Several former New York-Penn League Players Non-Roster Invitees to Pirates Spring Training

Fifteen former New York-Penn Leaguers will be non-roster invitees to Pirates Spring Training this year. They include 5 former State College Spikes (when they were a Pirates affiliate), 7 former Jamestown Jammers, and 3 former West Virginia Black Bears (not including Austin Meadows, who completed a brief rehab assignment with the Black Bears in 2016).

Former New York-Penn League players invited to the Pirates Spring Training include:

Brandon Cumpton played for the 2010 State College Spikes. He was selected by the Pirates in the ninth round of the 2010 draft out of Georgia Tech. Cumpton saw big league action with the Pirates in 2013 and 2014, but did not play during the 2015 and 2016 seasons following Tommy John surgery in March, 2015.

Cody Dickson was selected by the Pirates in the fourth round of the 2013 draft out of Sam Houston State University. He played for the 2013 Jamestown Jammers (team relocated to Morgantown, WV in 2015). Dickson pitched in 14 games for the Jammers going 2-0 with a 2.37 ERA and a 1.16 WHIP. He spent 2016 with the Altoona Curve (10-5, 3.66 ERA, 1.57 WHIP).

Frank Duncan played for the 2014 Jamestown Jammers. He was selected in the 13th round of the 2014 draft by the Pirates out of the University of Kansas. He was 3-3 in 14 starts with the Jamestown Jammers (3.58 ERA, 1.32 WHIP). Duncan spent time during the 2016 season at Altoona and Indianapolis.

Tyler Eppler was selected in the 6th round of the 2014 draft by the Pirates out of Sam Houston State University. Eppler pitched for the 2014 Jamestown Jammers going 3-2 in 14 starts (2.49 ERA, 0.95 WHIP). He was a Altoona during the 2016 season and was named to the Eastern League All-Star game.

Jared Lakind played for the 2013 and 2014 Jamestown Jammers after being selected by the Pirates in the 23rd round of the 2010 draft. He was an Eastern League All Star with the Altoona Curve in 2016 (5-1 in 47 appearances, 2.59 ERA, 1.18 WHIP)

 

Casey Sadler played for the 2010 State College Spikes, going 3-0 in 12 games (3.00 ERA, 1.50 WHIP). He was drafted by the Pirates in the 25th round in 2010 out of Western Oklahoma State College. Sadler pitched briefly for Pittsburgh during the 2014 and 2015 seasons. He was released by the Pirates on January 8, 2016, and re-signed the next day. Sadler missed the entire 2016 season with Tommy John surgery.

Edgar Santana played for the West Virginia Black Bears in 2015. See The Stedler Report post of December 2, 2016 for the complete story on Santana linked here. He was one of four prospects that the Pittsburgh Pirates sent to the Rookie Career Development Program in Washington DC this past weekend. Baseball America rates Santana as having the best slider of all Pirates prospects.

Jin-De Jhang played for the Jamestown Jammers in 2013. He was signed by the Pirates as a non-drafted free agent in June, 2011 and spent the 2012 season in the Gulf Coast League. He batted .277/.338/.413 with the Jammers in 2013. Jhang, a catcher, played for Altoona and Indianapolis in 2016.

Christian Kelley was drafted by the Pirates in the 11th round in 2015 out of Cal Poly Pomona. A catcher, he played in 56 games (.232/.330/.242) for the West Virginia Black Bears in 2015. He spent time with the West Virginia Power and Bradenton Marauders during the 2016 season.
 

Jacob Stallings was selected by the Pirates in the 7th round of the 2012 draft out of the University of North Carolina. He played in 66 games (.230/.324/.332) for State College Spikes and one game for the Altoona Curve in 2012. The catcher played in 5 games for Pirates in 2016.

Kevin Newman was the Pirates first round pick in the 2015 draft. After 23 games (226/.281/.340) with the West Virginia Black Bears, he finished the 2015 season with the West Virginia Power (.306/.376/.367). He split the 2016 season between Bradenton (.366/.428/.494) and Altoona (.288/.361/.378)

Erich Weiss (son of Gary Weiss, former L.A. Dodgers) played for the Jamestown Jammers in 2013 (.273/.348/.364), after being drafted that year by the Pirates in the 11th round out of the University of Texas. The second baseman split the 2015 season between Bradenton (named to Florida League All Star game) and Altoona. He was named to the 2016 Eastern League All-Star game with the Altoona Curve (.276/.352/.408)

Eric Wood played in 6 games for the 2012 State College Spikes, spending most of the season in the Gulf Coast League. He was a 6th round pick by the Pirates in the 2012 draft out of Blinn (Texas) College. Wood played third base for the Altoona Curve in 2015 (.237/.303/.305) and 2016 (.249/.339/.443) and was Eastern League All Star in 2016.

Barrett Barnes played for the State College Spikes in 2012 (.288/.401/.456) after being selected in the first round of the 2012 draft out of Texas Tech. He was named the team MVP with the Altoona Curve in 2016 (.306/.377/.477). Barrett’s uncle is former major leaguer Anthony Young (Mets, Cubs, Astros).

Austin Meadows, the Loganville, Georgia native, was selected by the Pirates in the first round of the 2013 draft. He played in 5 games for the Jamestown Jammers in 2013 (.529/.636/.882) and played in 5 games for West Virginia Black Bears on a rehab assignment in 2016. He played for Altoona and Indianapolis in 2016.

photo credits: MiLB.com, Jamestown Gazette, Pirates Prospects, Operation Sports, Topps Cards.

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