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Pirates Sign Infielder Anderson Feliz

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The Pittsburgh Pirates have signed free agent infielder Anderson Feliz to a minor league deal. He spent 2015 in independent ball for Lancaster of the Atlantic League. The Barnstormers announced his signing on their website this morning. Feliz was playing winter ball in Nicaragua this year and left his team a week ago to meet for a tryout with the Pirates in the Dominican Republic.

Feliz is 23 years old and has played pro ball since 2009, spending his first six seasons in the Yankees’ organization. He topped out at High-A, spending parts of four seasons in the Florida State League. Last year in indy ball, he hit .275/.344/.415 in 92 games. Feliz has spent most of his time at second base, but he’s played all three outfield spots, as well as shortstop and third base.

He had a .694 OPS in 324 games while with the Yankees, showing some ability to get on base at times. He was pushed to full-season ball at age 19 back in 2011 and struggled that year with a low average and high strikeout rate. Feliz stole a career high 16 bases that year, with six homers and 52 walks. Since then, he has been on the disabled list eight times, though it looks like a few may have been paper moves/phantom injuries due to roster space, possibly to add a pitcher due to a tired bullpen.

He looks to be minor league depth, possibly at either Bradenton or Altoona. He will probably be used as a utility player, much like Andy Vasquez, who the Pirates didn’t resign this off-season after nine years in the system.

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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