PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Pirates today announced that they have signed six minor league free agents. They include\u00a0infielder Brandon Boggs, right-hander Kyle Cofield, right-hander Jose Diaz, catcher Jake Fox, right-hander Shairon Marti and infielder Stefan Welch.<\/p>\n
Boggs, Fox and Martis will receive non-roster spring training invites.<\/p>\n
Boggs, 28, went 3-for-19 (.158 avg) over 16 games with the Milwaukee Brewers in 2011. Two of those three hits were home runs. Over 94 games with Triple-A Nashville, Boggs batted .241 with 19 doubles, nine home runs and 38 RBI. Boggs was drafted in the 4th<\/sup> round of the 2004 draft by the Texas Rangers.<\/p>\n Cofield, 24, posted a 3.30 ERA in 17 minor league games between Birmingham (15 games) and Charlotte (two games) in the Chicago White Sox farm system in 2011. Cofield was limited to just 30.0 innings because of a right shoulder strain. Cofield was drafted by the Atlanta Braves in the 8th round of the 2005.<\/p>\n Diaz, 27, recorded 27 saves and posted a 2.62 ERA in 48 combined games with Bowie (Orioles\u2019 AA) and Norfolk (Orioles\u2019 AAA) in 2011. Diaz ranked third among Baltimore farmhands in saves in 2011. Diaz was signed by Baltimore as a minor league free agent on in 2009 and spent first seven seasons in Los Angeles Dodgers system.<\/p>\n Fox, 29, batted .246 with four doubles, two home runs and six RBI over 27 games with the Baltimore Orioles in 2011. With Triple-A, Fox hit 12 homers, 19 doubles, 58 RBI and batted .275 over 68 games. Fox can play catcher, first base, third base and both corner outfield positions. Fox was drafted in the 3rd<\/sup> round of the 2003 draft by the Chicago Cubs.<\/p>\n Martis, 24, went 8-6 with a 3.05 ERA over 23 games (133.0 innings) in Double-A Harrisburg in 2011. Martis walked 39 and struck out 146 batters. Martis ranked third in Washington’s farm system in strikeouts and fourth in ERA in 2011. He last appeared in the Majors in 2009 with the Nationals where he went 5-3 with a 5.25 ERA in 15 starts thru the month of June. Martis was signed by the San Francisco Giants as a non-drafted free agent in 2004.<\/p>\n Welch, 23, batted .271 with 55 runs, 19 doubles, 16 home runs and 63 RBI over 129 games with High-A St. Lucie in 2011. Welch lead St. Lucie in home runs in 2011 and ranked second with 191 total bases. The Australian native was named to the 2010 Florida State League All-Star team after spending entire season with St. Lucie. Welch also represented Australia in the 2009 World Baseball Classic and played for Team Australia in the 2009 World Cup. Welch was signed by Mets as a non-drafted free agent in 2005.<\/p>\n Photo credit: MILB<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Pirates today announced that they have signed six minor league free agents. They include\u00a0infielder Brandon Boggs, right-hander Kyle Cofield, right-hander Jose Diaz, catcher Jake Fox, right-hander Shairon Marti and infielder Stefan Welch. Boggs, Fox and Martis will receive non-roster spring training invites. Boggs, 28, went 3-for-19 (.158 avg) over 16 games […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":8829,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[21],"tags":[1738,1734,1723,1739,425,619,1740,1617,1736],"class_list":["post-8828","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-professional","tag-brandon-boggs","tag-jake-fox","tag-jose-diaz","tag-kyle-cofield","tag-pirates","tag-pittsburgh","tag-shairon-marti","tag-spring-training","tag-stefan-welch"],"yoast_head":"\n