Pirates invite five players to big league camp
The Pirates have signed five players to Minor League contracts which include an invitation to big league Spring Training camp, including Travis Ishikawa, Michael Martinez and Daniel Schlereth.
Ishikawa appeared in seven big league games with the Orioles and Yankees last season. He hit .316 with 16 doubles, seven home runs and 31 RBIs in 49 games for Triple-A Norfolk, and .250 with five doubles, two triples, two homers and 23 RBIs in 34 games for Triple-A Charlotte last season.
Martinez batted .300 with 11 doubles, three triples, three home runs, 28 RBIs and 35 runs scored in 71 games with Triple-A Lehigh Valley in 2013. He also appeared in 29 games with the Phillies, and was 7-for-40 with three RBIs.
Schlereth was 2-0 with a 0.82 ERA in 12 relief appearances with Norfolk last season. He's gone 5-3 with a 1.71 ERA, four saves and 156 strikeouts in 101 games (six starts) during his Minor League career. The left-hander has a 5-6 record with one save and a 4.35 ERA in 94 big league games with the D-backs (2009) and Tigers (2010-12).
Southpaw Adam Wilk, who pitched for the NC Dinos of the Korean Baseball Futures League in 2013, also received an invite. He was 4-8 with a 4.12 ERA and 70 strikeouts in 17 games for the NC Dinos. Wilk has appeared in eight games (three starts) with the Tigers from 2011-12.
Right-hander Kyle McPherson, limited to two starts with Triple-A Indianapolis in 2013 before undergoing Tommy John surgery on July 10, also received an invite. He has spent his entire career with the Bucs since being selected by the team in the 14th round of the 2007 First-Year Player Draft.
The Pirates also signed left-hander Brandon Mann and right-hander Elvin Ramirez to Minor League contracts, although they did not include an invite to big league camp. Mann was in the Nationals' camp last season before pitching in Japan. Ramirez was a combined 1-1 with one save and a 5.46 ERA in 49 games (one start) between Triple-A Salt Lake City and Double-A Arkansas in 2013.