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Pirates Re-Sign Lefty Reliever Jared Lakind

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According to Baseball America, the Pittsburgh Pirates have re-signed relief pitcher Jared Lakind before he reached minor league free agency this off-season. Lakind was signed by the Pirates for $400,000 after they took him in the 23rd round of the 2010 draft. He began his pro career as a first baseman, but after topping out at State College in 2012, where he put up a .445 OPS in 40 games, he was switched to the mound.

Lakind showed nice results in 2015 in limited time with West Virginia. There were also reports of him hitting low-90s with a fastball, while showing good deception that made the pitch look faster to batters. The Pirates skipped him over Bradenton this season and pushed him to Altoona. He pitched a career-high 66 innings and solid results across the board. Lakind posted a 2.59 ERA, with a .216 BAA and 62 strikeouts. He showed an improved breaking ball and an uptick in velocity, hitting 94 MPH late in the season. He had much better results in the first half of the season, posting a 1.80 ERA before the All-Star break, compared to 4.29 after.

Lakind pitched in the WBC qualifier a few weeks ago and looked rusty, throwing a lot of pitches in his only inning, while not showing the same velocity we saw during the season.

The 24-year-old Lakind was signed to a minor league deal, so unless the Pirates add him to the 40-man roster, he will be Rule 5 eligible. While a lefty with Double-A success has a slight shot at being selected, he will probably be available in the draft. He’s an inexperienced pitcher and doesn’t have any plus pitches, so it would be tough for him to stick with an MLB team all season, and probably a year too early for the Pirates to add him to the 40-man roster.

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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