Pittsburgh Pirates Designate Daniel Moskos for Assignment

Sept. 21, 2011; Phoenix AZ, USA; Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Daniel Moskos (57) in the fourth inning against Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field. Mandatory Credit: Jennifer Hilderbrand-US PRESSWIRE

The final chapter of the Dave Littlefield era may have come and gone today when the Pittsburgh Pirates designated left-hander Daniel Moskos for assignment after six seasons in the organization.

Littlefield passed on the likes of Matt Wieters and Jason Heyward with the No. 4 pick in the 2007 MLB draft basically so he could sign Moskos cheaply.

The drafting of Moskos summed up an entire failed era of Pirates baseball under Littlefield’s guidance. While he was responsible for drafting Andrew McCutchen and Neil Walker, most of Littlefield’s picks turned out to be failed prospects who were signed cheaply.

Moskos didn’t pitch badly in 31 big league outings, posting a 1-1 record with a 2.96 ERA, but in 169 career minor league outings, the Clemson product went only 23-26 with a 4.39 ERA and never found his nitch with the Pirates organization.

It’s doubtful that a team claims Moskos and he could end up back in the Pirates organization, but he and Littlefield will always be linked and a reminder of a very bad portion of Pirates baseball.

With the current club close to contention, hopefully Moskos will be the last reminder of what was the Dave Littlefield-era.

Follow City of Champions Sports on Twitter and Facebook

Follow Matt Shetler on Twitter and Facebook