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Pirates Sign Dominican Outfielder for $700 K

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UPDATE 11:59 AM: The Pirates officially announce the move, via press release. Also in the release is a statement from Rene Gayo:

“We are very excited to sign Michael. He is a young player with now tools that are still developing. He is also an instinctive and aggressive performer with a very strong opportunity to be a five-tool player. I want to thank and congratulate Scouting Supervisor Juan Mercado and our staff for doing such a fine job on the acquisition of this player.”

11:27 AM: The Pittsburgh Pirates have signed center fielder Michael DeLaCruz for $700,000, Pirates Prospects has learned. De La Cruz is from Santo Domingo in the Dominican Republic, and is a lefty/lefty outfielder. The bonus given to DeLaCruz matches the bonus given to Julio DeLaCruz (no relation between the two), who received $700,000 on July 3rd.

Michael has the chance to be a five tool outfielder. He put up 6.47 to 6.50 60-yard dash times as a runner at the age of 15. In a game, he’s a 4.0 runner to first, and 11 seconds from home to third. All of those times put his speed as a 70 runner on the 20-80 scale. His arm and defense grade out as a 60 currently on the 20-80 scale, with room for improvement in the future.

DeLaCruz is a line drive, extra base hitter, but has the potential for 20-25 home run power down the line. He’s 16 years old, and is 6′ 0″, 175 pounds.

Tim Williams
Tim Williams
Tim is the owner, producer, editor, and lead writer of PiratesProspects.com. He has been running Pirates Prospects since 2009, becoming the first new media reporter and outlet covering the Pirates at the MLB level in 2011 and 2012. His work can also be found in Baseball America, where he has been a contributor since 2014 and the Pirates' correspondent since 2019.

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