Pittsburgh Pirates Bring Four On To The 40-Man Roster

The Pittsburgh Pirates took action Friday and chose to add four players to their 40-man roster to shield them from the Major League Baseball Rule 5 draft. It will be conducted Thursday, Dec. 10 during the annual Winter Meetings in Nashville, Tennessee.

The quartet included right-handed pitcher Tyler Glasnow, Pittsburgh’s No. 1 pitching prospect, along with first baseman Josh Bell, infielder Max Moroff, and outfielder Harold Ramirez. The trio of Glasnow, Bell, and Ramirez rank among the Top 10 in the Pirates farm system. The Bucs 40-man roster has a total of 38 players.

The Pirates selected the 22-year-old Glasnow in the fifth round of the 2011 MLB First-Year Player Draft. The 6-foot-8, 225-pound hurler has a 95 mile-per-hour four-seam fastball and a 78 mph curve ball that blows away a lot of hitters. The native of Newhall, California concluded last season with the Triple-A Indianapolis Indians. Glasnow assembled a 7-5 mark with a 2.39 ERA to go along with 136 strikeouts in 22 minor league appearances between Double-A Altoona and Indianapolis.

The 23-year-old Bell came to Pittsburgh in the second-round draft of the 2011 First-Year Player Draft. John Perrotto and the staff at Baseball America rates Bell as the third best prospect in the Pirates system. The 6-foot-2, 235-pound rising star claimed 78 RBI and an .838 On-base plus slugging (OPS) over the course of 132 minor league contests last season between Altoona and Indianapolis. The Irving, Texas native showed no lingering effects from his 2012 knee surgery and continues to prove the ability to barrel up balls from both sides of the plate.

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Ramirez signed as an non-drafted free agent with the Pirates during the international signing period in July of 2011. The 5-foot-10, 210-pound outfielder collected 47 RBI and 22 stolen bases last summer with the Single-A Advanced Bradenton Marauders. He has a total of 66 stolen bases in his minor league career. The scouting report on Ramirez is that he has the tools to be an everyday center fielder. The speedy 21-year-old is playing in the Mexican Winter League for the Venados de Mazatlan.

Neal Huntington and the Pirates invested in Moroff with the 16th pick of the 2012 First-Year Player Draft. The 6-foot, 175-pound infielder was with the Double-A Curve in 2015. He showed his versatility by playing 109 contests at second, 13 at shortstop, and 11 at third base. The native of Maitland, Florida put up a .293/374/.409 line with 17 stolen bases. Pittsburgh honored the 22-year-old Moroff back in September as their Minor League Player of the Year.

The breakdown of the Pirates 40-man roster going into December is 16 pitchers, four catchers, 11 infielders, and seven outfielders. They have two open spots remaining.

Next: Pirates Vs. Marlins In May On Clemente Day In PR

From The Clipboard: Andrew McCutchen added to his honors with the Best Player-Fan Interaction at the Esurance MLB Awards to go along with his 2015 Roberto Clemente Award. The interaction occurred Saturday, May 30th at Petco Park during the Pirates’ 5-2 victory over the San Diego Padres.

The 5-foot-10, 200-pound center fielder returned to the outfield wall at the end of the game and gave his batting gloves to two children who had cheered for him throughout the contest. It brought an outpouring of joy from the young fans.