Brent Morel Snagged by Pirates Off Waivers

Jul 21, 2013; Chicago, IL, USA; Chicago White Sox third baseman Brent Morel (22) deflects an RBI single off the bat of Atlanta Braves catcher Evan Gattis (not pictured) into left field in the fifth inning at US Cellular Field. Mandatory Credit: Dennis Wierzbicki-USA TODAY Sports

Brent Morel was claimed today by the Pittsburgh Pirates.  The team tweeted that a corresponding 40-man roster move would be announced at a later date.

The 26-year old Stiller loving Morel is one of those former big prospects who never quite made it as a big leaguer.  When he was with the Chicago White Sox he was in the Baseball America Top 100 Prospect list.  Morel was the White Sox third-round pick in the 2008 First-Year Player Draft and put up nice minor league numbers including a triple slash of .322/.359/.480 over two minor league levels.

Now the major excuse for his offensive numbers at the big league level becoming putrid( .229/.276/.333 in his 669 Major League plate appearances) point to one thing, back problems.

The highlights in Morel career were brief, but including hitting eight-homers during the month of September 2011.  The strong finish made him the Sox starter at third in 2012.  But Morel battled that bulging disc during his time as the starter showing very little production with just a .177 average, and no homers.

Morel is a strong defender and could be looked at as a challenge to Josh Harrison.  He is known for his solid glove at third base and the Jays were thought to be using him at second.   But more than likely, he is simply being given a shot by the Pirates who lack much depth at third base or second for that matter.  Someone in the system likes what they see and maybe just once one of these claims will magically work out for the team.

Morel had been picked off waivers in December from Chicago by the Blue Jays.