The Pittsburgh Pirates released six minor leaguers this morning. Details on each player below.
Logan Pevny – Pevny was a 49th round prep pitcher taken in the 2010 draft. He’s a tall, skinny pitcher who throws in the upper 80s, and tops out at 92 with sink to his fastball. He threw for State College last year, pitching in relief. The right-hander had good overall numbers, with a 2.08 ERA, but needed some improvement on his strikeout and walk rates.
Mike Jefferson – Jefferson was taken in the 22nd round of the 2011 draft, and had been used as a starter the last two seasons. The lefty threw in the 86-88 range in some outings, and 90-91 in others. He had good off-speed stuff, which led to some good results in the lower levels.
Zach Foster – Foster is a sidearm pitcher who has thrown out of the bullpen in Bradenton the last two years. He will be 26 this year, so he was getting a little old for prospect status, especially with only one game above A-ball. Foster spent a lot of time at McKechnie Field this Spring, serving as a minor league backup in big league camp.
Nathan Kilcrease – Kilcrease was signed as a minor league free agent last season to help fill out the West Virginia bullpen. He had great numbers, but didn’t have the size or stuff to be a prospect in the upper levels.
Jordan Cooper – The Pirates drafted Cooper twice. Once was in 2009 as a prep pitcher. They took him again in 2011, after struggling for two years with Kentucky. Wilbur had a report on Cooper yesterday, noting that he had trouble controlling his 89-92 MPH fastball.
Josh Poytress – Poytress has hit 92 MPH in the past with his fastball, but usually works in the 86-88 MPH range. His off-speed stuff is much better than his fastball, making him very similar to a lot of the left-handers in A-ball. He struggled with his control numbers last year, and was going to have a hard time making it past A-ball without seeing improvements to the fastball, which didn’t come this year.
