With the Pirates playing okay and squarely in the Wild Card hunt, the draft came at a great time. This year the Pirates are drafting with a lot less money.
I think the Pirates are clearly drafting athletes now rather than positions. They took Kevin Newman a decent hitting short stop who some say can stay at short stop with their first pick. Short stop is a position that requires a good amount of athleticism. And if you can play there, you can be moved just about anywhere else. This also explains Kevin Kramer is also a good hitting short stop.