Philadelphia Baseball Star Drafted By Pittsburgh Pirates

PHILADELPHIA — The 2019 MLB Draft got underway this week and a talented kid from Williams Penn Charter School was selected. Rounds 1 and 2 were completed Monday night in Secaucus, New Jersey, with 78 players selected.

Out of William Penn, Sammy Siani was selected as a Competitive Balance Draft, 37th overall, by the Pittsburgh Pirates. Siani, who stands 5 feet, 11 inches tall, hits and throws left-handed.

Here’s what the experts have to say about Siani:

A year ago, Mike Siani was an intriguing high school outfield prospect out of Pennsylvania who had helped himself with strong performances against good competition over the summer. He ended up going in the fourth round of the 2018 Draft and signing an over pick value deal with the Reds. Now it's his brother's turn and while scouts were a little more bullish on Mike, Sammy's performance at events like the Tournament of Stars and East Coast Pro Showcase put him firmly on the radar.

Siani's standout tool is his left-handed bat. The outfielder has an outstanding and smooth swing and showed the ability to make consistent contact against some of the better prep arms in the country. He's hit over power with a good approach at the plate, but some might be light on his power because of his smallish frame. Siani does get into trouble at times chasing first pitches out of the zone too often. He might not be the plus defender his brother is, but he could a capable left fielder with a solid average arm.

It's not always easy to get good looks at cold-weather high school players, so teams thinking about taking him in the top two rounds and signing him away from his Duke commitment might be doing so based on his strong summer performances. Those who dream on him see a little Andrew Benintendi in him, who didn't blossom until his sophomore year of college.

Drafted No. 1 overall by the Baltimore Orioles, Oregon State catcher Adley Rutschman joined notable past players such as Carlos Correa, Bryce Harper, Stephen Strasburg, David Price, Gerrit Cole, Justin Upton, Joe Mauer, Adrian Gonzalez, Josh Hamilton, and, of course, Alex Rodriguez to earn the distinction.

Rutschman, a switch-hitter, was the “consensus” best prospect in the draft, according to MLB.com. He can hit for average and power and knows the strike zone well, drawing many walks. He’s also “quality” on defense.

“He now becomes the face of the franchise,” MLB.com wrote.

Here are the top 10 players selected and their schools:

1. Baltimore Orioles: Adley Rutschman, catcher, Oregon State
2. Kansas City Royals: Bobby Witt Jr., shortstop, Colleyville, TX, Heritage High School
3. Chicago White Sox: Andrew Vaughn, first baseman, California
4. Miami Marlins: JJ Bleday, outfield, Vanderbilt, Nashville, TN
5. Detroit Tigers: Riley Greene, outfield, Hagerty High School, Oviedo, FL
6. San Diego Padres: CJ Abrams, shortstop, Blessed Trinity Catholic High School, Roswell, GA
7. Cincinnati Reds: Nick Lodolo, pitcher, Texas Christian, Fort Worth, TX
8. Texas Rangers: Josh Jung, third baseman, Texas Tech, Lubbock, TX
9. Atlanta Braves: Shea Langeliers, catcher, Baylor, Waco, TX
10. San Francisco Giants: Hunter Bishop, outfield, Arizona State, Tempe, AZ

The draft was to continue Tuesday afternoon with rounds three through 10, then again on Wednesday with rounds 11 through 40. MLB.com was to livestream coverage of the rounds.

Patch national staffer Dan Hampton contributed to this report.