The Pittsburgh Pirates have invited Jameson Taillon to Major League Spring Training, according to Chris Cotillo.
#Pirates invite RHP Jameson Taillon to major league spring training.
— Chris Cotillo (@ChrisCotillo) January 7, 2014
The news isn’t a big surprise, since Taillon was invited to MLB Spring Training last year, and is closer to the majors this year. He won’t make the team out of camp, but should arrive by mid-season, just like Gerrit Cole did in 2013.
This is a good time to point out what being invited to Major League Spring Training means for a guy like Taillon. There are two Spring Trainings — the MLB portion and the minor league portion. The MLB portion is the one that is known, and what people think of when they think of Spring Training. It includes everyone on the 40-man roster, plus all non-roster invitees (NRIs). The NRIs include any minor league free agents who received an invite, plus any players in the system who aren’t on the 40-man roster, but are in the upper levels. There will be more NRIs from the players currently in the system (especially catchers, since those are always in need during Spring Training). It’s just a matter of time before they’re announced.
The Spring Training tracker is updated with Taillon, although since he has no shot at making the team, his status is in red.
