It will take weeks to know how many players the Pirates can sign of the 50 claimed in Major League Baseball's draft that ended yesterday.

And it will take years to evaluate it fairly.

But these two elements seem certain, even at first glance:

1. It will be an expensive draft, perhaps more than doubling the franchise record for signing bonuses.

2. It is very different, in many ways, from the Pirates' half-decade of drafting that preceded it.

Start with the money ...

The most the Pirates have spent on bonuses was $4.9 million two years ago, but that will be blown away, largely because third baseman Pedro Alvarez, the first-round pick, could double pitcher Bryan Bullington's franchise record for an individual bonus -- $4 million -- in 2002. There has been no contact yet with Alvarez's agent, Scott Boras, but one source yesterday said he will seek a bonus of $9.5 million, spread over several years, as part of a major league contract.

There is more: Pitcher Tanner Scheppers, the Pirates' second-round pick, was projected 10th overall by Baseball America and will seek a bonus in that range. Everyone in the top 10 last year made $2 million or more.

In later rounds, too, the Pirates took players who dropped because of high demands and surely will be more expensive. Notable are sixth-rounder Robbie Grossman, a high school outfielder expected to go in the top two rounds; 10th-rounder Andrew Gagnon, a high school pitcher who said he would sign only if taken in the first five; and 26th-rounder Zach Wilson, a high school third baseman.

Team president Frank Coonelly yesterday reiterated that the Pirates plan to sign 25 to 30 of their picks, and that the significant budget increase he authorized months ago will allow them to be aggressive -- to an extent -- in pursuing those at the top end.

"We have targeted all of our top selections," Coonelly said. "Our resources available to sign drafted players are not limitless, however. As a result, we have made several selections later in the draft that will give us flexibility to sign other quality players if the bonus demands of one or more of our top selections are unrealistic."

Of Scheppers, he made clear that the Pirates will view him through their internal valuation.

"We are very pleased that we were able to select Tanner Scheppers, but we do not place value on players based on Baseball America rankings," Coonelly said.

The Scheppers example highlights one of the many differences between this draft, the first under new management, and the six under former general manager Dave Littlefield and former scouting director Ed Creech: Scheppers is a high-ceiling but risky pick, the type that teams with low major league payrolls invariably must uncover. Littlefield and Creech, according to most industry observers, generally went for safer picks.

Scheppers, 21, is a 6-foot-4 right-hander starter out of Fresno State University who hit 99 mph with his fastball and went 8-2 with a 2.93 ERA, but his stock plummeted last month when his right shoulder was injured.

Most reports have described it as a stress fracture, but it actually is slight damage to the labrum. The Pirates, aware of the damage beforehand, have the following plan: Monitor it closely leading up to the Aug. 15 signing deadline for all draft picks, make a judgment on its progress, then decide how to proceed.

If the Pirates do not sign Scheppers, they will receive a compensation second-round pick -- probably the third choice -- next year, so the risk is somewhat negated.

Other criticisms of the Littlefield-Creech drafts included their failure to cull from talent-rich California, a lack of scouting off the beaten paths, too much emphasis on college talent over high school because it was closer to being ready, and not enough emphasis on power.

On those fronts in this draft:

• The Pirates chose three of their top five players -- Scheppers, shortstop Chase D'Arnaud and pitcher Justin Wilson -- and nine overall from California, which had 45 players on Baseball America's top-200 list. The Littlefield-Creech drafts saw two players -- out of a possible 30 -- taken in the top five rounds.

• The 15th-round pick, pitcher Chris Aure, was taken from North Pole High School in Alaska. If that sounds off the beaten path, consider that Greg Hopkins, the Pirates' scout for the Pacific Northwest and western Canada, was one of only four scouts to visit Aure's home, despite Aure being considered by Baseball America to be the top prospect out of that state in more than a decade.

"Yes, we went to Alaska," general manager Neal Huntington said with a laugh. "Give Greg credit for going the extra mile."

• Thirty-two picks were from college, 17 from high school, one from no school. That is essentially the same breakdown as last year -- 32 college, 18 high school -- but only three of the 27 players who signed last year were from high school.

• Half of the Pirates' top 10 picks, highlighted by Alvarez, third-round shortstop Jordy Mercer and Grossman, are seen as having power potential. The only one with that profile in the top 10 last year was fifth-round catcher Andrew Walker.

Other trends appeared to be in place, including the selection of five shortstops, a position of great need in the system. Among them were the third and fourth choices, Mercer and Arnaud, and seventh-rounder Benji Gonzalez of Puerto Rico. There also appeared to be a continuing emphasis on acquiring power arms.

Still, Huntington reiterated that the Pirates were not pursuing any particular positions.

"There has not been a specific leaning," Huntington said. "We're looking to increase our overall athleticism and talent level, from the quality of bats to, from the pitching standpoint, delivery, power and command. It's about adding quality talent."