PIRATES PROSPECTSPITTSBURGH PIRATES MINOR LEAGUE NEWS, TRANSACTIONS, AND ARTICLES

Also going on this weekend: MLB's rookie career development program, where the up-and-coming major leaguers are given some crash courses on various off-the-field topics, including finances, media relations, etc. �This year the Pirates' have sent Andrew McCutchen, Brad Lincoln, and Pedro Alvarez. Alvarez did not participate in mini-camp, but stayed in Arizona to continue to work at the Athletes' Performance Institute (and the Pirates were ok with that). Winter League Playoffs: Puerto Rican League Playoffs: The semifinals were scheduled to begin on Sunday night, with two best-of-7 series: �Los Indios de Mayaguez vs. Los Lobos de Arecibo, and Los Criollos de Caguas vs. Los Gigantes de Carolina. �But rain cancelled Saturday's games and wet grounds have forced a postponement of Sunday's games (and that was announced by midday). Los Leones de Ponce were eliminated. Dominican League Playoffs: The round robin tournament ended with Los Gigantes del Cibao in first place with a 12-6 record, and Los Leones del Escogido in second place at 10-8. �Those two teams will begin a best-of-7 final series on Monday. �Los Tigres del Licey (8-10) and Los Toros del Este (6- 12) were eliminated. Venezuelan League Playoffs: Los Navegantes del Magallanes have clinched the top spot in the round robin tournament and will advance to the finals. �Los Leones del Caracas have a 9-6 record, and with one game left for them in the tournament, a win will secure for them a spot in the finals. �If Caracas loses but Los Tiburones de La Guaira, who currently have a 7-7 record with two games to play, also lose one of their games, then Caracas is in. �If Caracas loses but La Guaira win both games, then the two teams will be tied with a 9-7 record and there will need to be some kind of playoff. Also, former Indy Indian Yurendell de Caster is now playing for Magallanes. OK>>>LATER, with the results Leones del Caracas 6, �Navegantes del Magallanes 3 Caracas was quiet for the first four innings, but then burst out with 5 runs in the 5th. �With one out, a fielding error and a double put two runners into scoring position. �C Carlos Maldonado singled to drive in the runner from third, and another single brought in the second run. �Then CF Josh Kroger (White Sox) blasted a 3-run homer to give Caracas a 5-0 lead. �A solo homer by DH Wilson Ramos made it 6-0 in the top of the 6th. �Magallanes scored their only runs in the bottom of the frame. �SS Argenis Diaz, who had entered the game in the top of the inning, walked, then went to third on a single. �LF Mike Ryan's sacrifice fly brought Diaz across the plate. �After another single, 1B Yurendell de Caster grounded to short, for what should have been the end of the inning. �But the throw to first went wild, and two runs scored. �That was all the scoring in the game, though, and Caracas's 10th win clinched them a trip to the final round of playoffs, regardless of what La Guaira may do in the next two days. Mexican Pacific League Venados de Mazatlan 6, �Yaquis de Obregon 2 Obregon got going early with 4 runs in the bottom of the 1st inning. �With two outs, a single, a walk, and an RBI single scored one run, and a 3-run homer made it 4-0. �But Mazatlan returned fire with a solo home run by CF Ruben Rivera to lead off the top of the 2nd. �Two walks and a single after the homer loaded the bases, and a third walk and a hit batter forced in two more runs. �Mazatlan tied the score at 4-4 in the top of the 3rd on C Miguel Ojeda's solo homer. �The next six innings were a whole lot of not much, and the game went into extras. �Mazatlan put a runner on base with a walk in the 10th, but he was caught stealing second base, and they went down in order in the 11th. �Obregon threatened in the 10th with a single, a bunt, and a walk, but couldn't score. �They put two more runners on base in the bottom of the 11th with a single and a double, but again no score. �Finally in the top of the 12th, Ojeda blasted his second home run of the game, a 2-run shot. �Randy Williams took the mound for Mazatlan in the bottom of the frame, and retired three batters in order, the final two on strikeouts. The win gives Mazatlan the series. �They will face Hermosillo in the finals, another best-of-7 series, beginning in a few days.

While we're waiting to find out who is going to be bumped in favor of pitchers Octavio Dotel and Brendan Donnelly, a look at how some Pirates' players and friends fared in Saturday night's winter league playoff games.... Both of the Puerto Rican League games were postponed due to rain. VENEZUELAN LEAGUE PLAYOFFS Navegantes del Magallanes 9, �Bravos de Margarita 6 Jean Machi earned his 4 playoff save for Magallanes with a scoreless 9th inning, though he did allow a walk and a single. �Magallanes got going with 4 runs in the bottom of the 2nd inning, on a 2-run homer, a double, and two singles. �Another 2-run homer added two runs in the 5th, and two throwing errors and a 2-run single gave them 2 more in the 6th. �Los Navegantes rounded it out with a double, a stolen base, and a sacrifice fly for their last run in the 7th. �LF Mike Ryan singled in the 5th inning, but didn't score. �Margarita scored single runs in the 1st, 4th, 5th, and 7th innings, and then two more on a 2-run homer in the 8th, but they couldn't keep up with Magallanes. Leones de Caracas 6, �Tiburones de La Guaira 4 Two 3-run innings gave Caracas the edge. �They began with 3 runs in the bottom of the 1st inning, on two doubles and three singles. �In the 5th, three consecutive singles to open the inning brought in one run. �After an intentional walk loaded the bases, a single brought in another run, and C Carlos Maldonado worked a walk to force in the third run of the inning. �La Guaira picked up their first two runs on a 2-run homer in the 4th, and added another single run in the 6th, as well as a solo homer in the 9th. �1B Hector Gimenez went 0-for-4 for La Guaira. DOMINICAN LEAGUE PLAYOFFS Gigantes del Cibao 10, �Tigres del Licey 6 Los Gigantes came out swinging, scoring one run in the 1st inning, then 5 runs in the 2nd inning on a solo homer and a grand slam by RF Nelson Cruz. �Licey brought in Denny Bautista to take the mound to begin the 3rd inning, and he fared no better -- he got one fly out, then gave up a single and a walk. �Bautista was relieved, and at the same time, Los Tigres 1B Jose Offerman and C Ronny Paulino were both ejected from the game. �After a walk, a bases-clearing double brought in 3 runs, and another double added the fourth run of the inning. �Licey showed very little offense in the early innings, though CF Jose Bautista did single in the 4th (and was left on base). �Licey got onto the scoreboard in the 5th with one run on a walk, two singles, and an RBI ground out. �Jose Bautista led off the 6th inning with a walk, and he scored on a single and an RBI double. �In the 7th, three singles loaded the bases for Licey, in their biggest rally of the game. �A wild pitch brought in one run, then Jose Bautista's single plated two more runs. �A single and three walks forced in Licey's final run in the bottom of the 9th, but that was all they could get. MEXICAN PACIFIC LEAGUE PLAYOFFS Naranjeros de Hermosillo 3, �Tomateros de Culiacan 1 Hermosillo knocked Culiacan out of the playoffs with their fourth straight win in the best-of-seven series. �Culiacan was held to just 3 hits plus 2 walks. �One of those base runners was eliminated in a double play, three of them were left stranded, and only one crossed the plate. �That one came in the 3rd inning, on a walk, a double, and an RBI single. �After that run scored, the next batter bounced into a double play, and then the next 14 Culiacan batters went down in order. �A walk followed by four more outs ended the game for Culiacan. �2B Luis Cruz went 0-for-3 for Los Tomateros.��Hermosillo scored on a home run in the top of the 1st, then scored another single run in the 5th on a walk and a double, and finally one more run in the 6th on two doubles. �Hermosillo now will await the outcome of the Mazatlan/Obregon series, then proceed to the final round of the playoffs. Venados de Mazatlan 5, �Yaquis de Obregon 2 Obregon was held to just 4 hits -- one was a solo homer in the 2nd, and two were singles in the 9th to bring in their only other run. �After that homer to lead off the 2nd, the next 15 Obregon batters were retired in order. �Mazatlan, again without rookie Rogelios Noris, loaded the bases in both the 1st and 2nd innings -- a walk forced in a run in the 1st, and a grounder force out brought in a run in the 2nd. �The winning runs came in the 6th, on a solo homer by CF Ruben Rivera, then a double and two singles. �Mazatlan now leads this series 3 games to 1.

I just wanted to let everyone know that Pittsburgh Lumber Co. will be moving to a new server at some point in the next...

It's now official -- righty reliever DJ Carrasco has put ink to paper on a minor league contract with the Pirates. �The Arizona native, who will turn 33 just as the season begins, was originally drafted by the Orioles in the 26th round of the 1997 draft, but he never played in an official game for them. �He was released by the Orioles in June 1998, and was signed by the Cleveland Indians a few days later. �After a brief 13-game stint for the Indians with their New York-Penn league team, Carrasco�was released by the Indians in August. �He was next signed by the Pirates in March 1999, and worked his way up through the system for the next four seasons. �He had a particularly strong performance with the A Hickory Crawdads in 2000, with 27 relief appearances and a 1.35 ERA in 40 innings �(20 BB, 40 K). �In 2001, he did equally well in 22 relief appearances for the Lynchburg Hillcats, with a 1.50 ERA, 4 wins (no losses), and 7 saves in 36 innings (14 BB, and another 40 K). �He also pitched 37 innings in 27 spots for the Altoona Curve, where he earned a 2-2 record and one save, for a 4.14 ERA (25 BB, 35K). �Carrasco spent all of the 2002 season with the Curve , where he again shone, with 29 �saves and a 1.61 ERA in 72.2 innings (18 BB, 83 K). �But the Pirates did not add him to the 40-man roster, and the Royals thought that season showed a lot of potential -- they selected him in the Rule 5 draft. �That meant that Carrasco had to spend all of 2003 on the major league roster with the Royals. �He didn't do too badly, making 48 relief appearances and 2 starts, and earning a 6-5 record and 2 saves, with a 4.82 ERA (40 BB, 57 K). �Carrasco split both the 2004 and 2005 seasons between AAA Omaha and Kansas City, switching to the starting rotation for KC in 2005. �He began to have shoulder problems at the end of 2005, and those also hampered his brief tour with Fukuoka in Japan in 2006, where he made only 3 starts. �Carrasco returned to the US and pitched for AAA Tucson (Diamondbacks) in 2007, again mostly as a starter -- 22 starts and 12 relief appearances, but with a 5-14 record and a 6.68 ERA. �In 137.1 innings, he allowed 185 hits, with 60 BB and 103 K. �The White Sox signed Carrasco to a minor league contract in 2008 and sent him back to the bullpen, where things went much better. �He began the season with AAA Charlotte, but spent most of the season with the White Sox, where he pitched 38.2 innings in 31 appearances, for a 3.96 ERA and 30 hits, 14 BB, and 30 K. �The 2009 season was also strong, as Carrasco led the majors in relief innings (93.1) in 48 middle relief appearances (one start), for a 5-1 record and a 3.76 ERA . �He allowed 103 hits, with 29 BB and 62 K. �The White Sox did not offer Carrasco a contract for the 2010 season, though, for what appeared to be budget reasons. �He will join the ranks of relievers vying for a spot in the Pirates' bullpen for 2010. �He could be a strong arm out of the bullpen and also would give the Pirates the option of having someone to make an emergency spot start if they chose to add him to the major league roster. �Otherwise, Carrasco could join the Indy Indians' bullpen and hope for a chance to move up to Pittsburgh. With the Pirates coming close to signing reliever Octavio Dotel and possibly another free agent reliever, both to major league contracts, two players will have to come off the 40-man roster. �Those on the bubble: 1B/OF Steve Pearce, INF Brian Bixler, 3B Neil Walker. �All three of them might benefit from a fresh start elsewhere. UPDATE: It's Brendan Donnelly, the righty reliever, and that means two players definitely have to be removed from the 40-man roster. �You'd think the Pirates would rather make a trade (or two) and get some minor leaguers in return rather than just up and release someone, or lose someone to a waiver claim.... unless they think that there's such a low chance of a waiver claim that it won't matter.... Other signing notes: IF Tagg Bozied, who played the last half of the 2009 season for the Indy Indians, signed with the Phillies for 2010. �Bozied hit .288 for the Tribe, with 17 doubles, one triple, 5 homers, and 18 RBI. INF/OF Jeff Salazar, who also was with the Indy Indians and the Pirates in 2009, has joined the Orioles for 2010. �He hit .270 for the Tribe, with 7 doubles, 3 triples, 10 homers, and 39 RBI. �Salazar was promoted to Pittsburgh, but appeared in only 21 games and went 1-for-23 at the plate, with one RBI. P �Chris Bootcheck has signed to pitch in Japan for 2010. �The former first-round draft pick for the Angels (2000), Bootcheck made 40 relief appearances for the Indy Indians in 2009, and earned 20 saves. �In 42.2 innings, he allowed 40 hits, 7 BB, and 55 K. �Bootcheck made 13 relief appearances for the Pirates, but in 14.2 innings, he racked up a 11.05 ERA, with 16 hits, 9 BB, and 13 K. Former Indy Indian/Pirate Jose Castillo has also signed to play in Japan for 2010.

The Pirates have agreed to terms with another reliever. This time it is Brendan Donnelly. Donnelly has been a very productive reliever...

Pirates' players and friends in Friday's winter league playoff action... including a pitcher who has not been very active recently DOMINICAN LEAGUE PLAYOFFS Tigres del Licey 7, �Toros del Este 1 Jared Hughes pitched in his second game for Los Toros this week. �Hughes pitched 2 scoreless innings on Sunday, but he did not fare as well today. �He took the mound to begin the 3rd inning, and gave up a walk and a single, but got a double play to end the inning. �He gave up a lone single in the 4th inning, but then got into trouble in the 5th inning. �He gave up back-to-back singles (including one to CF Jose Bautista) to open the 5th, then got an out and gave up a walk. �After a strikeout, a second walk forced in a run, and that was all for Hughes. �A passed ball scored the runner from third base, and a single brought in two more runs, giving Licey 4 runs in the inning. �Bautista had walked in the 1st inning, but was forced out at second base in a run-scoring play. �Three singles added another run for Licey in the 2nd inning, and two more singles scored a run in the 8th. �Los Toros were held to just 6 hits. �The only inning in which they posted more than one hit was the 9th, when 1B Mauro Gomez led off with a solo homer, then a single followed the homer. VENEZUELAN LEAGUE PLAYOFFS Bravos de Margarita 10, �Tiburones de La Guaira 7 1B Hector Gimenez began the games' scoring with a solo homer in the 2nd inning. �But�Margarita burst out with 5 runs in the 4th and 4 runs in the 5th, plus one more in the 6th, as every member of the batting order but one collected two hits. �La Guaira scored in each of the last four innings, but it wasn't enough to catch up. �Four walks and a sacrifice fly brought in two runs in the 6th -- Gimenez had the second walk and scored the second run. �A solo homer added a run in the 7th, and another solo homer plus a double and a single gave La Guaira two runs in the 8th. �Gimenez's grounder to third was booted in the 9th inning, and though Gimenez did not get the RBI, it did bring in another run. Aguilas de Zulia 8, �Leones del Caracas 7 Reliever Chris Hernandez earned his second playoff save with 1.2 innings of work for Zulia. �He came into the game in the 8th inning with runners on the corners, one out, and one run in. �Hernandez got the first batter he faced to ground into a force out, but a run came in. �He gave up a single to Caracas' LF Jose Castillo, but then got a strikeout to end the inning. �In the 9th, Hernandez gave up a double, but left that runner on base. �Zulia had the early lead with 7 runs scored over the first 3 innings. �Caracas scored one run in the 2nd and 4 runs in the 5th, including an RBI single by Castillo, then those two runs in the 8th. MEXICAN PACIFIC LEAGUE PLAYOFFS Naranjeros de Hermosillo 5, �Tomateros de Culiacan 4 Culiacan scored early, but Hermosillo came back and scored late to take the win. �A walk, a single by 2B Luis Cruz, a sacrifice bunt, and a 2-RBI double gave Culiacan their first two runs in the 2nd inning. �Another walk, single, and double added a run in the 4th, and a walk, a bunt, and a single gave them their fourth run in the 5th inning. �Culiacan held the 4-1 lead, but Hermosillo began chipping away at it. �Los Naranjeros scored one run in the 7th, and one in the 8th. �In the top of the 9th, Hermosillo loaded the bases with two walks and a single, and another single drove in the tying and go-ahead runs. �Culiacan is on the verge of elimination, with Hermosillo leading the series 3 games to none. Yaquis de Obregon 4, �Venados de Mazatlan 3 A walk, a single, and a 2-out RBI single in the bottom of the 8th broke a 3-3 tie to give Obregon the win. �Rogilios Noris didn't get into the game. �Mazatlan leads the series 2 games to 1.

The Mexican Pacific League has the day off, and the Puerto Rican League's only playoff game was rained out, but a few Pirates' friends and players got into games in the Venezuelan and Dominican playoffs on Thursday. VENEZUELAN LEAGUE PLAYOFFS Tiburones de La Guaira 4, �Navegantes del Magallanes 3 La Guaira got things rolling with a run in each of the first two innings, including 1B Hector Gimenez's solo blast to lead off the 2nd inning. �Magallanes began their scoring in the 3rd inning, with a walk and an RBI double. �They tied the score in the 4th on a double and an RBI single, and took the lead in the 5th with a walk, a single, an error, and an RBI single by LF Mike Ryan. That 3-2 lead for Magallanes lasted until the top of the 9th. �That's when Jean Machi took the mound for Los Navegantes and immediately gave up a single, a sacrifice bunt, and a walk. �A single into right field brought both base runners across the plate with the tying and go-ahead runs for Los Tiburones. �La Guaira held off Magallanes in the bottom of the frame to take the win. Leones del Caracas 7, �Aguilas de Zulia 1 Both teams recorded 10 hits, but Zulia could only get one run across the plate, on a bases-loaded ground out in the 4th. �Caracas scored in three consecutive innings, beginning with C Carlos Maldonado's 2-run homer in the 2nd inning. �Two singles, two doubles, and two errors contributed to a 4-run rally in the 3rd inning, including another RBI on a fielder's choice for Maldonado. �Then a single and an RBI double added another run for Caracas in the 4th. �Reliever Romulo Sanchez pitched 2.1 innings for Zulia. �He finished the 3rd inning, and pitched the 4th (responsible for that run) and the 5th innings. DOMINICAN LEAGUE PLAYOFFS Tigres del Licey 7, �Leones de Escogido 5 These two teams combined for a 27-game hit-fest. �Escogido had 16 of the hits, but scored only 5 runs, scattered over 4 innings. �Licey batters managed only 11 hits but used them more effectively. �A double and two singles gave them 2 runs in the 3rd inning. �In the 6th, CF Jose Bautista led off with a single, and after another single, DH Wily Mo Pena's double brought in 2 runs. �An intentional walk followed by an unintentional walk forced in a run, then pinch-hitter Ronny Paulino forced in run #4. �A fielding error brought in the 5th run of the inning. Gigantes del Cibao 7, �Toros del Este 4 Three runs in the bottom of the 6th inning broke a 4-4 tie to give Los Gigantes the win. �Those three runs came on two homers, separated by a batter reaching base on an error. �Reliever Juan Perez pitched the 7th inning for Los Gigantes, allowing only a walk, then catching that runner trying to steal, then he gave up a single to lead off the 8th before being replaced. �1B Yurendell de Caster dropped down a sacrifice bunt in Los Toros' rally in the top of the 1st, and he struck out in the 2nd inning. �He was removed from the game in the middle of the 2nd inning, with no reason given.

According to multiple reports, the Pirates are close to signing reliever Octavio Dotel. The contract is expected to be worth much less than...

Wednesday night's playoff action in the winter league playoffs with Pirates' players and friends: PUERTO RICAN LEAGUE PLAYOFFS Gigantes de Carolina 8, �Leones de Ponce 7 SS Greg Picart tripled in two runs for Ponce in their bottom of the 9th rally, and he scored on the next ground out, but the rally fell short as a fly out and a strike out ended the inning and the game. �Picart also walked and scored on a double in the 1st inning, and two singles and a throwing error gave Ponce a 3-run start. �Carolina scored 2 runs in the top of the 2nd, and Ponce maintained their lead with another run in the bottom of the inning. �But Carolina burst out with 5 runs in the 7th and another run in the 8th. �Reliever Jorge Charry pitched to 4 batters for Ponce in the 7th inning, and gave up two RBI singles. �Ponce recorded a total of 14 runs to Carolina's 11. �Picart singled in the 5th but was erased in a double play. Criollos de Caguas 8, �Indios de Mayaguez 3 Mayaguez scored 3 runs in the top of the 1st inning, and Caguas responded with 2 runs in the bottom of the inning, sparked by doubles by CF Luis Matos and SS Luis Figueroa. Things got very quiet for the next several innings, and some rain delayed the proceedings for a time. �Then Caguas poured it on in the last two innings. �They scored 4 runs on two walks (one by Matos) and three doubles, and Figueroa's double cleared the bases for 3 RBI. �Two more runs came across the plate in the 8th on two walks and two singles. DOMINICAN LEAGUE PLAYOFFS Toros del Este 6, �Gigantes del Cibao 1 Toros' starter Raul Valdes pitched 8 innings and allowed only 3 hits for one run to earn the win. �1B Yurendell de Caster was one of several players in Los Toros' lineup to get 2 hits, for a total of 15 hits. �De Caster led off the 2nd inning with a single, but was left on base. �He singled again in the 3rd inning, one of 4 singles in the inning. �Los Toros scored 2 runs in the inning, but de Caster was thrown out at the plate. �Los Toros scored another 4 runs in the 8th inning to put the game away. Leones de Escogido 3, �Tigres del Licey 1 Escogido recorded just 4 hits while Licey put up 8, but Los Leones still came out on top. �Licey's only run came in the 5th, when DH Wily Mo Pena led off with a double, C Ronny Paulino reached on a fielding error, and a single scored Pena. �LF Timo Perez singled and Paulino doubled in the 7th inning, but Perez was thrown out at the plate. � Escogido scored a run in the bottom of the 1st, with an RBI double. �They got another run in the 4th on a single and a fielding error. �In the 5th, a single, a sacrifice bunt, a steal of third and a steal of home gave Escogido their third run. VENEZUELAN LEAGUE PLAYOFFS Navegantes del Magallanes 4, �Aguilas de Zulia 3 A 3-3 tie lasted from the 4th inning into the top of the 9th, when Magallanes scored the go-ahead run on a double, a wild pitch, and an RBI single. �Jean Machi retired the side in order, including 2 strikeouts, in the bottom of the 9th to earn his 3rd playoff save. �Argenis Diaz got into the game in the 9th also, as a defensive replacement at shortstop, though the lone ground ball did not come to him. �DH Mike Ryan brought in Magallanes first run with an RBI double in the top of the 1st. �He also singled in the 5th but was forced out at second base. Tiburones de La Guaira 6, �Bravos de Margarita 5 La Guaira took the early lead with 2 runs in the 2nd inning, on a walk, an error, an RBI single, and two more walks to force in another run. �Margarita came back to tie it up with 2 runs in the top of the 4th, and then took the lead with 3 more runs in the 5th inning. �1B Hector Gimenez doubled in the 3rd and walked in the 6th, but didn't score either time. �He made up for it in the 8th inning, though. �After a walk, a single, and a squeeze bunt brought in one run, two more walks loaded the bases for Gimenez, who responded with a line drive into center field for a bases-clearing triple, to take the win. MEXICAN PACIFIC LEAGUE Naranjeros de Hermosillo 4, �Tomateros de Culiacan 2 Neither team scored a run in the first 5 innings -- both teams put base runners on, but most of them were erased in double plays, picked off, or caught stealing. �Culiacan scored the first run in the top of the 6th on two walks, a sacrifice bunt, and a fielding error. �Hermosillo woke up too, and scored 3 runs in the bottom of the inning, which also involved a fielding error and two sacrifice flies. �Each team scored one more run in the 8th inning, Culiacan on a walk and three singles, and Hermosillo on a double, a walk, and a single. �2B Luis Cruz singled in the 7th for Culican, but he was also erased in a subsequent double play. �Hermosillo leads this best-of-7 series 2 games to none. Venados de Mazatlan 7, �Yaquis de Obregon 0 Mazatlan scored 2 runs in the 4th and 5 runs in the 5th, while holding Obregon to just 3 hits. �Starter Pablo Ortega pitched 7 shutout innings and allowed the 3 hits, no walks, and struck out 5. �Rogelios Noris did not get into the game, though. �Mazatlan now has a 2 games to 0 lead in the best-of-7 series.

The Pirates' voluntary mini-camp opened in Bradenton today, with two dozen pitchers plus assorted other position players. �Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette has photos and a video. Everyone is very mindful of the open bullpen possibilities, so while this mini-camp is "voluntary", it's quite clear that it's a very good way to put the best foot forward.

Pitchers in Bradenton: �starters Paul Maholm, Zach Duke, Ross Ohlendorf, Charlie Morton; Ramon Aguero, Brian Burres, Vinnie Chulk, Anthony Claggett, Kevin Hart, Joel Hanrahan, Steven Jackson, Chris Jakubauskas, Jeff Karstens, Brad Lincoln, Javier Lopez, Daniel McCutchen, Evan Meek, Bryan Morris, Jeremy Powell, Jack Taschner, Justin Thomas, Ronald Uviedo, Virgil Vasquez, Donnie Veal.

And position players: �catchers Ryan Doumit, Jason Jaramillo, Erik Kratz; �Garrett Jones, Andy LaRoche, Lastings Milledge, Ramon Vazquez, Delwyn Young

And, some of our minor leaguers are working out in the afternoons: �pitchers Nate Adcock, Ryan Beckman, Colton Cain, Kyle Bloom, Jeff Locke, Dustin Molleken, Brooks Pounders, Aaron Pribanic, Jeff Sues;

and�position players: �Calvin Anderson, Jarek Cunningham, Jose De Los Santos, Shelby Ford, Eric Fryer, Robbie Grossman, Brock Holt. �Cunningham missed all of last season after he injured his knee in spring training and needed surgery.

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Signing notes: �The Pirates announced three more players signed to minor league contracts.

One, INF/OF Brian Myrow was discussed a while back -- maybe he'd agreed to the contract back then (but he was still playing in the Dominican League at that time), and now he's actually put ink on paper. �All three of these players have been invited to major league spring training.

Reliever Brian Bass, a 28-year-old right-hander from Alabama, has the best chance at one of the major league bullpen spots. �He was the Royals' 6th round pick in the 2000 draft, and worked his way up through their system, reaching the AAA level in Omaha in 2006, but just for 7 games. �He was injured that season, and only made 16 appearances total (one in relief). �In 2005, Bass made 27 starts for AA Wichita, where he had a 12-8 record and a 5.24 ERA. �In a whopping 165 innings, he allowed 185 hits, 96 earned runs, 53 BB, and struck out 102 batters. �Bass became a free agent after that season, and signed with the Twins. �He pitched for their AAA Rochester Red Wings in 2007, making another 27 starts and 10 relief appearances, but this time for "only" 103.1 innings, with 96 hjits, 24 BB, and 80 K. �He earned a 7-3 record and a 3.48 ERA. �He spent most of 2008 with Minnesota, making 44 appearances, all in relief, for 68.1 innings, with 84 hits, 37 earned runs, 22 BB, and 32 K. �He struggled in August, though, and after a brief stint back in Rochester, he was traded to the Orioles. �After finishing the 2008 season in Baltimore, he returned there for the 2009 season. �Bass made 48 relief appearances, earning a 5-3 record (no saves), and a 4.90 ERA. �In 86.1 innings, he still allowed a lot of hits (106), with 47 earned runs, 44 BB, and 54 K. �If he doesn't make one of those bullpen spots, look for Bass to start the season in Indianapolis, and hope for a chance to move up to Pittsburgh later in the season.

C Luke Carlin is a 29-year old who will likely join the Indianapolis Indians. �The Maryland native was picked by the Tigers in the 10th round of the 2002 draft. �He played for the Tigers' NY-Penn League Oneonta team for the rest of that season but hit only .227 in 45 games and was released the following spring. �The Padres snatched him �up and that seemed to be a better fit. �Carlin moved up through their organization, reaching the AAA level (Portland) in 2006. �He hit .266 with 14 doubles, 4 homers, and 29 RBI that season. �Carlin hit .220 for Portland in 2007, but didn't homer and had only 17 RBI in 98 games. �The 2008 season was better -- .261 in 31 games with 4 homers and 19 RBI. �He made his major league debut in May 2008, and appeared in 36 games for the Padres, with 1 homer and 6 RBI. �Carlin signed with the Diamondbacks for 2009 and split the season between Arizona and Reno. �He hit .361 in 72 games in Reno, with 17 doubles, 7 homers, and 35 RBI, but hit only .167 in 10 games for Arizona.

Dejan reports that the Pirates have reached an agreement with reliever D.J. Carrasco on a minor league contract. Carrasco has been solid the...

Winter league playoff action on Tuesday with Pirates' players and friends.... The Dominican League took the day off. PUERTO RICAN LEAGUE PLAYOFFS Indios de Mayaguez 3, �Criollos de Caguas 1 There was no scoring until the 7th inning, when Mayaguez scored one run on two singles, a ground out, and a wild pitch. �They picked up another run in the 8th on a solo homer, and then scored again in the 9th on three singles. �Caguas was held to just 4 hits. �CF Luis Matos, the first batter of the game for Los Criollos, lined a single up the middle. �He was erased in a double play, and the next 12 Caguas batters were retired. �After a walk in the 5th, 8 more Criollos went down in order. �A single in the 8th was eliminated with another double play. �Caguas finally scored their only run in the 9th. �A walk, a single, and a ground out put runners on the corners, then a single brought in the runner from third base. Gigantes de Carolina 8, �Leones de Ponce 7 It was a tough night for reliever RJ Rodriguez. With the score tied at 2-2 going into the bottom of the 9th, Carolina opened the inning with a solo homer, a double, and a sacrifice bunt to put a runner on third base. �Rodriguez was called in for relief, but he gave up a walk, three consecutive singles, and a ground rule double before being lifted. �The inherited run scored, then three more runs came in, charged to Rodriguez. ��Ponce rallied for 4 runs in the top of the 8th on a double and five singles, then three singles and a throwing error tied the score at 7-7 in the top of the 9th. �But three singles and a sacrifice fly in the bottom of the inning gave the win to Carolina. VENEZUELAN LEAGUE PLAYOFFS Leones del Caracas 7, �Bravos de Margarita 6 C Carlos Maldonado blasted a 2-run homer in the 4th for Caracas, one of five home runs in the game, and the second for Caracas in the bottom of the 4th. �Maldonado also singled in the 2nd inning, but did not score. �The single came after LF Jose Castillo homered in that inning. �Castillo also singled twice and was hit by a pitch. �Caracas was leading 4-3 after the 5th inning, and they scored single runs in the 7th and 8th. �Margarita also scored a run in the 8th, and tied the score at 6-6 with two runs in the top of the 9th, which featured four singles, a throwing error, and the ejection of the Margarita shortstop and his manager after a strikeout. �Margarita came right back in the bottom of the frame with a lead-off double, a sacrifice bunt, two intentional walks (one to Castillo) and a pinch-hit RBI single gave Caracas the walk-off win. Navegantes del Magallanes 7, �Aguilas de Zulia 4 In the first three innings, each batter who reached base for either team (two singles and a fielding error) was immediately erased by a double play. �Magallanes broke the pattern in the top of the 4th, when a triple and a hit batter put runners on the corners. �DH Mike Ryan bounced back to the mound and was safe at first when the runner from third was tagged out at the plate. �A walk, a single, and a sacrifice fly brought in two runs for Magallanes. �Everything was quiet again until the top of the 8th, when Ryan singled and RF Richard Hidalgo blasted a 2-run homer for Los Navegantes. �In the bottom of the inning, four singles and a walk brought in two runs and left the bases loaded, as Jean Machi was brought in to deal with the mess. �The first batter Machi faced grounded out, but the runner scored from third base. �Then a wild pitch allowed another run to cross the plate. �After an intentional walk, a ground out ended the inning. �Chris Hernandez came on to pitch for Zulia in the top of the 9th. �He got two strikeouts, then gave up a single, a walk, and another single, but was saved by his right fielder, who threw out the lead batter at the plate. �The bottom of the 9th, and the 10th and 11th innings were quiet. �Finally in the top of the 12th, two 2-out singles and a 3-run homer gave Magallanes a 7-4 lead. �Los Navegantes' reliever Gabriel Garcia quickly retired the side in the bottom of the 12th to earn the win. MEXICAN PACIFIC LEAGUE Naranjeros de Hermosillo 8, �Tomateros de Culiacan 5 Two home runs by 2B Luis Cruz were not enough for Culiacan. �Hermosillo scored one run in the 1st inning, then 3 runs in the 2nd inning. �With one out in the 7th inning, a fielding error put a runner on base, then three consecutive home runs (off two pitchers) brought in 4 more runs. �Culiacan scored in the 1st inning also, on two doubles. �Cruz hit a 2-run homer in the 6th inning, SS Ramiro Pena homered in the 7th, and Cruz knocked a solo homer in the 8th. Venados de Mazatlan 4, �Yaquis de Obregon 1 A solo homer in the 2nd inning gave Obregon their only run, as they were held to just 5 hits, plus 5 walks. �Mazatlan managed only 6 hits, but made better use of them. � A single, two doubles, and a fielding error gave Mazatlan 3 runs in the 3rd inning. �A single, a bunt, and another single gave them an insurance run in the 7th inning. �Hometown rookie�Rogelios Noris got into the game as a pinch-runner in the 8th inning, and got as far as second base but did not score.