A draft update

There's some good news from the PG today regarding the remaining unsigned picks in the draft; apparently the Pirates are still targeting all of the remaining unsigned players in the top ten. Beyond Alvarez (who I'm still confident will sign, despite everything that's recently happened) the most important player in the group is Robby Grossman. I had kind of thought things were bleak on that front, but he came to PNC Park recently and apparently things are looking up:

Grossman, a California high school player considered to have potential above his sixth-round position, said during a brief visit to PNC Park Saturday that he considered himself "50-50" between signing with the Pirates and honoring his commitment to the University of Texas. A team official gave much the same chances of signing him.

The word on Scheppers remains the same as it has since draft day: the Pirates want to see him throw before deciding to sign him, presumably because he's going to cost first round money and the Pirates want to know he's healthy before giving it to him. I could be wrong, but if he doesn't sign I think unsigned second round picks are compensated with a similar pick next year. Things even seem to be looking better with Justin Wilson, who's supposedly decided he's worth more than a fifth-round pick after a great start in the College World Series final (he's not).

Oh, and while we're at it, the same notebook reports that John Van Benschoten has been sent to AAA and will work out of the bullpen (where I still kind of think he might be able to be effective), Jason Davis is up to take his place on the roster, and Jeff Karstens will start in his place next week. But you could've guessed all those things were going to happen without me having to tell you.