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November 30, 2011 11-12 Offseason Joe Janish

Nick Evans Signs with Pirates

Nick Evans has signed a minor-league contract with the Pittsburgh Pirates, presumably with an invitation to spring training.

Good move for Nick, who — ironically — may have an opportunity to platoon with lefthanded-hitting Garret Jones at first base.

I say “ironically” because it was less than two weeks ago that I compared Evans to Jones. Whether Evans gets a fair shot at regular MLB duty is dependent upon what direction the Pirates go to fill first base; there is buzz that they may bring back veteran Derrek Lee for another year. The 36-year-old Lee posted a .982 OPS in 28 games after being acquired from Baltimore at the trade deadline last year.

If the Bucs choose not to fill first base with Lee or another veteran free agent, Evans would probably battle with Matt Hague — who is, essentially, the Pittsburgh version of Nick Evans. Hague is a 26-year-old, righthanded-hitting first baseman / third baseman who has hit well in the minors, flashed some power, but just hasn’t had an extended opportunity to prove himself in the bigs. Sound familiar?

As you know I’ve been a big supporter of Nick Evans, and I’ll continue to quietly root for him. Good luck, Nick.

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Joe Janish began MetsToday in 2005 to provide the unique perspective of a high-level player and coach -- he earned NCAA D-1 All-American honors as a catcher and coached several players who went on to play pro ball. As a result his posts often include mechanical evaluations, scout-like analysis, and opinions that go beyond the numbers. Follow Joe's baseball tips on Twitter at @onbaseball and at the On Baseball Google Plus page.
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  1. izzy November 30, 2011 at 9:31 am
    I really don’t know why he’d sign with the Buccos unless that was his only offer. Their outfield is filled with high upside kids in McCutcheon, Tabata and Pressley and they aren’t giving up on Alvarez at 3rd yet. A 50/50 shot at a platoon at first if they don’t sign Lee isn’t a very good spot to be in. Maybe they promised him a bench job.
  2. Joe November 30, 2011 at 11:52 am
    An “invite” to Spring Training on a bad team?

    I wish him well, but if this is the best offer, well, it isn’t really that impressive. Not surprising, on the other hand, for a player that repeatedly was put on waivers and never picked up though you’d think SOME team would find use for him.

  3. murph November 30, 2011 at 2:16 pm
    in other Mets AAAA news, Pat Misch has signed a minor league deal with the Phillies.