Spring Training Opens for 2016 Season

BRADENTON, Fla. - The 2016 baseball season has officially begun.

Pirates pitchers and catchers officially reported for spring training on Wednesday, as batteries from around the league began arriving for their respective camps. Pittsburgh's full squad will report Monday, February 22, with the first game set for Tuesday, March 1.

From now until the team arrives in Indianapolis for its final exhibition game on Saturday, April 2, against the Cincinnati Reds, coaches and officials will scrutinize the performance of each player to determine how they can best help the organization succeed.

While members of the Pirates' 40-man roster may be more commonly known to fans, those attending spring training as non-roster invitees are equally as important to the organization as a whole. Many of these players stand a chance to make major contributions to the big league club during the year, and will be key components of Pittsburgh's minor league affiliate teams in 2016 - including Indianapolis.

Watch as players begin preparations for camp:

 

Get to know the players who could be future difference-makers for the Tribe as the team contends for a share in their fourth International League West Division title in five years.

2016 Pittsburgh Pirates Non-Roster Invitees:
* - denotes member of 2015 Indianapolis Indians

Wilfredo Boscan* (RHP) - Indians' 2015 Starting Pitcher of the Year…Ranked second on Indianapolis pitching staff in wins (10), starts (23) and innings pitched (126.0) in 2015...Checked in at ninth in the International League in ERA last season...Won each of his last six decisions with Indianapolis to end the regular season...Also had three separate stints with Pittsburgh last season but did not appear in a game.

Steven Brault (LHP) - Finished second among all Pirates minor leaguers in strikeouts (125) behind Tyler Glasnow while splitting the 2015 season between Bradenton and Altoona...Recorded a 2.43 ERA between Bradenton and Altoona, which ranked fifth in the Pirates minor league system last year...Was acquired by Pittsburgh from Baltimore on February 20, 2015, as the player to be named to complete the trade from January 27, 2015, in which the Pirates acquired pitcher Stephen Tarpley in exchange for Travis Snider.

Juan Diaz (INF) - Hit .272 with 18 doubles, two triples, five home runs and 35 RBI in 110 games last year with New Orleans (Marlins' AAA)...Spent five games in the big leagues with Cleveland in 2012...Has a career .260 average with 194 doubles, 27 triples, 64 home runs and 444 RBI in 1088 games in his minor league career.

Ed Easley (C) - Hit .251 (70-for-279) with 12 doubles, four home runs and 36 RBI in 88 games in 2015 with Memphis (Cardinals' AAA)...Also went 0-for-6 with one RBI in four games with St. Louis in first career stint in the big leagues in 2015...Has a career average of .264 with 122 doubles, five triples, 42 home runs and 324 RBI in 734 games during his minor league career.

Cole Figueroa (INF) - Ranked ninth in the International League in batting average (.292) last season while playing for Scranton-Wilkes Barre...Also played in two games for the Yankees, where he went 2-for-8 with a pair of doubles...Has a career average of .235 (12-for-51) with four doubles, one triple and six RBI in 25 games in the big leagues with Tampa Bay (2014) and the Yankees (2015).

Adam Frazier (INF) - Spent the entire 2015 season with Altoona, where he hit .324 with 21 doubles, four triples, two home runs and 30 RBI in 103 games...Was named to the Eastern League's mid-season All-Star team last year...Ranked second among Pirates farmhands in batting average in 2015...Led the Eastern League in batting average before the title was awarded to Bowie's Trey Mancini under rule 9.22(a); ended up ranked second in the league in hitting...Also ranked third in the Eastern League in OBP (.384).

Jim Fuller (LHP) - Posted a combined record of 3-2 with one save and a 4.40 ERA in 32 relief appearances in the Oakland organization between Double-A Midland and Triple-A Nashville in 2015...Has a 29-21 record with three saves and a 3.03 ERA in 153 games (46 starts) in his minor league career.

Dan Gamache* (INF) - Ranked fourth among Pirates minor leaguers in batting average (.312) in 2015 while splitting the season between Altoona and Indianapolis...Was named to the Eastern League mid-season All-Star team, where he won the home run derby at Portland's Hadlock Field.

Guido Knudson (RHP) - Spent the majority of 2015 with Triple-A Toledo, logging a 2.34 ERA over 32 apearances…Struck out 44 batters in 42.1 innings of work for the Mud Hens…Allowed only one home run over that same span…Also spent time with Double-A Erie (8 appearances) and at the Major League level with Detroit (4 appearances)…Struck out six men in 5.0 frames for the Tigers…Owns a career Minor League ERA of 3.12 over five seasons.

Chad Kuhl (RHP) - Was named Altoona's Pitcher-of-the-Year in 2015 after finishing third in the Eastern League in ERA (2.48), sixth in wins (11) and 10th in strikeouts (101)...Spent the entire 2015 regular season with Altoona while also making one start for Triple-A Indianapolis during the postseason...Was rated as having the "Best Slider" in the Pirates minor league system by Baseball America at the end of last season...Was selected by Pittsburgh in the ninth round of the 2013 First-Year Player Draft.

Cory Luebke (LHP) - Recorded a 3.86 ERA through seven appearances last season between El Paso (AAA), San Antonio (AA), and Lake Elsinore (A)...The southpaw has tallied a record of 32-17 with a 3.50 ERA for his minor league career, notching 365 strikeouts in 91 appearances .... Made 77 starts in the minors overall, and 25 at the big league level.

Kelvin Marte (LHP) - Went 10-6 with a 2.63 ERA in 26 games (19 starts) in 2015 with Richmond (Giants' AA)...Ranked fourth in the Eastern League in ERA in 2015...Spent his entire career in the Giants organization after signing with San Francisco as a non-drafted free agent in 2007...Has a career record of 48-27 with three saves and a 3.36 ERA in 180 appearances (107 starts) in his minor league career.

Reese McGuire (C) - Entered 2015 rated as Pittsburgh's fifth-best prospect according to Baseball America...Was named to the Florida State League's mid-season All-Star team last year...Was rated as Pittsburgh's sixth-best prospect and as the organization's "Best Defensive Catcher" according to Baseball America at the end of the 2015 season...Hit .254 with 15 doubles and 34 RBI in 98 games last year with Bradenton...Was named to the Fall Stars Game in the Arizona Fall League this offseason while hitting .294 with four doubles, a triple and six RBI in 14 games for the Glendale Desert Dogs.

Eric O'Flaherty (LHP) - Made 41 combined relief appearances for Oakland and New York (NL) last season...A native of Walla Walla, Wash., O'Flaherty first debuted for the Mariners in 2006...From 2011-14, the southpaw recorded a 1.54 cumulative ERA - the second lowest among all relief pitchers over that span (min. 150. IP)...Owns a lifetime record of 22-11 at the Major League level.

Danny Ortiz (OF) - Spent the entire 2015 season with Triple-A Rochester, where he hit .248 (120-for- 484) with 31 doubles, three triples, 17 home runs and 78 RBI in 131 games...Ranked fifth in the International League last season in RBI (78) and extra base hits (51)...Spent his entire career in the Twins organization after being selected by Minnesota in the fourth round of the 2008 First-Year Player Draft.

Curtis Partch (RHP) - Spent the entire 2015 season with Triple-A Sacramento, where he went 1-3 with one save, a 3.53 ERA (63.2ip/25er) and 81 strikeouts in 48 appearances (one start)...Has a career record of 46-55 with 25 saves and a 4.74 ERA (820.0ip/432er) in 307 appearances (105 starts) in the minor leagues...Has recorded a career record of 1-1 with a 4.75 ERA (30.1ip/16er) in 20 appearances in the big leagues with Cincinnati (2013-14).

Antoan Richardson (OF) - Attended spring training last season with Texas...Was limited to 13 games in the minors in 2015 after undergoing back surgery for a herniated disc...Appeared in the big leagues most recently in 2014 with the Yankees, where he hit .313 with an RBI and two runs scored in 13 games...Has a career .350 average (7-for-20) and one RBI in 22 games in the big leagues with Atlanta (2011) and the Yankees (2015).

Jorge Rondon (RHP) - Began 2015 with Triple-A Albuquerque where he tallied a 1.35 ERA over five relief appearances…Was selected off waivers by Baltimore on May 10…Went on to record a 2.33 ERA in 30 relief appearances for Triple-A Norfolk…Appeared in eight Major League contests last season between Colorado (2) and Baltimore (8)…Originally signed by St. Louis in 2006, where he would go on to be rated by Baseball America as having the organization's best slider in 2012.

A.J. Schugel (RHP) - Made his Major League debut in 2015 with Arizona, where he allowed five earned runs over 9.0 innings in five relief appearances…Also pitched with Double-A Mobile and Triple-A Reno last season, posting a combined record of 9-9 and a 4.84 ERA (115.1ip/30er) in 21 starts…Originally selected by the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim in the 25th round of the 2010 First-Year Player Draft out of Central Arizona College...Posted a career record of 32-34 and a 4.04 ERA (625.1ip/281er) in 139 games (109 starts) at the minor league level during his professional career.

Jacob Stallings (C) - Hit .275 with 14 doubles, one triple, three home runs and 32 RBI while spending the entire 2015 season with Altoona...Led all Eastern League backstops in fielding percentage (.994) and threw out 36.8 percent (32-for-87) of the runners attempting to steal against him, which ranked second in the Eastern League last season...Was selected by Pittsburgh in the seventh round of the 2012 First-Year Player Draft.

Trevor Williams (RHP) - Posted a combined record of 7-10 with a 3.85 ERA in 25 appearances (24 starts) in 2015 between Jacksonville (Marlins' AA) and New Orleans (Marlins' AAA)...Ranked third among Marlins farmhands in strikeouts (101) and seventh in ERA (3.85) last season...Was acquired by Pittsburgh on October 24, 2015, in exchange for minor league pitcher Richard Mitchell.

Robert Zarate (LHP) - Attended spring training last season with Tampa Bay...Posted a combined record of 2-1 with two saves, a 2.76 ERA (42.1ip/13er) and 51 strikeouts in 18 appearances (five starts) last season between Single-A Charlotte and Triple-A Durham.