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Pirates Sign Two Minor League Free Agents

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The Pittsburgh Pirates have announced the signing of two minor league free agents, right-handed pitcher Cody Eppley and catcher Nevin Ashley. Both were signed to minor league contracts and received non-roster invitations to Spring Training.

Cody Eppley is 28 years old, 6’5″ righty with major league experience each of the last three years. He fits the Pirates mold of ground ball pitchers, posting a GO/AO ratio above 2.50 in each of his last five seasons in pro ball. He is strictly a reliever, making every appearance as a pro out of the bullpen. Eppley was a 43rd round draft pick by the Texas Rangers in 2008 out of VCU, so he really defied the odds of making it to the pros.

In 71 big league appearances, he has a 4.61 ERA in 56.2 innings, with 39 strikeouts and a 1.47 WHIP. This past season for the New York Yankees, he gave up four runs over 1.2 innings in two appearances. In the minors, Eppley has posted a career 10.0 SO/9 rate in 276.2 innings.

Nevin Ashley has spent his entire eight year pro career in the minors. The 29-year-old backstop was drafted in the sixth round by the Tampa Bay Devil Rays back in 2006 and was a member of the Rays organization through the 2012 season. He spent this past year playing at Louisville, the Cincinnati Reds AAA affiliate, where he had a .235/.328/.374 line in 80 games.

Ashley was twice named the best defensive catcher in the Rays system by Baseball America. He will likely provide depth at AAA, taking the spot of Lucas May and Ali Solis, who are no longer with the organization.

John Dreker
John Dreker
John started working at Pirates Prospects in 2009, but his connection to the Pittsburgh Pirates started exactly 100 years earlier when Dots Miller debuted for the 1909 World Series champions. John was born in Kearny, NJ, two blocks from the house where Dots Miller grew up. From that hometown hero connection came a love of Pirates history, as well as the sport of baseball. When he didn't make it as a lefty pitcher with an 80+ MPH fastball and a slider that needed work, John turned to covering the game, eventually focusing in on the prospects side, where his interest was pushed by the big league team being below .500 for so long. John has covered the minors in some form since the 2002 season, and leads the draft and international coverage on Pirates Prospects. He writes daily on Pittsburgh Baseball History, when he's not covering the entire system daily throughout the entire year on Pirates Prospects.

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