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Pirates Re-Sign Jake Elmore

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The Pirates have signed Jake Elmore to a minor league contract with an invitation to major league spring training.  Elmore was with them throughout 2019, primarily at Indianapolis.  He batted 322/387/455 there, but had less success in a couple of stints in Pittsburgh, with a 213/245/234 line in 49 plate appearances.  Nominally an infielder, Elmore played both infield and outfield at both levels.  He played primarily the latter for the Pirates, in keeping with their fascination with playing infielders in the outfield.

Elmore has a history of good on-base numbers in the minors, primarily due to high walk rates.  He has a 294/389/381 line in 2782 career plate appearances in AAA.  In the majors, he’s batted only 215/292/275 in 527 plate appearances.  With MLB going to a 26-man roster, Elmore theoretically could compete for a bench spot in the spring, although carrying him would make little sense given the weak bat.

Wilbur Miller
Wilbur Miller
Having followed the Pirates fanatically since 1965, Wilbur Miller is one of the fast-dwindling number of fans who’ve actually seen good Pirate teams. He’s even seen Hall-of-Fame Pirates who didn’t get traded mid-career, if you can imagine such a thing. His first in-person game was a 5-4, 11-inning win at Forbes Field over Milwaukee (no, not that one). He’s been writing about the Pirates at various locations online for over 20 years. It has its frustrations, but it’s certainly more cathartic than writing legal stuff. Wilbur is retired and now lives in Bradenton with his wife and three temperamental cats.

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