Former Pirates First Baseman John Nogowski Selected by Braves in Rule 5 Draft

In the midst of the Major League Baseball lockout, the Rule 5 Draft was conducted business as usual – well, at least the Triple-A phase anyway. While no transactions related to the 40-man are allowed, meaning the Major League phase of the draft has been postponed, the Triple-A phase marched on.

Among the selections was former Pirate John Nogowski, who was selected by the Atlanta Braves with the 15th pick. Nogowski heads to Atlanta from the San Francisco Giants, where he landed via a minor league agreement after he was released by the Pirates in September.

Nogowski’s stint in Pittsburgh didn’t last all that long, but he quickly became a fan favorite thanks to a hot stretch of offense to open up his Pirates’ tenure. Sadly, all good things must come to an end as Nogowski was designated for assignment in August. In 33 games in the black and gold, Nogowski hit .261 with a .677 OPS and drove in 14 runs.

For the Pirates, they added infielder Jacob Gonzalez and pitchers Zach Matson and Nic Laio, while they lost outfielder Jonah Davis (Cardinals) and righty Steven Jennings (Yankees). You can read more about these moves here.