The Pittsburgh Pirates have agreed to terms with Dominican outfielder Edinson Lantigua, signing the 16-year-old to a reported $275,000 bonus. According to the Dominican Prospect League site, Lantigua makes solid contact and is a line drive hitter, who shows occasional power. Defensively, he has a strong arm and they project him to be able to play center field. They call Lantigua a player with a very high ceiling. He is the first high profile player the Pirates have signed since the beginning of the July 2nd signing period.
Pirates Sign Dominican Outfielder Edinson Lantigua
John Dreker
John started working at Pirates Prospects in 2009, but his connection to the Pittsburgh Pirates started exactly 100 years earlier when Dots Miller debuted for the 1909 World Series champions. John was born in Kearny, NJ, two blocks from the house where Dots Miller grew up. From that hometown hero connection came a love of Pirates history, as well as the sport of baseball.
When he didn't make it as a lefty pitcher with an 80+ MPH fastball and a slider that needed work, John turned to covering the game, eventually focusing in on the prospects side, where his interest was pushed by the big league team being below .500 for so long. John has covered the minors in some form since the 2002 season, and leads the draft and international coverage on Pirates Prospects. He writes daily on Pittsburgh Baseball History, when he's not covering the entire system daily throughout the entire year on Pirates Prospects.