Pirates sign 24th round pick Tyler Gaffney

The Pittsburgh Pirates today signed outfielder Tyler Gaffney, the club's 24th round selection in the 2012 First-Year Player Draft. The announcement was made Joe DelliCarri, the Pirates Director of Amateur Scouting.

Gaffney hit .245 (46-for-188) with 10 doubles, one triple, two home runs, 17 RBI and 48 runs scored as a junior this year at Stanford University. He made a total of 30 starts in left field, 16 in center field and four as the designated hitter for the Cardinal.

He was also a two-year honorable mention All-Pac-10 selection at Stanford, where he compiled a career average of .301 with 33 doubles, nine triples, eight home runs, 76 RBI and 132 runs scored in 161 games.

In addition to playing baseball, Gaffney also played for Stanford's football team. In 2011 he scored seven touchdowns and averaged 6.1 yards per carry as a backup running back for the BCS Fiesta Bowl Cardinal. He was also a member of the 2010 Stanford football team that finished ranked No. 4 in the BCS Standings and No. 5 in both national polls to end the regular season.

Gaffney will begin his professional career with the State College Spikes of the New York-Penn League.

The Pirates have now signed 16 players from this year's draft.