The Pittsburgh Pirates signed their third non-drafted free agent on Thursday, this time signing Steven Kraft from Western Kentucky University. They officially signed Pat Dorrian today and Mike Morrow last night.
Kraft had a huge senior season in 2018, but did not get drafted. He’s 5’10”, 185 pounds and turns 22 in July. He hit .382/.483/.494 in 44 games, with a 29:27 BB/SO ratio and seven stolen bases. He was a three-year starter at WKU after playing sparingly as a freshman. He was a shortstop in high school, played second base early in college, then moved to the outfield, before coming back to second base this year.
We will try to get more on him soon, including a placement in the system.
UPDATE: Talked to Kraft and he’s at Pirate City now. He will stay in the GCL and will likely be playing infield. He mentioned that he made some adjustments at the plate leading up to his senior year, which led to the big season. He lost his father earlier in the year and this terrific article talks about that and the adjustments he made at the plate. Great stuff and an in depth look at the person the Pirates just signed.
Another Update: Pirates also signed Kyle Mottice, who started for four years at Cincinnati. His teammate, Cal Alldred was drafted by the Pirates this year. Mottice hit .330/.433/.425 in 54 games after a horrible junior year that saw him bat .191 in 44 games. This year was easily his best season. He batted lead-off and played second base. He too is at Pirate City and will be assigned to an already crowded GCL roster. Mottice is 6’0″, 178 pounds and turned 22 in January. He is a lefty hitter.
