North Shore Nine

🌙 Your weekend nightcap: Our takeaways from a Pirates beat down sweep of the first-place Brewers.

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The Pirates closed out their 2026 draft by selecting North Florida left-hander Dakota Stone with the No. 588 pick in the 20th round.

Stone went 7-3 with a 2.85 ERA and 102 strikeouts across 79 innings last season.

The Pirates selected Wright State outfielder Andrew Duncan with the No. 558 pick in the 19th round.

Duncan hit .367/.436/.577 with eight triples, six home runs and 19 stolen bases in 2026. He is also committed to transfer to Tennessee.

The Pirates selected Parkview High School (GA) outfielder Malachi Washington with the No. 528 pick in the 18th round. Washington was ranked No. 118 by MLB Pipeline.

The LSU commit hit 15 home runs in 37 games this spring and is one of the latest prospects to come out of Parkview, one of the nation’s top high school baseball programs.

The Pirates selected Kennesaw State right-hander Nathan Helman with the No. 498 pick in the 17th round.

Helman worked mostly out of the bullpen for the Owls and was used for multiple innings at a time throughout the 2026 season.

The Pirates selected USC right-hander Grant Govel with the No. 468 pick in the 16th round. Govel was ranked No. 216 by MLB Pipeline.

He earned NCBWA Second Team All-America honors after leading the Big Ten with a 6.19 strikeout-to-walk ratio and finishing fourth among all Division I pitchers with a 0.90 WHIP.

NS9 is heading to Cleveland for the Pirates series July 17–19. Before Saturday’s game, we’ll be hanging out at Whistle Taproom at 11 a.m. for food, drinks and plenty of Pirates talk. If you’re making the trip, stop by and hang with us.

Whistle Taproom
Saturday, July 18 at 11 a.m.
818 Huron Rd.

The Pirates selected St. John’s right-hander Liam O’Leary with the No. 438 pick in the 15th round.

O’Leary broke out in 2026, earning First Team All-Big East honors after posting a 3.64 ERA across 108.2 innings. The 6-foot-4 righty is known for his durability, competitiveness and four-pitch mix.

The Pirates have optioned Antwone Kelly.

Heading into the All-Star break Kelly will be back to Indianapolis.

The Pirates selected Canadian right-hander Damarcus Rideout-Carter from Heart Lake Secondary School in Brampton, Ontario with the No. 408 pick in the 14th round.

The 18-year-old is an uncommitted prep arm with plenty of projection and touched 95 mph this spring.