PITTSBURGH – Wow, when the Pirates said they were committed to the draft, they weren't kiddin', were they?

The Pirates didn't spend money in the draft. They spent lots and lots of it. Again. First-round draft pick Jameson Taillon received a $6.5-million bonus, the most for a high school player ever. When the ink dried finally, the organization shelled out nearly $12 million to sign 27 players. In virtually every case, they paid two, three, even four times the value suggested for their draft slots.

Baby Buc(k)s, indeed.

In the last three years, the Pirates spent nearly $31 million in the draft, perhaps more than any major league team. I wonder, how much did the New York Yankees spend in that time? El cheapos!

Still, I question the sanity of a $6.5-million bonus for an 18- or 19-year-old pitcher that is one Tommy John surgery away from a second career. Or any other high school kid, for that matter. One year ago, the San Diego Padres gave 18-year-old outfielder Donavan Tate a then-record $6.25-million bonus as the third pick in the draft. He has a .222 batting average and two home runs in rookie ball this season.

But, hey, that's the beauty of the Major League Baseball system, right? While the mega-market teams spend large amounts of money on proven talent and play for this year, the mid-market ones are supposed to invest in young, unproven talent and play for next year or the one after that or the one after that.

The Pirates didn't write the rules. They're only expected to follow them, and in the last three years,  they've done it almost  to the letter. Team ownership has made an full-fledged, no-checks-barred commitment to the farm system. They spent big bucks on a number of players that many draft experts are high on to various degrees. If the major league model really does work, then we should see tangible results sooner than later.

Uh, right?