Pittsburgh Pirates Pitcher Dario Agrazal Clears Waivers

The Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitching depth received a boost on Friday

On January 11th, the Pittsburgh Pirates claimed pitcher Aaron Slegers off waivers from the Minnesota Twins. In order to make room for Slegers on the 40-man roster the Pirates designated pitching prospect Dario Agrazal for assignment. However, Agrazal will remain a part of the Pirate organization.

After Agrazal was designated for assignment he cleared waivers. As a result, he will remain a member of the Pirate organization. On Friday, the team outrighted the 24-year-old Agrazal to Triple-A.

Agrazal clearing waivers comes as a bit of a surprise. Last offseason he was added to the 40-man roster to protect him from the Rule 5 Draft. So, it is evident that the Pirates think highly of Agrazal and his abilities.

In 15 games, 14 starts, for the Double-A Altoona Curve in 2018 Agrazal posted a 3.99 ERA and a 4.18 FIP in 85 2/3 innings pitched. He also owned a strong 3.7% walk rate and a 49.9% groundball rate. He allowed just 0.95 HR/9, but you would like to see his 14.6% strikeout rate be a bit higher.

It was not all good for Agrazal in 2019, however. He spent time on the disabled list as injuries continued to plague him as they have often done throughout his professional career.

With Agrazal still in the mix, it gives the Pirates some additional starting pitching depth for 2019. In 2018 Agrazal was one of the team’s top-20 prospects and remains an intriguing arm to have in the system. Odds are, he will start the season in the Triple-A rotation along with Slegers, JT Brubaker, Brandon Waddell, and top prospect Mitch Keller.

Agrazal could also provide bullpen depth for the Pirates in 2019. His stuff may work best at the MLB level as a relief pitcher. If injuries and ineffectiveness crop up for the Pirate pitching staff this upcoming season it would not be a surprise to see Agrazal make his MLB debut at some point.