Pirates draft pick Blake Sabol discusses being Troy Polamalu's cousin, JuJu Smith-Schuster's friend

Remember how quiet and shy Troy Polamalu was when he was first drafted by the Steelers?

Now picture the exact opposite.

That’s his second cousin, Blake Sabol. And that’s who the Pirates drafted in the seventh round out of Southern Cal.

If the catcher-turned-outfielder is as comfortable at the plate as he is conducting an interview, he may turn out to be just as good of a player as his cousin.

Sabol joined me on the podcast Thursday. He gets into his family history with Polamalu. It turns out Sabol’s parents and Polamalu are very close. His mom was a babysitter for the All-Pro-to-be when Polamalu was a young child.

LISTEN: Blake Sabol can't wait to be a Pirate

We talked about Sabol’s position change, how playing football in high school helped in his development and how he thrived during his time playing in the Cape Cod League, hitting .340 last year.

Sabol’s family athleticism goes beyond just his relationship with Polamalu. His brother played in the Mets system, too.

Describing himself as “the world’s most skinny Samoan,” the lefty hitter feels he has more power to unlock as he fills out his 6-foot-4, 215-pound frame. He had just 18 homers between his time at USC and in the Cape Cod League.

The former Trojan gushes at the prospect of maybe someday playing in Pittsburgh after growing up a Steelers fan. He also says that he is good friends with JuJu Smith-Schuster from his time on the USC campus.

Maybe that’s why it’s easy for him to come out of his shell. It’s kinda hard to be reserved if you hang around JuJu, right?