Pedro Florimon

PEDRO FLORIMON, SHORTSTOP
Born: December 10, 1986
Height: 6’2″
Weight: 180
Bats: Both
Throws: Right
Signed: Int’l Free Agent, 2004 (Orioles)
How Acquired: Off waivers from Nationals
Country: Dominican Republic
Agent: Martin Arburua

WTM’S PIRATE PLAYER PROFILES

Florimon is a good defensive shortstop who’s spent much of his career struggling to hit.  Despite having only modest power, he tends to strike out a lot, although he has generally managed solid walk rates.  In the majors, he’s hit better from the left side than the right, but he hasn’t hit much at all from either side.  He has a very strong arm and good range, although UZR considers him only a little above average based on limited playing time.  He’s played only short in the majors and almost exclusively in the minors.  He’s had good success at times as a base stealer.

2004
DSL:  204/351/293, 167 AB, 5 2B, 5 3B, 34 BB, 59 K, 17-22 SB

Other than drawing walks, Florimon didn’t do much at the plate in his debut.

2005
DSL:  200/387/247, 170 AB, 4 2B, 2 3B, 41 BB, 55 K, 19-23 SB

The Orioles sent Florimon back to the DSL and he had almost exactly the same season at the plate.

2006
R+:  333/456/425, 120 AB, 6 2B, 1 3B, 1 HR, 28 BB, 29 K, 7-13 SB
A-:  248/336/305, 105 AB, 4 2B, 1 3B, 13 BB, 26 K

The Orioles moved Florimon up to advanced rookie ball and he made a lot of progress at the plate.  He also committed 20 errors in 33 games at short.  He moved up to the NYPL for 26 games and committed only five errors, but didn’t hit nearly as well.  After the season, Baseball America rated him the 24th best prospect in a weak Orioles’ system.

2007
A:  197/257/272, 371 AB, 14 2B, 1 3B, 4 HR, 28 BB, 107 K, 16-22 SB

The Orioles moved Florimon up to low A and he was overmatched at the plate, with his strike zone judgment especially suffering.  He committed 36 errors.

2008
A:  223/298/297, 269 AB, 18 2B, 1 3B, 27 BB, 97 K, 13-15 SB

The Orioles sent Florimon back to low A and he again struggled at the plate.  Starting in mid-April, he missed nearly two months due to injury.

2009
A+:  267/336/428, 430 AB, 32 2B, 5 3B, 9 HR, 42 BB, 107 K, 26-35 SB
AA:  091/130/091, 22 AB, 2 BB, 9 K

Florimon had a good season at the plate in high A, showing solid power and improving his plate discipline.  He had some issues defensively, committing 36 errors.  After the season BA ranked him #12 on the Orioles’ top prospects list.  Baltimore added him to its 40-man roster after the season.

2010
A-:  158/200/158, 19 AB, 1 BB, 6 K, 0-1 SB
A+:  288/361/423, 222 AB, 10 2B, 4 3B, 4 HR, 20 BB, 52 K, 8-13 SB
AA:  183/250/233, 120 AB, 3 2B, 1 HR, 11 BB, 31 K, 4-5 SB

Florimon opened the season in AA and went back to being overmatched at the plate.  In late May, he went out for a month with a strained oblique.  When he returned, the Orioles sent him to high A and he hit there about the same as he had the year before.

2011
AA:  267/344/396, 454 AB, 27 2B, 4 3B, 8 HR, 51 BB, 114 K, 15-27 SB
MLB:  125/222/250, 8 AB, 1 2B, 1 BB, 6 K

Florimon returned to AA and had a solid season at the plate.  The Orioles called him up in September and he got into four games.  After the season, Baltimore put him on waivers.  The Twins claimed him and outrighted him to AAA a week later.

2012
AA:  283/347/372, 113 AB, 4 2B, 2 HR, 11 BB, 28 K, 7-8 SB
AAA:  251/308/344, 311 AB, 16 2B, 2 3B, 3 HR, 23 BB, 89 K, 6-13 SB
MLB:  219/272/307, 137 AB, 5 2B, 2 3B, 1 HR, 10 BB, 30 K, 3-4 SB

The Twins sent Florimon back to AA, where he hit about the same as the previous year.  They moved him up to AAA in early May, where he didn’t hit as well, then in mid-August they called him up.  Florimon replaced a struggling Brian Dozier at short when Dozier was sent down to AAA.  Not surprisingly, Florimon struggled at the plate.

2013
MLB:  221/281/330, 403 AB, 17 2B, 9 HR, 33 BB, 115 K, 15-21 SB

Florimon spent the season as the Twins’ semi-regular shortstop.  Obviously, he didn’t hit much at all.

2014
AAA:  257/328/389, 280 AB, 17 2B, 4 3B, 4 HR, 30 BB, 82 K, 12-14 SB
MLB:  092/179/132, 76 AB, 1 2B, 1 3B, 8 BB, 22 K, 6-6 SB

Florimon opened the season back at short for the Twins, but he struggled badly at the plate and Minnesota sent him to AAA.  He spent the rest of the season there apart from a two-week callup in June.  The Nationals claimed him off waivers in September, but he never played for them.  The Pirates claimed him from Washington in November.

2015
AAA:  245/315/367, 196 AB, 12 2B, 3 3B, 2 HR, 21 BB, 55 K, 12-15 SB
MLB:  087/160/174, 23 AB, 1 3B, 2 BB, 12 K, 1-1 SB

The Pirates started frantically claiming middle infielders off waivers around mid-2014.  They showed no interest in Dean Anna or Tommy Field during the 2014 season, preferring the offensively hopeless Michael Martinez and Jayson Nix.  Anna, Field, Justin Sellers and Jake Elmore are long gone, but they still have Florimon.  He nearly made the roster in spring training, but lost out on the last bench spot to Andrew Lambo.  The Pirates designated him for assignment, and he cleared waivers and accepted assignment to AAA.  He played semi-regularly for Indianapolis, mostly at short but a little at third and second.  As expected, he didn’t hit much.  When Jordy Mercer and Josh Harrison both got hurt in July, the Pirates called Florimon up.  He spent a month with them, mainly serving as a defensive replacement and pinch runner, but getting three starts as well.  The team designated him for assignment in August in order to bring Josh Wall up to serve as bullpen depth.  Ironically, the move came a day after Florimon hit a walkoff triple to win a 15-inning game.  He cleared waivers and was assigned to Indianapolis, then got called up again in September.

2016
AAA:  255/327/372, 298 AB, 12 2B, 4 3B, 5 HR, 33 BB, 87 K, 14-18 SB
MLB:  208/240/333, 24 AB, 1 2B, 1 3B, 1 BB, 12 K, 0-1 SB

Florimon lost out to Cole Figueroa for the final bench spot and was designated for assignment.  He cleared waivers and accepted assignment to Indianapolis.  With Gift Ngoepe playing short regularly, Florimon filled a utility role, spending most of his time in left, and at third and short.  He hit decently, with better than usual patience and power.  The Pirates called him up after the AAA season ended in early September.  Florimon benefited from Gift Ngoepe’s arrest following a bar fight; otherwise, Ngoepe probably would have gotten the callup.  Florimon served mainly as a pinch runner and defensive sub, the latter mostly at second.

It seems likely that the Pirates will take Florimon off the 40-man roster, but they could wait until spring training to do it, as they did in 2015.  Their actions with Florimon may depend on what happens with Ngoepe.

CONTRACT INFORMATION
2017: Major league minimum
2016:
 Major league minimum
2015: $521,000
2014: $517,500
2013:
$495,000
PLAYER INFORMATION
Signing Bonus: N/A
MiLB Debut: 2004
MLB Debut: 9/10/2011
MiLB FA Eligible: N/A
MLB FA Eligible: 2020
Rule 5 Eligible: N/A
Added to 40-Man: November 18, 2009
Options Remaining: 0 (USED:  2010, 2011, 2014)
MLB Service Time: 2.042
TRANSACTIONS
June 18, 2004: Signed as an international free agent by the Baltimore Orioles.
November 18, 2009: Contract purchased by the Baltimore Orioles.
December 5, 2011: Claimed off waivers by the Minnesota Twins from the Baltimore Orioles.
December 12, 2011: Outrighted to AAA by the Minnesota Twins.
August 14, 2012: Called up by the Minnesota Twins.
September 14, 2014: Claimed off waivers by the Washington Nationals from the Minnesota Twins.
November 20, 2014: Claimed off waivers by the Pittsburgh Pirates from the Washington Nationals.
April 5, 2015: Designated for assignment by the Pittsburgh Pirates; outrighted to AAA on April 11.
July 22, 2015: Called up by the Pittsburgh Pirates.
August 19, 2015: Designated for assignment by the Pittsburgh Pirates; outrighted to AAA on August 25.
September 2, 2015: Called up by the Pittsburgh Pirates.
April 3, 2016: Designated for assignment by the Pittsburgh Pirates; assigned to AAA on April 14.
September 6, 2015: Called up by the Pittsburgh Pirates.