The Pittsburgh Pirates drafted a former Pitt right-handed pitcher in Tyler Kennedy in the 20th Round of the MLB Draft on Tuesday.
Kennedy, the No. 557 pick in the 2023 MLB Draft, pitched for one season for the Panthers in 2022. He made 12 appearances out of the bullpen, totaling 13.0 innings pitched. He struck out 14 batters, while hitting six, allowed21 walks, 10 hits, two home runs and 15 earned runs for a 1o.38 ERA as a first year.
He transferred from the program his following season to Florida Southwestern State, a junior college. Kennedy started 13 of the 14 games he appeared in, accruing 48.2 innings pitched in 2023. He amassed 59 strikeouts, while allowing 27 walks, 47 hits, two homers and 27 earned runs for a 4.99 ERA. Kennedy had a 4-5 record in his sole season at the JUCO level.
Pitt saw two pitchers taken on Tuesday in right-handers Logan Evans and Dylan Simmons. The Seattle Mariners drafted Evans in the 12th Round with the No. 367 overall pick and the Cincinnati Reds drafted Simmons in the 15th Round with the No. 438 overall pick.
The Pirates have drafted two Pitt players in their history. They took outfielder Ken Macha in the Sixth Round in 1972 and then selected infielder Jim Negrych in the Sixth Round in 2006.
