The Pittsburgh Pirates have given Fernando Nieve his unconditional release, according to a team press release. Nieve was just cut from Spring Training yesterday, and assigned to minor league camp. He has a career 4.61 ERA in 185.2 innings in the majors, and is 28 years old. He wouldn’t have made the starting rotation in Indianapolis, and might not have been a candidate for the bullpen, which explains his release. The Pirates originally signed Nieve back in early December.
Tim started Pirates Prospects in 2009 from his home in Virginia, which was 40 minutes from where Pedro Alvarez made his pro debut in Lynchburg. That year, the Lynchburg Hillcats won the Carolina League championship, and Pirates Prospects was born from Tim's reporting along the way. The site has grown over the years to include many more writers, and Tim has gone on to become a credentialed MLB reporter, producing Pirates Prospects each year, and will publish his 11th Prospect Guide this offseason. He has also served as the Pittsburgh Pirates correspondent for Baseball America since 2019. Behind the scenes, Tim is an avid music lover, and most of the money he gets paid to run this site goes to vinyl records.
