Bucs add 11 NRIs to Spring Training roster
PITTSBURGH -- The Pirates added 11 players to their Spring Training roster on Monday, including a veteran right-handed pitcher and two of their top prospects.
The following 11 players will report to Spring Training next month as non-roster invitees: right-handers Montana DuRapau, Luis Escobar, Tom Koehler, James Marvel and Nick Mears; left-handers Williams Jerez, Nik Turley and Blake Weiman; catchers Jason Delay and Christian Kelley; and outfielder Jared Oliva.
The Pirates previously invited right-handers Miguel Del Pozo and Héctor Noesi, catcher John Ryan Murphy, infielders Jake Elmore and Phillip Evans and outfielder Socrates Brito to big league camp after signing them to Minor League deals.
Koehler, 33, might be the most interesting player to watch in the short term as he competes for a spot in the bullpen. The right-hander signed a Minor League deal with the Pirates last February and, as expected, spent the season recovering from 2018 shoulder surgery. Koehler established himself as a starter with the Marlins then moved to the Blue Jays’ bullpen -- and put together a 2.65 ERA in 15 appearances -- in late 2017.
Koehler signed with the Dodgers and intended to move to the bullpen full-time in 2018, but it wound up being a lost season due to his injured throwing shoulder. Koehler returned to the mound last season to make four appearances in the Pirates’ Minor League system. Overall, Koehler owns a 4.39 ERA in 161 Major League outings.
Oliva, the Pirates’ No. 11 prospect, according to MLB Pipeline, likely won’t crack the Opening Day roster after finishing last season in Double-A Altoona. But he is coming off an impressive year, despite a rocky start, and could factor into the outfield mix later this year.
Oliva, 24, enjoyed a breakout performance in the Arizona Fall League, batting .312/.413/.473 with a league-leading 11 doubles and 11 steals in 26 games. Oliva can play anywhere in the outfield, making him an intriguing prospect to follow as the Pirates evaluate the future of center fielder/trade candidate Starling Marte.
DuRapau, Escobar, Marvel and Jerez all pitched for the Pirates last season. They might have a chance to make the Opening Day roster, particularly if the Pirates carry eight relievers, but they are more likely to serve as depth pieces in Triple-A Indianapolis. Escobar’s stock has fallen over the years, but the former Futures Game participant is still the club’s No. 14 prospect. Marvel recorded an 8.31 ERA in four starts for the Pirates last September.
Fans might not be as familiar with Mears, who signed with the Pirates as a non-drafted free agent in August 2018. But the 23-year-old righty has done nothing but get outs since joining Pittsburgh’s farm system. Last year, the hard-throwing reliever advanced from Class A Greensboro to Altoona while putting together a 3.28 ERA and 1.05 WHIP with 69 strikeouts in 46 2/3 innings over 34 appearances.
Weiman, Delay and Kelley will return to Spring Training as non-roster invitees. Delay and Kelley are defense-first catchers who should spend this year in Triple-A. After rocketing through the system in 2018, Weiman made only 24 appearances between Double-A and Triple-A last season and recorded a 4.63 ERA in eight outings for Indianapolis.
Turley, 30, has been with the Pirates since November of 2017, when the club claimed him off waivers from the Twins, but he hasn’t pitched in a single game during that time. The lefty was suspended for 80 games in January after testing positive for a performance-enhancing substance, then he had season-ending surgery on his throwing elbow that also kept him from pitching last year.