Dallas Jesuit's Josh Bell slid out of the first round and through the 27-pick supplemental round only because of his stated desire to attend the University of Texas and anticipated buyout price of $6-$8 million. The Pittsburgh Pirates had the opportunity to sleep on the first pick of the second round and decided to make the splash of drafting Bell.
The Pirates chose Gerrit Cole with the first pick in the draft, opting to go for yet another high profile pitcher over positional talent. Anthony Rendon had long been considered the draft's top player but slid to the fifth pick because of health issues. Pittsburgh had the second pick in the 2010 draft and opted for high school pitcher Jameson Taillon over prep shortstop Manny Machado.
They followed that pick with one that is reminiscent of the Bell pick, choosing top-ten talent Stetson Allie with their second rounder. More impressively, they signed Allie. Signing Bell would put this draft in a similar stratosphere and would help balance their impressive core of pitching talent with a pure bat.