Report: Pirates To Select Cole

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- Neal Huntington and the Pirate scouts have been trying to choose between Anthony Rendon, Danny Hultzen and Gerrit Cole for the No. 1 overall pick in the 2011 MLB Draft.

Baseball general managers and scouts can see the Pirates selecting either one of those three talented players.

However, Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette is reporting that the Pirates have made up their mind.

Kovacevic is reporting today that the Pirates have decided on Cole.

The Pirates have concerns about Rendon's injured shoulder and feel Hultzen is a good pitcher but doesn't have the ceiling that Coles does.

The righthander from UCLA is a power pitcher, able to reach 100 MPH and has "devastating off speed stuff."

Despite being a power pitcher and a workhorse for the UCLA team, Cole has no history of arm injuries.

From everything that I'm told, Cole is a player that isn't going to spend much time in the minors.

Here's something that's pretty exciting to think about.

Pirates Future Starting Rotation: Gerrit Cole, Jameson Taillon, Stetson Allie, Charlie Morton, Colton Cain.

The 2011 MLB Draft begins Monday at 7 p.m. and is being televised on the MLB Network.