Scouting consensus is that Pirates take Cole, but they don't necessarily agree he's the top guy: http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20110513&content_id=19005300&vke...
Pittsburgh brass talks to mlb.com: http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20110516&content_id=19131388&vke...
Key takeaway:
One thing the Pirates are not prepared to do is pass on a pitcher simply because history shows that pitchers are the riskier investment.
"Historically, the game is built around pitching," Smith said. "The reality is that they're always one pitch away from hurting their arm. But unfortunately, there have also been position players that have injuries. It is a question that is going to require a lot of dialogue, but I think we showed last year if it's the right player with the right talent, we'll take him."
Also, the Pirates scouting director had the #1 pick when he was with the Tigers, and wasted it on a guy named Matt Anderson: http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/a/anderma01.shtml
Side benefit of Pirates taking Cole: no Cole vs. Bauer debate.
Local TV report on Bubba Starling, which has some pretty good baseball footage (yes, the dude is fast): http://www.ketv.com/video/27907674/detail.html
Key takeaway: Mom wants him to go to college.