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Winter Leagues: Wednesday Provided Interesting Match-Ups Against Former Pirates

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Not a lot of action going on Wednesday night, but there were some interesting batter/pitcher match-ups with some former Pirates involved. Many people ask about the level of competition in each league, so a few familiar names help answer those questions for this one night.

In the Dominican, Eric Wood went 0-for-3, but he had two walks, two runs and an RBI. The opposing starting pitcher was Andy Oliver, who spent two seasons (2013-14) in Indianapolis with the Pirates. Wood grounded out in his lone at-bat against him, as Oliver was pulled after 2.2 innings with Wood on deck. Arquimedes Caminero also pitched in this game, though he didn’t face Wood during his only inning.

Pablo Reyes went 2-for-4 with two singles and a run scored. Reyes scored that run on a fielding error by Eric Wood out in left field. It was the third error for Wood this winter, with the other two coming while he was at third base. Wood moved from left field to first base in the fifth inning, while Reyes played third base in this game.

Willy Garcia went 1-for-2 before leaving for a pinch-hitter in the eighth inning. His team had just two hits in the game, both singles. Garcia stole his first base and picked up an outfield assist.

In Venezuela, Jose Osuna and Elias Diaz were facing former Pirate Wilfredo Boscan, who was on the mound for Aguilas del Zulia. Diaz went 2-for-4 with two singles, while Osuna was 1-for-4 with a single and an RBI. All three hits by Osuna/Diaz came off Boscan, who did manage to get a double play grounder and a weak ground ball out from Osuna before allowing the RBI single.

In Mexico, Carlos Munoz went 0-for-3 with an RBI ground out, a walk and a strikeout.

The Pirates signed right-handed pitcher Jason Stoffel to a minor league deal on Wednesday. He has been pitching in the Dominican this winter. Stoffel has thrown 7.2 innings over nine relief appearances, posting a 3.52 ERA, with seven walks and 11 strikeouts. He last pitched on November 20th, so he might be done with winter ball now that he has signed a contract.

Thursday

In the Dominican, Eric Wood started at first base and went 2-for-4 with two singles, a walk and a run scored. He is now hitting .261 through eight games.

Pablo Reyes went 0-for-4 with a run and an RBI. He is now hitting .333 through 14 games.

Willy Garcia went 0-for-3 with an RBI. He is hitting .207 through 13 games and is still looking for his first extra-base hit.

In Venezuela, Elias Diaz started on consecutive days for the first time. The Pirates have restrictions on his playing time, which expanded this week to allow him to play two days in a row, then sit out a day. Diaz went 1-for-3 with his second double and a run scored. He is hitting .320/.333/.400 through seven games.

Jose Osuna went 2-for-3 with a single and his tenth double of the winter. He is now hitting .255/.328/.379 through 41 games. Those numbers are well off his stats from last winter.

Jhondaniel Medina faced three batters, allowing a walk and then a two-run home run before being pulled. He is still a free agent.

In Mexico, Carlos Munoz went 2-for-5, driving in two runs with a single in the eighth inning. He is hitting .173 through 30 games and somehow hasn’t scored a run yet.

In Puerto Rico, Danny Ortiz went 2-for-4 with a double, a walk, and an RBI. He is batting .385 through 20 games. Ortiz is still a free agent.

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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