BRADENTON, Fla. — Luis Escobar, Dario Agrazal and Jin-De Jhang were the first players cut by the Pirates in spring training, the club announced Friday morning.
Escobar and Agrazal, both right-handed starting pitchers, were optioned to High-A Bradenton and Double-A Altoona, respectively. Jhang, a 24-year-old catcher, was reassigned to minor-league camp. The Pirates, who play the Phillies this afternoon in Clearwater, now have 61 active players in major-league camp.
Escobar, a 21-year-old who signed with the Pirates in 2013, had a 3.83 ERA and 1.192 WHIP in 26 games, 25 of which were starts, for the West Virginia Power last season, leading the South Atlantic League with 168 strikeouts in 131 2/3 innings while using a 98 mph fastball with a curveball and changeup.
He’s rated by Baseball America as the organization’s third-best pitching prospect behind Mitch Keller and Shane Baz, the Pirates’ first-round pick in the draft last June. Escobar, who was added to the 40-man roster this offseason, allowed four earned runs in 2/3 innings for the Pirates this spring.
Agrazal, 23, had a 2.91 ERA and 1.03 WHIP with 63 strikeouts and only 10 walks in 80 1/3 innings for Bradenton last season. He earned a promotion to Double-A Altoona, but he suffered a season-ending injury during his first start. Agrazal allowed one earned run in 2/3 innings of Grapefruit League play.
Jhang, a native of Taiwan, batted .231/.280/.311 in 72 games for Double-A Altoona last season. He did not appear in a Grapefruit League game for the Pirates this spring.