Adam Rubin of ESPN New York reminds us that the player to be named later in the Ike Davis trade with the Pirates will not be announced immediately after the draft.
The PTBNL cannot be announced until a year after he signed his first pro contract, not a year after he was drafted.
If it does turn out to be Connecticut prep right-hander Neil Kozikowski, which has been widely speculated, he signed June 21. So the Mets would have to wait until the one-year anniversary to receive him. Kozikowski was selected in the eighth round and signed for an over slot $425,000 in 2013.
John Harper of the Daily News also believes that the PTBN is 19-year-old Kozikowski, whom the Pirates drafted in the eighth round of the 2013 draft.
I spoke to John Dreker of Pirates Prospects and he too picks Kozikowski as the player the Pirates will most likely trade.
Kozikowski throws his fastball in the high 80’s and also has a slider, changeup and cutter in his arsenal.
“The right-hander wasn’t on the radar in any top draft prospects rankings, but seems like the type of projectable arm the Pirates love. He’s 6′ 4″, 180 pounds, and throws 86-88 MPH but has touched 92. He throws from a 3/4 arm slot, and has a projectable frame, which could give him added velocity in the future. He also has a good changeup, a solid slider, and a cutter.”
He’s in extended spring training and was expected to be assigned to short-season Jamestown in the New York-Penn League.
Last season in his first taste of pro ball, Kozikowski posted a 2.63 ERA and 1.13 WHIP in 24 innings pitched.
(Photo credit: piratesprospects.com)
