Pirates clinch MLB’s worst record and next year’s No. 1 pick

Last night the Pirates won for just the 56th time this season and still managed to clinch the worst record in baseball. That and an 18th consecutive losing season is obviously the bad news. The good news is that they’ve also secured the No. 1 overall pick in next June’s draft. Right now Rice third baseman Anthony Rendon is considered the draft class’ top prospect, with UCLA right-hander Gerrit Cole and TCU left-hander Matt Purke among those also in the mix as possible first selections. During the current 18-year losing streak Pittsburgh has picked first overall twice, selecting Clemson right-hander Kris Benson in 1996 and Ball State right-hander Bryan Bullington in 2002. Both pitchers were sidetracked by major injuries and have combined to win just 71 career games, with Bullington contributing one victory to that total. Rendon already has health-related question marks, as he’s recovering from a major ankle injury suffered in June. Asked to comment on whether Rendon was likely to be atop the Pirates’ draft board, general manager Neal Huntington said:

I’ll be able to give a lot more information about who we take No. 1 in the country after we take him. There’s a good list of guys available, some college arms, and there could be some college bats. Prior to the injury, Rendon’s a very interesting player. We’ve got to see where he is post-injury.

Also of note is that the Pirates already have their “third baseman of the future” in Pedro Alvarez, who was the No. 2 overall pick in the 2008 draft. Of course, one of them could always move to first base and ... well, I guess having to figure that out would qualify as a nice problem for the Pirates to have.