The Pittsburgh Pirates have just announced the signings of two pitchers, LHP Charlie Leesman and RHP Wilfredo Boscan. As indicated in the tweet below, both are minor league deals and both have been invited to Major League camp for Spring Training.
Leesman is a 27-year-old lefty, who has spent parts of each of the last two seasons with the Chicago White Sox. In nine big league games, two as a starter, he has a 9.00 ERA over 18 innings. During his minor league career, he has been an extreme ground ball pitcher, posting a 2.00 GO/AO ratio. His strikeout rate hasn’t been the best throughout his career, but in 2014, he had 70 K’s in 71.2 innings. In the minors, 139 of his 143 appearances have been as a starter.
Boscan has pitched eight seasons in the minors, splitting this past year between the AA and AAA clubs of the Boston Red Sox. The 25-year-old righty has pitched mainly as a starter over his career, though the past two seasons he has pitched mostly out of the bullpen. He has a 4.13 career ERA over 762.2 innings. His ERA in two AAA stints is 6.17 in 46.2 innings. Boscan has averaged 6.8 SO/9IP over his career.
#Pirates have agreed to terms w/RHP Wilfredo Boscan & LHP Charlie Leesman on minor league contracts &includes invites to Major League camp.
— Pittsburgh Pirates (@Pirates) January 9, 2015
