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Former Pittsburgh Pirates Currently With Independent League Teams

By Noah Wright

Aug 4, 2018; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Pittsburgh Pirates relief pitcher Alex McRae (51) pitches against the St. Louis Cardinals during the seventh inning at PNC Park. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports
Aug 4, 2018; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Pittsburgh Pirates relief pitcher Alex McRae (51) pitches against the St. Louis Cardinals during the seventh inning at PNC Park. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports /
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PITTSBURGH, PA – AUGUST 28: Pitcher Nelson Figueroa #35 of the Pittsburgh Pirates pitches during a game against the St. Louis Cardinals at PNC Park on August 28, 2004 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The Cardinals defeated the Pirates 6-4. (Photo by George Gojkovich/Getty Images)
PITTSBURGH, PA – AUGUST 28: Pitcher Nelson Figueroa #35 of the Pittsburgh Pirates pitches during a game against the St. Louis Cardinals at PNC Park on August 28, 2004 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The Cardinals defeated the Pirates 6-4. (Photo by George Gojkovich/Getty Images) /

RHP Nelson Figueroa

It’s been a long, long time since Nelson Figueroa was a part of the Pittsburgh Pirates organization, 18 years to be exact. Technically, Figueroa isn’t a player but rather a coach who was forced into a game under unexpected circumstances. But he did make an appearance this season, which is enough to make him eligible for today’s list.

Figueroa was drafted way back in 1995 by the New York Mets. A 30th-round selection, Figueroa never appeared for the Mets, being dealt to the Arizona Diamondbacks at the 1998 trade deadline. Figueroa pitched just three games for the D-Backs before being traded to the Philadelphia Phillies in the package that sent Curt Schilling to Arizona. His time in Philadelphia only lasted one season as he was then selected off waivers by the Milwaukee Brewers in 2002 but released at the end of the ‘02 campaign.

That’s when the Pirates signed him, and he pitched two seasons for the Bucs in ‘03 and ‘04. Between these two seasons, Figueroa worked to a 4.38 ERA, 5.68 FIP, and 1.32 WHIP in 63.2 innings of work. He only struck out 33 batters but walked 24 and gave up 12 home runs. After the ‘04 season, Figueroa bounced around with plenty of teams. This included the Washington Nationals, New York Mets and Philadelphia Phillies again, the Houston Astros, the Pirates again in 2011, Toronto Blue Jays, New York Yankees, Boston Red Sox, and D-Backs once again in ‘13.

After two seasons in China, where he played a key role in back-to-back Taiwan series championships for the Uni-Presidents, Figueroa retired as a player from professional baseball. Then from 2015 through 2019, Figueroa was a pre/post-game analyst for SNY before joining the Staten Island FerryHawks’ coaching staff in 2022.

Next. Potential Back of the Rotation Options for 2023. dark

Here’s where things get interesting. On August 9th (so fairly recently), the FerryHawks were scheduled to play a doubleheader which they hadn’t prepared for as it was a sudden scheduling change. Because the FerryHawks weren’t ready for the unexpected DH, Figueroa stepped up and took the mound for the team. He pitched all seven innings and threw 119 pitches. Granted, he did give up eight earned runs, but he did pretty well for a guy who hadn’t pitched professionally for eight years and 48 years old.

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