The D-backs recently agreed to a minor league deal with right-hander Dario Agrazal, per Baseball America’s Chris Hilburn-Trenkle. Arizona also added righty Josh Lucas, per the report. They’ll add some depth to a club that currently has Zac Gallen, Taylor Widener, Luke Weaver and J.B. Bukauskas on the injured list.
Agrazal, 26, started 14 games for the 2019 Pirates and pitched to a 4.91 ERA through 73 1/3 innings. That’s his only big league experience to date, although he’d have gotten an opportunity with the Tigers in 2020 were it not for injury. Detroit claimed Agrazal off waivers from Pittsburgh after the ’19 campaign and announced him as part of last summer’s Opening Day roster, but Agrazal was diagnosed with a forearm strain just days after the season began. That injury wound up shelving him for the entire season.
While he doesn’t miss many bats, Agrazal sports a 51 percent ground-ball rate in parts of seven minor league seasons and, more impressively, has walked just 88 of the 2513 hitters he’s faced in parts of seven minor league seasons (3.5 percent). He carries a 3.62 ERA in 608 2/3 innings spread across those seven campaigns and has worked almost exclusively out of the rotation.
Lucas was with the A’s, Cardinals and Orioles from 2017-19 but hasn’t found much success at the MLB level, posting a 5.54 ERA in 37 1/3 frames. He’s been primarily a bullpen arm who, like Agrazal, generates grounders at an above-average clip. In parts of 10 minor league seasons, he’s pitched to a 3.61 ERA. Lucas actually made his debut with Arizona’s top affiliate this week, tossing a scoreless frame in his first outing before being tagged for four runs yesterday.
Good luck w this one.
He was garbage in Pittsburgh. And shall be garbage for that thing they call a team in Arizona too.
Can’t pitch. Never learned how to.
Dario ARGENTO made a few stinkers too. But when he didn’t? He made GEMS
But that is “one Dario”.
This…is another.
This ‘Dario’ just sucks.
Period.
Maybe Cameron Mitchell and John Carradine can show up to “star” in one of this Dario’s outings?
(At least…they could somewhat “act”.)
This Dario? Still trying to figure out what a baseball is.
Great “signing” there Arizona.
Contact: PITTSBURGH PIRATES. C/o Mazeroski Way, Pittsburgh.
They got a phone book’s worth of garbage like this available.
Cheaper than buying it on Ebay too!
Take em all. One money
A 4.91 ERA is back end starter material nowadays. Could do a lot worse.
LOL
I didn’t mind him at all as a Pirate because unlike a lot of young pitchers he consistently throws strikes. Unfortunately too many of those strikes get hit hard, but it beats watching a guy walk everybody.
Agreed.
Sadly. Any strike the Pirates throw these days (or basically…any pitch within 8 inches either way of Home Plate…maybe 15 if Angel Hernandez is the ump) is sent into the deep trenches of the Western Front, anymore.
Pirates fail miserably at one basic thing. And have since Vernon Law stood on a pitcher’s mound.
Learn HOW to pitch. Not just where to “throw it”.
That is why they have failed for so painfully long.