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QUINN PRIESTER, RIGHT HANDED PITCHER
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| Born: September 15, 2000 Height: 6’3″ Weight: 195 Bats: Right Throws: Right Drafted: 1st Round, 18th Overall, 2019 How Acquired: Draft High School: Cary-Grove (IL) HS Agent: N/A |
WTM’s PLAYER PROFILE |
| Priester was the first Illinois prep pitcher taken in the first round since 2010. Despite being from a northern state, he’s highly regarded, ranking 19th among draft prospects at MLB Pipeline and 23rd at Baseball America. He features a smooth delivery from a three-quarters angle that produces a four-seamer that can get to 97 mph. His low-90s two-seamer, though, may be a better pitch as it has a lot of movement. His curve was one of the better ones in the draft class. Like a lot of prep pitchers, he hasn’t needed a change much, so that will be a project for him. Priester is an excellent athlete who was also a football star. He hasn’t had much coaching to this point; between that and the athleticism, he may have even more upside than is apparent from his stuff. He had a commitment to Texas Christian, but he signed a week after the draft and will head to the Gulf Coast League. His bonus was $81,300 below the slot amount.
2019 Priester had a good debut in the GCL, showing an ability to get swings and misses. He also made a start at the end of the season for West Virginia. One issue he did have was left-handed hitters; they had a .909 OPS against him, while right-handed hitters managed just .462. That may show a need to work on a change. 2020 The Pirates brought Priester to their alternate training site near the end of the season, which is a sign of how highly they regard him. He was also in fall instructionals and was reaching the upper-90s with his fastball. Priester is more advanced than many prep pitchers. It’ll be interesting to see how far they push him in 2021, if there’s a minor league season. With Bristol and West Virginia expected to be eliminated, he’ll be going to full season ball somewhere. |
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CONTRACT INFORMATION
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| 2021: Minor league contract |
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PLAYER INFORMATION
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| Signing Bonus: $3,400,000 MiLB Debut: 2019 MLB Debut: MiLB FA Eligible: 2025 MLB FA Eligible: Rule 5 Eligible: 2023 Added to 40-Man: Options Remaining: 3 MLB Service Time: 0.000 |
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TRANSACTIONS
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| June 3, 2019: Drafted by the Pittsburgh Pirates in the 1st round, 18th overall pick; signed on June 10. |