The Pittsburgh Pirates have signed shortstop Blake Davis to a minor league deal. He is a 30-year-old, who played part of the 2011 season with the Baltimore Orioles. Davis was a fourth round draft in 2006. He spent his first seven seasons in the Orioles system before signing with the Milwaukee Brewers last year. In 2013, he hit .256/.297/.352 for AAA Nashville, seeing the majority of his playing time at shortstop, though he has also played all three outfield positions, as well as second base and third base. In both 2008 and 2009, Baseball America rated Davis as the best defensive infielder in the Baltimore Orioles farm system.
With the Orioles in 2011, he had a .713 OPS in 25 games while filling in at second base for Brian Roberts. During his brief major league stint, Davis was splitting playing time at second base with Robert Andino, who was also signed this off-season by the Pirates as a minor league free agent. Davis will likely be at AAA Indianapolis, where he will provide the Pirates with another depth option around the infield.
