Radhames Liz was in mini camp today at Pirate City, giving him his first day of work in the Pittsburgh Pirates’ organization. The right-hander met with the media after the day’s workouts, and discussed what led to him signing with Pittsburgh.
The rumors surrounding Liz were drawn out, with initial reports saying that he had agreed to a two-year deal worth $3 M. Liz said that he didn’t have any two-year offers from the Pirates, but that he had an offer from Japan for that amount. The Japan offer was rumored at the time, and it seems likely that the rumors out of Korea and the Dominican Republic talking about a two-year deal were mixing up where each deal was coming from. Liz eventually signed a one-year deal for $1 M.
He said that there was a lot of interest in him, and that he eventually chose the Pirates after talking with Stolmy Pimentel, and one of his good friends, Daniel Cabrera, who was with the Pirates organization in 2012. Liz also said that his conversation with Neal Huntington helped convince him to sign.
“I liked the way he talked to me,” Liz said of the conversation. “I liked what he told me. He convinced me to choose the team.”
There was also a delay in signing Liz. His Dominican team announced an agreement a few weeks before he officially signed. He reportedly flew to Pittsburgh a few weeks before signing. There were rumors that the hold up was due to problems with his physical, although Liz denied that, saying that he had no physical issues. He did mention that he had a knee injury last year with the Blue Jays, but that he’s over that now.
One of the notable things about Liz, prior to his signing, was his fastball. He was routinely hitting 95 MPH in the Dominican, showing off the heat that made him one of the top prospects in the game back in 2008.
“It [was] never gone,” Liz said of his fastball. “It’s always been there. I was just out of the United States for a couple of years.”
The big issue in the past was a lack of control. He did a better job of that this off-season, but it remains to be seen if he can repeat that success this time in the majors.
“I really believe I changed a lot. I changed the way to think pitching,” Liz said on what has been different for him. “My stuff is still there, better control. Stronger mentally. Knowing what to do in certain situations. Things like that make me a better pitcher.”
Liz is likely to take a spot in the Pirates’ bullpen, and the odds of him being a starter are slim. He said that he prefers to start, but is preparing for anything. The bullpen role might be best to ease him back in the majors, especially since all of the high pressure roles are taken, leaving him with a low pressure situation to deal with in his return.
The Pirates recently won the bidding for Korean infielder Jung-Ho Kang, and a report came out today that they have agreed to a deal with him. Liz faced Kang while he was playing in Korea, and talked about the infielder’s hitting skills.
“He’s a pretty good hitter,” Liz said. “He’s the type of guy you have to [not] leave the ball in one place. He can hit the breaking pitch and he can hit the fastball too.”
As for whether Kang can make the jump to the U.S. and carry his hitting over, the answer from Liz was simple.
“If he doesn’t change anything, I think he’ll be alright.”
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.
This guy is terrible he’s never had an era under 6.00 and never won more than he’s lost
hahahhaaaa; I remember much of that sentiment was said about Grilli, Hanrahan, Melancon, Liriano, Russell Martin, AJ, Volquez, and so on. hee-heee
I never did like the term that people have used regarding the Pirates and their off season moves since NH has taken over. That term being “dumpster diving”. I believe that they have a strategy built on a philosophy that looks at value based upon certain components a player possesses. They players are at times undervalued or not valued at all by mainstream reporting. I am excited to see both these players in Pittsburgh this year along with that 38 year old pitcher that captured our attention the previous two seasons.
I’d call it more “bottom fed”… Dumpster diving is a choice… Bottom feeders do so by nature…I don’t necessarily see it as negative connotation… It is only negative if it fails… We are like catfish…. an evolutionary marvel. Not just surviving but thriving in our niche.
Actually during the years of the Cam Bonifay and especially the David Littlefield regimes, they did nothing but dumpster diving, and they sucked at it. Things are fully different now with Huntington and his staff.
Indeed monsoon, it’s amazing how two people can do the same thing and come up with two different results. That’s what makes life (and in this case baseball) great.
WW: It is only “dumpster diving” until you prove that you and your scouting workforce have made some very adept moves over the years. NH and the Pirates have proved that beyond a doubt and continue to identify talent that is presently hidden and needs a little nudge to make it productive. AJ Burnett, Russell Martin, and Edinson Volquez are proof positive. Check the bonus numbers for Polanco and Hanson and you will see that nobody else saw much in these two kids, then throw in a little Tyler Glasnow, Cole Tucker, Adrian Sampson, Chad Kuhl and a host of others. The Pirate FO has earned credibility, and the comments by Liz about why he signed with the Pirates is loaded with references to taking a chance on breaking out with a team that has established a precedent.
Just to balance this discussion out a bit…Burnett, Martin, and Volquez were all quality players before coming to Pittsburgh – its just that they all had down years before getting here so we got them on the cheap (relatively). Obviously, all three of these guys turned their career around in Pittsburgh – so the Pirates can rightfully claim some responsibility for that, along with the players themselves. On the other hand, similar success as not experienced with Ike Davis, Gabby Sanchez, or Frieri.
As for all the prospects named above, they all have great potential, but its just potential at this point. If Liz and Holdzkum are both quality significant contributors to the Pirates bullpen in 2015, I will be convinced that maybe the Pirates do have a knack with reclamation projects.
I saw the video of Liz pitching to Kang and I also saw the ball sail over the left field fence.
I loved that last sentence.