Pirates prune minor league rosters

The Pirates released seven players (sub. req’d) from minor league camp today. The cuts were:

OF Barrett Barnes
LHP Cody Dickson
OF Michael Suchy
RHP John Stilson
OF Ty Moore
RHP Yunior Montero
C Jose Barraza

The most noteworthy player here is Barnes, whom the Pirates drafted in the supplemental first round in 2012. Because they didn’t sign Mark Appel, Barnes was their top signed pick that year. He showed some ability, including power, in the brief interludes in which he was able to play. He was limited by injuries, though, to just 355 games in six seasons.

Dickson and Suchy were early round picks as well, Dickson in the fourth round in 2013 and Suchy in the fifth round in 2014. Dickson showed good stuff for a lefty, but didn’t make much progress with control issues. Suchy was overmatched in AA last year, with just a .561 OPS.

Stilson signed with the Pirates over the winter as a minor league free agent. He’s spent several years trying to come back from labrum surgery. He appeared in eight exhibition games and had a rough time, allowing nine earned runs in six innings.

Moore is a minor surprise, having hit well in the second half last year with Bradenton. He was a 12th round pick in 2015. Both he and Barnes were likely impacted by the Pirates’ acquisition of Jason Martin and Bryan Reynolds. In fact, the team’s increasing depth throughout the minors, while it may or may not translate to major league success, is probably enforcing more of a sink-or-swim philosophy in the system. In past years, early round picks like Barnes and Dickson who’d reached the upper minors typically wouldn’t get cut prior to reaching minor league free agency.