In what is a pretty clear trend the Pirates have brought on yet another Clint Hurdle guy, this time it’s Brad Hawpe. You’ll remember before the 2011 season they signed Garrett Atkins and invited him to Spring Training as well. This is basically the exact same signing, and will likely have the exact same result.
Hawpe hasn’t played in the big leagues since 2011 when he played in 62 poor games for the San Diego Padres.
Now I don’t want to start any rumors or anything, but Hawpe had a significant power outage after the 2009 season. On top of that he has been injured quite a bit.
Hawpe is a pretty poor fielder, and poor offensively. He likely will either make the team or be cut. The Pirates currently have too many 1B types at AAA as it is.
Honestly, I don’t even like this move. Literally any minor league player deserves an extended look at MLB pitching in Spring Training than Brad Hawpe. The chances of Brad Hawpe EARNING a spot on this team or being a productive player are hovering around zero.
Outside of hitting .400 in Spring Training there is literally nothing that should get Brad Hawpe a spot on the Pirates roster. If he makes the team, it’s likely that Clint Hurdle made that decision based on his personal relationship with the player.
That wouldn’t shock me at all.
In addition to signing Hawpe the Pirates announced that Lucas May, Gerrit Cole, and Jameson Taillon will also get invites to Spring Training. None are expected to make the team.
