PITTSBURGH -- In years past, Pirates executives and scouts would spend this time of year hunkered down in their Pirate City offices in Bradenton, Fla. They’d be packed into their war room, poring over scouting reports and talking about player evaluations, as amateur scouting director Joe DelliCarri finalized their Draft board.

Suffice it to say things are a little bit different this year.

For one, the Pirates are preparing for tonight's MLB Draft remotely as a result of the game being shut down amid the coronavirus pandemic. They’re talking over Zoom, not face to face. They have two new executives overseeing the process alongside DelliCarri, as general manager Ben Cherington and assistant GM Steve Sanders are running their first Draft with the Pirates. And rather than preparing for 40 rounds, they’re getting ready for six picks and setting up sales pitches for what should be a large class of undrafted amateur players.

“The number of players we had in the system for the Draft this year, amateur players that our group had submitted, was pretty similar to what it would be in a normal year,” Cherington said. “What’s changed now, just as we’ve gotten closer to the Draft, we’re probably focusing our time on a smaller group of players than we normally would, which maybe is a good thing in a year that we’re having to do that virtually and use technology.”

So, that’s all changed. What’s the same?

“The debate itself feels very similar. Arguing over all the same stuff. Debating the same information, factors, etc.,” Cherington said. “It’s a similar group: It’s scouting, it’s informatics, it’s our performance group, it’s the front office decision-making. It’s all the same inputs, very similar conversations -- just virtual.”

Something else that hasn’t changed: If the Pirates are going to succeed, they need to do well in the Draft. When Cherington was hired, he said Pittsburgh’s success would be built upon the pillars of talent identification, acquisition, development and deployment. Well, the Draft is an exercise in talent identification and acquisition. It starts here.

Day 1 of the 2020 Draft airs tonight, June 10, on MLB Network and ESPN at 7 p.m. ET, and includes the first 37 picks. Day 2 begins at 5 p.m. ET on Thursday, June 11, on MLB Network and ESPN2, and spans the remainder of the 160 picks.

Comprehensive coverage will be available on MLB.com and MLB Pipeline, which will simulcast MLB Network’s broadcast. Go to MLB.com/Draft to see when teams pick, the Top 200 Prospects list, mock drafts from analysts Jim Callis and Jonathan Mayo, scouting video and more. And follow @MLBDraft and @MLBDraftTracker on Twitter to see what Draft hopefuls, clubs and experts are saying and to get each pick as it’s made.

Here’s how the Draft is shaping up for the Pirates, whose first selection is the seventh overall pick:

State of the system
Cherington has frequently said the Pirates are looking to “build toward” a roster that can consistently contend in the National League Central. That will take time, but more than anything, it will take an influx of young talent. Cherington took some strides in that direction by dealing Starling Marte for Class A shortstop Liover Peguero (their No. 5 prospect) and right-hander Brennan Malone (No. 7) along with international spending capacity that they used to sign Australian outfielder Solomon Maguire.

Top prospect Mitch Keller is bound to be part of their big league rotation whenever play resumes. No. 2 prospect Ke’Bryan Hayes should reach the Majors within the next year. Oneil Cruz (No. 3) has as much potential as anybody, but he needs to answer questions about his defensive future and whether he can reach his upside.

There’s a wave of pitching prospects coalescing in Class A that features 2019 first-rounder Quinn Priester (No. 4), Malone, Tahnaj Thomas (No. 13), Braxton Ashcraft (No. 14) and Steven Jennings (No. 17). The Pirates saw too many prospects reach their potential elsewhere in recent years, but it’s vital that they get the most out of the talent they already have in their system while adding to that base through the Draft, international signings and smart trades.

What they’re saying
“The simple, boring answer is best player available. If we’re doing the job the way we want to do it, then the way we rank players would effectively consider both the upside and the risk. We know that there are certain player demographics in the Draft that carry more risk. Obviously, the high school players historically are going to carry more risk. There’s absolutely high school players that should be and deserve to be and have proven to be the right choices in the first round. It’s really weighing the upside and the risk together.

“If we’re doing that well, we’ll get the order right and there’s no particular demographic we would pursue or stay away from. It’s just, how well can we bake in all of the inputs, all of the positive attributes, all of the limitations, all of the relative risk and get to the best order possible so that we take the best player when it’s our time to pick?” -- Cherington, on his Draft philosophy

Who might they take?
The Pirates are said to be targeting college position players with their first pick. While Draft rumors are exactly that -- rumors -- there should be several intriguing bats available at No. 7. One of them is University of Arkansas outfielder Heston Kjerstad, the top left-handed power hitter in the Draft class. Callis linked the Bucs to Kjerstad in a recent mock Draft while also mentioning UCLA outfielder Garrett Mitchell and North Carolina State catcher Patrick Bailey, the best backstop available.

• MLB Pipeline's Top 200 Draft prospects

Mayo said the Pirates might consider Spruce Creek (Fla.) High School outfielder Zac Veen, the Draft’s top high school position player, but he might be off the board by their first pick. The Pirates are “definitely” discussing University of Louisville left-handed pitcher Reid Detmers, Mayo reported, while again linking them to Kjerstad and Mitchell.

Worth noting: Cherington said college pitching is a “strong demographic” for this year’s Draft class, citing the number of quality college pitchers who should be available even after the first round. Perhaps, then, the Pirates will target a different area with their first pick.

Money matters
Each team gets an allotted bonus pool equal to the sum of the values of its selections in the Draft. The more picks a team has, and the earlier it picks, the larger the pool. This year, with a five-round Draft, all signing bonuses of drafted players will apply toward the bonus pool total.

For 2020, there is a $20,000 limit on bonuses for non-drafted free agents. There is no limit to the number of undrafted players teams may sign, but they cannot go over $20,000 per player. These bonuses do not count toward the pool total.

The Pirates have a pool of $11,154,500 to spend, the fifth-largest pool in the Majors, including $5,432,400 to spend on their first selection and $2,312,000 on the 31st overall pick.

Shopping list
Put simply, the Pirates need impact talent wherever they can get it. Teams don’t draft for need because these picks mostly begin their careers in the low Minors, many years away from the big leagues. Whoever they pick in this year’s Draft likely won’t help them win games at PNC Park until 2023-24 at the absolute earliest. So if they don’t draft a specific position, especially when they only have six picks to work with, it’s not the end of the world.

However, there is a pretty clear hole in their system behind the plate. There are no catchers among the Pirates’ top 30 prospects, according to MLB Pipeline. They need to address that need at some point, so why not start now? It’s hard to see them stretching for Bailey with the seventh pick, and while they’ve scouted prep catcher Tyler Soderstrom, MLB Pipeline's No. 19 Draft prospect, he might also be a reach at seventh overall.

There are other well-regarded catchers worth keeping an eye on, however. Austin Wells (No. 27) comes from the same University of Arizona program that produced Kevin Newman. Drew Romo (No. 35) played for the powerhouse program at The Woodlands (Texas) High, the alma mater of Jameson Taillon. And Loyola (Calif.) High’s Kevin Parada (No. 48) has the look of an offensive-minded catcher. Further down the board is Daniel Susac (No. 67), the brother of Pirates non-roster catcher Andrew Susac.

Trend watch
Two of the last three years, the Pirates selected a high-upside high school right-hander with their first overall selection. In three of the last five years, they’ve selected a presumably higher-floor college position player with their top choice. Not since 2013 and ‘14 (Austin Meadows and Cole Tucker) have they used their first pick on a high school position player.

Last year, the Pirates took eight high school players, three junior college players, 18 college juniors, one sophomore and 12 seniors. Their Draft class included 17 pitchers, only three of them left-handers, along with 12 outfielders, seven infielders and six catchers. They showed a willingness to select players from cold-weather areas, like top picks Priester and Sammy Siani, and a preference for multi-sport athletes like Priester.

It’s worth noting that past trends may no longer be relevant as Cherington and Sanders oversee their first Draft with the Pirates. Furthermore, the limited scope of this Draft – and the shortened spring seasons of its prospects -- might upend whatever plans they once had in place. But DelliCarri and the Pirates’ scouts are still in place, so perhaps their history can give us an idea of what kind of talent Pittsburgh might prioritize this year.

The recent top picks
2019: RHP Quinn Priester, RHP (finished last season with Class A Short-Season West Virginia)
2018: OF Travis Swaggerty (spent last season with Class A Advanced Bradenton)
2017: RHP Shane Baz (traded to Rays in Chris Archer deal, pitched last year for Class A Bowling Green)
2016: 1B Will Craig (Triple-A Indianapolis)
2015: SS Kevin Newman (Pirates)