Light Hitting Pittsburgh Pirates Roster Gets Lighter with Pagnozzi Signing

The

collection continues as Pittsburgh Pirates grabbed catcher Matt Pagnozzi out of the Rockies organization.  The Rockies lost two catchers in the same day as catcher Eliezer Alfonzo became the first player to receive a 100-game suspension for steriods.

Pagnozzi spent most of the season with Triple-A Colorado Springs, where he hit .275 (49-for-178) with 13 doubles, two triples, three home runs and 29 RBI in 54 games.   But despite hitting marginally well, his OPS was about the worst on the team.

He did get 21 at-bats for the big club from mid June to mid July and hit .286 (6-for-21) with a pair of RBI in seven games with the Rockies.

It’s a mystery what the Pirates see in Pagnozzi.  An utter mystery.  It’s not like there is an obvious Hurdle connection here a la Colorado as Pagnozzi has been in the St. Louis Cardinals organization for most of his career.

The 28-year-old Pagnozzi was an eighth round pick of the Cardinals in 2003.   Pagnozzi was named the’ “Best Defensive Catcher” in the Cardinals minor league system by Baseball America heading into the 2009 season, so at least he has that to hang his hat on.

Don’t let the small-sample-size-MLB-batting average fool you, Pagnozzi is an out maker who for some reason will now be headed to Los Angeles where he will join two other out making catchers on the Pirates roster.

If you look back at the reason the Cardinals gave up on him, it was this—over the first 209 games since being drafted by the Cardinals in 2003, Pagnozzi  hit just .192 with two home runs.

Pagnozzi hit .359 (14-for-39) in 15 games with LaRussa’s Cardinals last year and in 28 total career games in the bigs, he did hit .317 (20-for-63) with two doubles, one home run and 12 RBI.

Carry on my bruised and battered friends, carry on.  I must return to my beer can collection.

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