Yesterday was quite the day to be on Pirates Twitter/X, as the fallout from a shocking decision left this fanbase and the media very divided.
The Pirates had announced that they were designating center fielder Michael A. Taylor and first baseman Rowdy Tellez for assignment. The minor league season is over, which means their seasons are both officially done. In their places, infielder Liover Peguero and outfielder Joshua Palacios were recalled.
Taylor’s designation had been a long time coming. The Gold Glove outfielder who signed a one year deal worth $4 million slashed a miserable .193/.253/.290 with 5 home runs and 21 RBI in 113 games for the team. Pittsburgh had put Taylor on outright waivers in late August, essentially telling the rest of the league they were willing to hand him over for free to any team that was interested.
No such call came, and Taylor remained with the Pirates. His role has been greatly diminished since the team decided to move Oneil Cruz from shortstop to center field.
Tellez, however, was retained all year and still used often in the team’s lineups. The ex-Brewer had signed a one year deal worth $3.2 million with the Pirates, and had a very up and down season.
He slashed .177/.239/.223 during the first two months of the season, before turning it around in a big way and slashing .310/.347/.533 from June 1st until the end of August. This month, however, he was a miserable .116/.255/.209.
Subscribe to continue reading
Become a paid subscriber to get access to the rest of this post and other exclusive content.
Fifth Avenue Sports 