The Pittsburgh Pirates have designated right-handed pitcher Wirfin Obispo for assignment to make room for Ramon Cabrera, who was claimed off waivers today from the Detroit Tigers. Obispo was claimed off waivers back in June from the Atlanta Braves. He has posted a 3.16 ERA in 25.2 innings with Indianapolis since the claim, along with a 24:13 K/BB ratio.
Obispo can still clear waivers, at which point the Pirates could outright him to Triple-A. However, he will be a minor league free agent at the end of the season if he doesn’t re-join the 40-man roster by that point. He’s an interesting prospect, with a 93-97 MPH fastball and a good history of strikeouts, but he’s also 30 years old, so he’s not really much of a prospect.
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.
