The Pittsburgh Pirates have announced that they’ve added six non-roster invitees to Spring Training. The new additions are Gerrit Cole, Michael Crotta, Ramon Cabrera, Eric Fryer, Tony Sanchez, and Robbie Grossman.
Of the group, only Crotta and Fryer have major league experience, both spending time in the majors in 2011. I don’t see any of the group making the majors out of Spring Training. Cole will start in Bradenton, Grossman and Cabrera will likely start in Altoona, and Sanchez is coming off a down year, starting in either AA or AAA. Crotta would have a shot at the bullpen, and Fryer would have a shot at the backup catcher role, but the bullpen is already crowded, and Michael McKenry seems to be the obvious choice for the backup catching role.
The full list of Spring Training participants can be found here.
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.
