Baseball America has their latest minor league transactions, with news that the Pittsburgh Pirates have released two minor league pitchers: Luis Campos and Jimy Hernandez. Both players profiled as lower level organizational pitchers.
The report also includes a lot of moves that we’ve heard about, such as the signing of five right-handers on minor league deals. There’s also a note that Jason Erickson and Miguel Perez were both re-signed. Erickson served as a player/coach last year in the GCL. Perez was in a player/coach role, but actually got a few at-bats in Altoona. Both should return to similar roles in 2014.
UPDATE 12:16 PM: I just received word that Samuel Gonzalez has been converted to a coach. The catcher put up some impressive offensive numbers in 2011 while playing with State College. He also had one of the best arms in the system behind the plate, and some good receiving skills. Unfortunately he tore his labrum and required surgery prior to the 2012 season. He played first base in 2012, then moved back behind the plate in 2013, but only got 14 at-bats in the GCL. The shoulder never fully recovered, leading to his move to coaching.