As reported by Francys Romero, the Pittsburgh Pirates have dismissed Junior Vizcaino as Director of International Scouting and Luis Silverio as Senior Advisor of Latin American Operations.
Sources: The Pittsburgh Pirates have dismissed Junior Vizcaino as Director of International Scouting
Vizcaino replaced Rene GayĆ³ in 2017.
Luis Silverio, Senior Advisor of Latin American Operations was also dismissed.
— Francys Romero (@francysromeroFR) August 28, 2024
Vizcaino took over the Pirates in 2017 in place of Rene Gayo. Since then, the Pirates have had little success turning Latin prospects into major league players. According to Piratesprospects.com, Luis Ortiz is the only prospect who has made the MLB since 2017. Ortiz, who was signed from the Dominican Republic in 2018, has appeared in 32 games for the Pirates this season and is 5-4 with a 3.36 ERA.
Since Vizcaino took over, the Pirates have spent over $40 million on international signing bonuses but have failed to see consistent results. The recent signing class was headlined by Dominican prospects Bralyn Brazoban and Adbiel Feliz. Brazoban signed for over $2 million, while Feliz received over $1 million. During their first professional season, both prospects had an OPS that was well under the league average.
Due to these struggles, the Pirates let Vizcaino go after seven years with the organization. With the end of August approaching, Pittsburgh sits in last place in the NL Central and 10 games outside of the wild card race. The Pirates have missed the playoffs in eight straight seasons and will likely miss the postseason in 2024. If the organization wishes to turn its recent struggles around, a new Director of International Scouting could help the team add much-needed talent in the future.
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Photo Credit: Close up of a batting helmet with the Pittsburgh Pirates logo and a bat during the game against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field on July 28, 2024 in Phoenix, Arizona. The Pirates defeated the Diamondbacks 6-5 in 10 innings. (Photo by Chris Coduto/Getty Images)
