It has been reported that Second Baseman Jim Negrych has agreed to a minor league deal with the Philadelphia Phillies. Negrych, who turns 29 in March, spent all of last season in the International League with the Buffalo Bisons. He played in 108 games and hit .285 while adding 3 homers and 27 doubles. He played in 91 games with Syracuse in 2012 and 48 games with Indianapolis in 2010. He came up through the Pirates organization. He’s never been to the Majors. As of this writing, it’s not clear whether or not he’s been invited to big league camp. Just as with the Cedeno signing last week, depth has been added in case of injury to 2B on the MLB or AAA levels. With no MLB experience, it’s very doubtful that Negrych has an opt-out, so he may be with the IronPigs for the season depending on how things proceed through camp. He has the ability to play 3B and OF as well. He was a fast starter last season, hitting .429 in April and .310 in May.
Negrych is an International League veteran who should add depth at 2B in the Phillies minor league system. His presence should allow the Phillies to keep Cesar Hernandez with the big club if they so desire–and may allow Freddy Galvis to spend more time at Shortstop.
It’s been rumored lately that Galvis may start the season with the IronPigs–just as he ended the past season–in order to get regular at-bats and hone his already superior defense at Short. I believe this may benefit Freddy towards becoming a regular Shortstop and shaking the “utility” label. But then, I’m perhaps selfish, as I love watching him play.
More news on IronPigs roster watch as we move towards Pitchers and Catchers next month.
See you at the hockey game,
@Kram209
noisenation.mlblogs.com 