A day after the Miami Marlins hired away Pirates pitching guru Jim Benedict, the clubs swapped a pair of minor-league right-handed starting pitchers. The Marlins sent Trevor Williams, a second-round pick in 2013, to the Pirates today in exchange for Richard Mitchell.
Williams, 23, spent most of the 2015 season pitching for Class AA Jacksonville, where he went 7-8 with a 4.00 ERA. He made three starts for Class AAA New Orleans and allowed four runs in 14 innings.
"I am looking forward to this new opportunity with the @Pirates and am ready to get after it!!" Williams wrote on Twitter. "GO BUCS!!!"
Ike says "Go Pirates!!!" pic.twitter.com/bdeKUX8hgR
— Trevor Williams (@MeLlamoTrevor) October 24, 2015
A product of Arizona State, Williams features a mid-90s (mph) fastball, a curveball and a changeup, according to Fangraphs. In three seasons in the minors, he posted a 3.35 ERA and struck out 229 hitters in 309 innings, allowing just 14 home runs.
Mitchell, 20, spent three seasons pitching for the Pirates in the Dominican Summer League before going 2-2 with a 3.38 ERA in 10 starts this season for the GCL Pirates.
Stephen J. Nesbitt: snesbitt@post-gazette.com and on Twitter @stephenjnesbitt.
First Published: October 24, 2015, 4:06 p.m.
Updated: October 25, 2015, 4:41 a.m.
