he didn't turn down the money.
