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The search for skilled pitching arms at all levels of the Pittsburgh Pirates organization continued on Monday when the Pirates sent the Los Angeles Angels money considerations for the Dillon Peters left-handed mug.
The team immediately assigned Peters to Triple-A Indianapolis, but the Pirates plan to use him there – and possibly in Pittsburgh – as a starter. In the meantime, he is returning to Indianapolis, where he attended Cathedral High School.
To make room for Peters in the 40-man roster, the Pirates designated the right-handed relief mug Kyle Crick for use.
Peters, 28, has spent this season at Triple-A Salt Lake, where he set a 2-2 record in eight starts with an ERA of 4.35. He was designated for use by the Angels last Wednesday with a career record of 7-8 and 5.38 ERA in 31 MLB games (24 starts).
Peters was selected by the Miami Marlins in the 10th round of the 2014 First-Year Player Draft and made his Marlin debut in 2017. It was traded to the Angels after the 2018 season.
« Really dominated the zone, » said manager Derek Shelton. “We have heard good things about him as a person. It just adds to our start-up depth across the organization.
« The ability to command the attack zone is somewhat isolated (pirate baseball operations). This is important. With left-handers who can do it, it can play. »
Crick has been with the Pirates since 2018 when he was taken over by the San Francisco Giants with Bryan Reynolds for Andrew McCutchen.
Crick, 28, was a major contributor to the Bullpen during his first two seasons with the Pirates, appearing in 106 games with a 3.54 ERA. At the end of the 2019 season, he injured a finger on his batting hand in a fight with his then teammate Felipe Vazquez. Both players were fined.
Under new management, Crick returned to the team in 2020 and played seven games during an injury-ridden season.
This season he was 1-1 with a 4.44 ERA and 1.356 WHIP in 27 games. He was on the injured list twice, first because of Covid-19 complications and later because of stress on the right triceps.
Overall, Crick leaves the 40-man roster with a 7-11 record, 3.62 ERA and 1.349 WHIP in 150 games with the Pirates.
« It’s always a challenging decision when you need a roster seat, » Shelton said. “At the moment we’re just trying to give other guys in our bullpen a chance. Because of this, he ended up being the odd man out of 40.
Second baseman Adam Frazier was replaced on Monday by Wilmer Difo on the grid for the start of the Arizona Diamondbacks series.
« Just one day off, » Shelton said. “I just figured that one day we’d get left-handed, even though he’d been beating left-handed all year. Simply select one of them and give it the first (off) after the travel day. »
Shelton said Gregory Polanco didn’t start Monday for the same reason. Reynolds and Ke’Bryan Hayes will also take a rest on the road trip that ends in San Francisco on Sunday.
« We have to be aware of where we are, » Shelton said ahead of the Pirates’ 94th game of the season.
For the record, Frazier has hit three of his four home runs this season against left-handers with a batting average of 0.309 (slightly from his 0.332 against right-handers).
Overall, Frazier is second in the National League with a .326 batting average, four points behind Nick Castellanos of the Cincinnati Reds.
Catcher Jacob Stallings has eight home runs and 40 career-level RBIs, but Shelton said his ability to work with the long line of young pitchers the Pirates have pitched this season is especially important.
« When you have that stability there, it calms you down, » Shelton said. “On the defensive, he just keeps working on what makes him good and that’s the pitch framing and how he receives the baseball. It’s one of those things, when you’re really good at it, you just have to make sure you look after it, and he did that well. »
The Pirates signed shortstop Brenden Dixon, their 20th round pick in the first year player draft last week. He reached 0.335 with 10 homers and 39 RBIs that season at Weatherford, Texas College. He was assigned to the Florida Complex League.
Jerry DiPaola is a contributor to Tribune Review. You can contact Jerry by email at [email protected] or on Twitter.
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