Former All-Star Brad Hawpe was in camp with the Pirates this spring on a minor league deal, but Rob Biertempfel of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reports that he was granted his outright release this morning.
Hawpe batted .288/.384/.518 with a .902 OPS with the Rockies from 2006-2009, but his career has veered off track since. After making stops with the Rays and Padres, he underwent Tommy John surgery in August of 2011 and played exclusively with the Rangers’ Triple-A affiliate last season. Winning a roster spot with the Pirates was always a long shot given their depth at first base, but Hawpe failed to impress this spring, batting just .139 (5-for-36) with 18 strikeouts in 16 games.
Now 33 years old, Hawpe acknowledged to Biertempfel that the game may have passed him by.
Hawpe: "The game has gotten faster and I didn't catch up," #Pirates
— RobBiertempfel (@RobBiertempfel) March 23, 2013
That might be the most depressing quote I have heard all spring. But I suppose it’s a realization most players have at some point.
