The Pirates have signed Gilberto Celestino to a minor league deal, stories Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. The outfielder will presumably obtain an invite to main league Spring Coaching.
Celestino, 25 in February, had a difficult 12 months with the Twins in 2023. He suffered a tear of the ACL in his left thumb and underwent surgical procedure in March. He was on the injured record till the center of June, at which level he was optioned to the minors. He performed 55 Triple-A video games, hitting simply 4 dwelling runs however strolling extra typically than he struck out. That led to an uncommon batting line of .243/.392/.389 and wRC+ of 106. He was outrighted off the roster in October and was finally capable of elect free company.
Initially a global novice signing of the Astros, he went to the Twins within the 2018 Ryan Pressly trade. As a prospect, he was typically praised for his protection, velocity and skill to get on base however there have been considerations a couple of lack of energy. These considerations have typically been borne out as Celestino has by no means hit greater than 10 dwelling runs in a season. He received 409 main league plate appearances over 2021 and 2022 however hit simply .222/.292/.300. His Triple-A piece has been extra spectacular, as he’s hit .261/.385/.408 at that stage over three separate seasons.
The Pirates have Jack Suwinski in middle area and Bryan Reynolds in left. Proper area is a little more open, with gamers like Joshua Palacios, Henry Davis, Ji Hwan Bae and Canaan Smith-Njigba all posting lackluster outcomes on the plate in 2023. Celestino is able to taking part in all three outfield spots and will attempt to pressure his means onto the roster, both in that proper area competitors or for a fourth outfielder gig. Celestino continues to be pretty younger and has simply over a 12 months of service time, which means he might be retained for future seasons by way of arbitration if issues click on with the Pirates. Nonetheless, he’s now out of choices, giving him much less roster flexibility going ahead.
