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Radhames Liz Will Be Pittsburgh Pirates’ Next Reclamation Project

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By @Tweets_ByJ

Radhames Liz

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The Pittsburgh Pirates have not done anything exciting in the offseason thus far other than signing A.J. Burnett, but that doesn’t mean they haven’t upgraded their team. The Pirates usually find a diamond in the rough every winter and morph him into a useful player, and the team looks to have already signed one of those players in Radhames Liz.

Reports have the Pirates signing Liz to a two-year deal worth $3 million, taking him away from the Korean League. Liz has not pitched in the majors since 2009 and when he did, he was not very productive. But after heading to Korea for the past few seasons, Liz looks like he could be an effective piece on a major league team.

While in Korea, Liz carried an ERA of 3.51 in three seasons. He also showed the ability to be a workhorse, throwing at least 150 innings all three seasons that he was in Korea. In his last season there, Liz threw over 200 innings and had an ERA of 3.06.

These stats do come with a disclaimer because the Korean league doesn’t have the best talent, but there are things that Liz does that the Pirates will specifically like. He was a former top prospect out of the Dominican Republic who was held back because of his lack of control. He was so highly touted because he had an electric arm that could throw in the upper-90s and generate a lot of strikeouts. This has continued for Liz while playing in Korea.

The signing is perfect for the Pirates because they have done reclamation projects with similar players. Edinson Volquez and Francisco Liriano both threw hard, but also had issues with walks when they signed in Pittsburgh. They are now above-average starting pitchers in the majors, and it looks like the Pirates are going to try and replicate this success with Liz.

No matter if the Pirates want to put Liz in the rotation or in the bullpen, he should make a significant impact for the team and be the Pirates’ latest success story.

Justin Broyles is a Pirates writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on twitter @Tweets_ByJ, “Like” him on Facebook or add him to your network on Google.

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