Pittsburgh Pirates Sign Two 17-Year-Old Venezuelan Pitchers on October 26 to Bolster Minor League System
Pittsburgh, Allegheny County, Pennsylvania — According to official minor league transaction records, the Pittsburgh Pirates on October 26 signed two 17-year-old Venezuelan pitchers — left-hander Rogner Betancourt and right-hander Martin Gonzalez — both to minor league contracts. Betancourt was born on November 1, 2008, stands 6 feet 3 inches, and throws left and bats right; Gonzalez was born on October 28, 2008, stands 6 feet 2 inches, and throws and bats right. Neither youngster has professional game experience yet, and both will develop in the low minor leagues in the near term. The Pirates finished this season 82–80, third in the National League Central — an improvement over previous years, but still short of the playoffs. The club has continued to scout young pitchers from Latin America in recent years, and these signings continue its approach of stocking its minor league pitching depth; whether they reach the majors will take years of development, and the team did not announce contract amounts.
Source: GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: Wikimedia Commons，CC BY 2.0，daveynin on Flickr
