Pittsburgh Pirates: Two Ex-Players Claimed Off Waivers
Two ex-Pittsburgh Pirates players were claimed off waivers in the last 24 hours as they prepare to begin the next journey in their baseball careers
It’s waiver claim season across baseball. On Friday, a pair of former Pittsburgh Pirates payers were swept up in the madness as they were claimed off waivers. With this, the next journey in their baseball careers begin.
Junior Fernández was claimed off waivers by the Pittsburgh Pirates in September. This came after he was designated for assignment by the St. Louis Cardinals. Despite possessing a power two-seamer and plus stuff, Fernández has always struggled with control which has led to him struggling to find traction in the majors.
Earlier this week, Fernández was designed for assignment by the Pirates. This was done as the team needed to make room on their 40-man roster to protected prospects from the Rule 5 Draft. Fernández pitched just 3.1 innings as a Pirate, allowing a hit, walking four and striking out two.
On Friday, Fernández was claimed off waivers by the New York Yankees. The last time a Pirate reliever with plus stuff but who struggled with control went to the Yankees, it was Clay Holmes who went on to become one of the best relief pitchers in baseball. For the sake of Pirates Twitter let’s hope that does not happen again.
Outfielder/first baseman Bligh Madris
Bligh Madris was one of a plethora of players who made their debut with the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2022. The left-handed hitting outfielder nearly hit his way onto the Opening Day roster with a great performance in spring training, and then made his MLB debut in June.
The 26-year-old Madris got an extended look with the Pirates, but, unfortunately, he could never find consistency. In 123 plate appearances he hit for just a .177/.244/.265 slash line with 45 wRC+ and an OPS+ of 44.
Madris got off to a strong start, which included three hits and a double in his MLB debut. Madris failed to build upon this strong start though on his way to struggling before being designated for assignment. After he was DFA’d by the Pirates, Madris was claimed by the Tampa Bay Rays. After also being DFA’d by the Rays he has now been claimed off waivers by the Detroit Tigers on Friday.
During his MLB time with the Pirates last season Madris also began to work toward learning first base. Madris was multi-time guest of the Rum Bunter podcast and is an all-around great dude. Hopefully, he can catch on with the Tigers and go on to become a contributor in Detroit.