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KYLE MOTTICE, SECOND BASEMAN
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| Born: January 18, 1996 Height: 6′ 0″ Weight: 184 Bats: Left Throws: Right Signed: Non-drafted free agent, 2018 How Acquired: Non-drafted free agent College: University of Cincinnati Agent: N/A |
WTM’s PLAYER PROFILE |
| Mottice was one of a string of NDFA signings the Pirates made after the 2018 draft, all of them, oddly, primarily second basemen. He had a big senior year after hitting very little in his first three years. He batted 335/433/443 after posting an OPS of .567, .680 and .549 in his freshman through junior years. He also stole 20 bases in 23 tries as senior, and had 28 walks and 32 strikeouts.
2018 The Pirates sent Mottice to the GCL, where he hit for average, drew a ton of walks, and had exceptional success as a base stealer. He didn’t show much power, but got hit with a large number of pitches (14), which pumped up his OBP. Mottice split his time between first, second and short. 2019 Mottice opened the season in extended spring training, went to Greensboro in May, did a short stint at West Virginia, then returned to Greensboro in June, playing semi-regularly there the rest of the season. He continued to show remarkable on-base skills, a good deal of it from hit batsmen. At Greensboro, he was hit a cringeworthy 22 times, or once every ten plate appearances. He obviously won’t hit for any power, but he puts the bat on the ball and also adds value on the bases. In the field, Mottice spent nearly all his time at second. It’s hard to imagine Mottice sustaining his OBP magic at higher levels, but it’ll be entertaining to see whether he can do it. |
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CONTRACT INFORMATION
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| 2020: Minor League Contract |
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PLAYER INFORMATION
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| Signing Bonus: N/A MiLB Debut: 2018 MLB Debut: MiLB FA Eligible: 2024 MLB FA Eligible: Rule 5 Eligible: 2021 Added to 40-Man: Options Remaining: 3 MLB Service Time: 0.000 |
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TRANSACTIONS
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| June 21, 2018: Signed as a non-drafted free agent by the Pittsburgh Pirates. |
