The Pittsburgh Pirates have released three lower level minor league players. Catcher Jhan Polanco, pitcher Miguel Diaz and outfielder Franrielis Bastardo have all been let go recently.
Polanco played during the 2018-19 and 2021 seasons, making it up to the Florida Complex League in his final year. He was injured for all of 2022, so he was limited to a total of 71 games in pro ball over his career, seeing a majority of his time with the 2019 DSL Pirates. He got on base at a good clip, hitting .233/.398/.345 in 267 plate appearances. He is 22 years old.
Diaz spent three seasons in the DSL, before finally making it to the Florida Complex League in 2022, where he had a 5.65 ERA, a 1.26 WHIP and 16 strikeouts in 14.1 innings. He is 21 years old.
Bastardo was noted as having plenty of raw power when he signed, but it didn’t translate to pro ball. He played in the DSL in 2019 and the FCL in 2021-22, playing a total of 81 games. He finished with a .206/.297/.358 slash line, with an OPS that dropped each year. He is 20 years old.
