Pittsburgh Pirates select UCLA second baseman Duce Gourson in 2024 MLB Draft

UCLA second baseman Duce Gourson has been selected by the Pittsburgh Pirates in the ninth round of the 2024 MLB Draft, taken with the No. 264 overall pick in the draft.

Gourson just finished his junior year and has earned a handful of honors during his career.

He was named a 2022 Freshman All-American and a 2022 Pac-12 All-Tournament Team selection. He also earned 2023 Pac-12 All-Conference honors, in addition to being a 2023 USA Baseball Collegiate National Team member. Finally, he was a 2024 Preseason All-American.

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Gourson had his best year at the plate as a sophomore, but he was still plenty good as a junior, when he hit .294. He knocked out four home runs, 23 doubles and a triple in 2024, racking up 44 RBI in the process. The strikeout total was a little high at 62, against 43 walks and 19 hits-by-pitch.

During his three-year career in total, Duce Gourson has hit .300 with 21 home runs, 49 doubles and a triple. He has 119 RBI in that timeframe.

Clearly there was a lot that MLB scouts liked about his game, as evidenced by his selection in the 2024 MLB Draft.

What MLB Draft analysts are saying about Duce Gourson

Gourson has a lot of tools to like, starting with his approach at the plate. He’s a plus hitter for a second baseman.

There are some concerns about his overall upside, particularly defensively, since he isn’t the fastest or strongest player out there. Still, there was enough to get him drafted.

Wrote MLB.com in evaluating Duce Gourson ahead of the draft, as it ranked him as the No. 158 overall prospect in the draft:

“A left-handed-hitting middle infielder, Gourson has shown off a solid approach and a knack for finding the barrel since he set foot on campus. There isn’t a ton of raw power to tap into, but there is extra-base ability, and he can hit all varieties of offerings hard to all fields, plus he isn’t afraid of working counts and drawing walks (15 percent walk rate in 2023).

“While Gourson has played some shortstop in the past, he profiles best on the right side of second base at the next level because he’s an average runner at best, and his arm is also just average. His bat is his carrying tool and it gives him the chance to be an offensive-minded second base type who goes in the top five rounds based on solid college performance.”