The Pirates didn’t exactly ignore power in the draft prior to the 2017 season. At the same time, they weren’t making a strong effort to seek it out.
The approach in the draft was largely around complete hitters who could also field a premium position, with power being the thing that took a back seat. They would draft someone with the ability to hit for average, get on base, avoid strikeouts, while maybe providing some speed, and enough athleticism to have a shot at a premium defensive position. The power came in the form of extra base hits, with the hope that more power would develop as the players got older.