The Pittsburgh Pirates added four players to their 40-man roster and protected them from Rule 5 draft eligibility on Friday.
Top pitching prospect Tyler Glasnow was named to the 40-man roster and will be joined by infielders Josh Bell and Max Moroff, as well as outfielder Harold Ramirez.
Glasnow finished the season at the Triple-A level posting a 7-5 record with a 2.39 ERA and 136 strikeouts in 22 minor league starts between Double-A Altoona and Indianapolis. A fifth-round draft pick of the Pirates in 2011 First-Year Player Draft, the right-handed pitcher won Pitcher-of-the-Year honors in the Pirates’ farm system in 2014. Glasnow has accrued a 28-16 record with a 2.06 ERA through 81 appearances (80 starts) in the minor leagues.
When the Pirates hit the field in Bradenton in the spring, first-base prospect Josh Bell will be the third-best prospect in the farm system, according to Baseball America. The power-hitting Bell hit .317 with 24 doubles, nine triples, seven home runs, 78 RBI and an .838 OPS in 131 minor league games between Altoona and Indianapolis this summer. Bell was named to the Eastern League All-Star Game as well as named starter in the MLB Futures Game where he homered. The 2014 Minor League Player-of-The-Year, Bell was the second-round draft pick in the 2011 First-Year Player Draft.
Infielder Max Moroff spent the entire 2015 season in Altoona where he split time between second base and short stop. The 2015 Minor League Player-of-the Year, Moroff was named to the mid- and post-season All-Star team in the Eastern League. The 16th pick in the 2012 First-Year Player Draft set franchise records for the Curve with the most hits in a single season as a switch-hitter (153). Moroff hit .293 with 79 runs, 28 doubles, six triples, seven home runs, and 51 RBI in 136 games for Altoona.
Harold Ramirez joins the 40-man roster as an outfielder after playing in Single-A Bradenton this summer. Ramirez led all Pirates’ farmhands in hitting in 2015 with a .337 average. The “fastest baserunner” in the system, according to Baseball America prior to the 2013 season, had 22 stolen bases in 80 games for the Marauders this season. Ramirez also hit 13 doubles, six triples, five home runs, and had 47 RBI for Bradenton. The quick outfielder was signed as an non-drafted free agent on 7/2/2011 and is currently playing in the Mexican Winter League for Mazattan.
The 40-man roster currently has 38 players: 16 pitchers, four catchers, 11 infielders, and seven outfielders.
