The Pittsburgh Pirates have re-signed two minor league free agents, according to Baseball America’s latest minor league transactions. The two players who were re-signed were Eliecer Navarro and Andy Vasquez.
Navarro had a strong season with Bradenton, putting up a 2.86 ERA as a starter in 69.1 innings, with an 8.0 K/9 and a 1.7 BB/9. He’s got great off-speed stuff, and he’s left-handed, which is going to lead to great results in A-ball. The numbers weren’t strong for Navarro in Double-A, with a 4.52 ERA in 75.2 innings, along with a 6.5 K/9 and a 4.2 BB/9 ratio. He should return as upper level rotation depth.
Vasquez spent last season getting time off Altoona’s bench. He had a .248/.293/.344 line in 262 at-bats. He’s only an organizational player, but provides value by being able to play almost every position. In 2013 he played every position except catcher and first base, and that included one appearance as a relief pitcher. The only position he hasn’t played in his career is catcher.
The Pirates also re-signed Rudy Pena, Greg Picart, Austin McClune, and Anthony Norman. All four were minor league coaches this past year, and they should all resume that role in 2014.
