Forgotten Pittsburgh Pirates: Pitcher Radhames Liz

While the 2015 Pittsburgh Pirates were one of the more memorable teams in franchise history, relief pitcher Radhames Liz was a forgettable member of the 2015 Pittsburgh Baseball Club

The 2015 Pittsburgh Pirates won 98 games, that is something that fans of the Bucs will not soon forget. Something many fans have probably already forgotten, however, is that reliever Radhames Liz was a member of the 2015 club.

Liz signed with the Pittsburgh Pirates on December 13, 2014. The Dominican righty signed with the Bucs in hopes of Ray Searage being able to help him get his MLB career back on track. Unfortunately, things would not work out that way.

Prior to making his MLB debut with the Baltimore Orioles in 2007, Liz was one of the top pitching prospects in Baltimore’s farm system. His struggles at the MLB level would begin immediately, though.

After spending most of the 2009 season in the minors, Liz was let go by the Orioles. After being designated for assignment, he was claimed off waivers by the San Diego Padres. Liz made 22 starts at the Triple-A level for the Padres, before being released in January 2011.

Liz then went to the KBO where he found success. After three strong seasons in Korea, he signed a minor league contract with the Toronto Blue Jays prior to the start of the 2014 season. However, he never pitched a game at the MLB level with Toronto.

Then in 2015, Liz took his stab at reviving his career in Pittsburgh. He made 14 relief appearances with the Pittsburgh Pirates and struck out 25.5% of batters faced. However, he struggled with control walking 11.3% of batters faced and he allowed four home runs in just 23.1 innings of work. When it was all said and done, he posted a 4.24 ERA and a 4.98 FIP with the Pirates before being designated for assignment on May 25.

After being DFA’d, Liz went on to pitch at Triple-A Indianapolis. In 16 games, 10 of which were starts, he posted a 1.40 ERA and a 2.21 FIP. He would be re-added to the MLB roster on Septmebr 1, before being DFA’d once again on September 15.

After pitching in Japan in 2017, Liz signed a minor league deal with the Milwaukee Brewers in November 2017. He would pitch 22.1 innings at the Triple-A level for the Brewers, before being released on June 1, 2018.

The 2019 season saw Liz give it a shot in yet another country. This time, he took his talents to the Chinese Professional Baseball League. After re-signing with the Lamingo Monkeys in January 2020, he was released form his contract due to a herniated disc in his back.