Boston signs flurry of pitchers to minor league deals

The Red Sox have been busy trying to find potential solutions for their bullpen, as evidenced by the signing of five pitchers to minor league deals.

Left-hander Rich Hill rejoins the organization after having a stellar first season in Boston. In 19 games with Triple-A Pawtucket in 2010, Hill was 3-1 with a 3.74 ERA with 55 strikeouts in 53.0 innings. He made a late season cameo in Boston, hurling 4.0 scoreless innings.

Andrew Miller, originally acquired earlier in the offseason from the Florida Marlins for Dustin Richardson, will also attempt to secure a spot as a left-hander in the Boston bullpen. The 25-year-old was originally drafted sixth overall by the Detroit Tigers in the 2006 amateur draft. He has struggled with control during his brief career, as evidenced by his 8.54 ERA and 26 walks in 32.2 innings pitched for the Marlins last season. Miller has compiled a 7-16 record, mostly as a starter, with a 3.96 ERA in 52 appearances in the minors.

The team also signed the intriguing Ryan Harvey, who looks to resurrect his career as a pitcher after spending his entire career as an outfielder. Originally selected sixth overall in the 2003 amateur draft by the Chicago Cubs, Harvey put up a .244/.297/.452 line with 117 home runs in 642 minor league games. He has always been regarded as an athletic outfielder with a strong arm, as shown by his 12 assists in 2010 as a right fielder for the Double-A Tulsa Drillers (COL).

Boston also signed left-hander Randy Williams who appeared in 52 games the past two seasons for the Chicago White Sox. Williams, in eleven minor league seasons, has posted a 33-20 record with a 3.94 ERA and a greater than 2:1 strikeout-to-walk ratio.

Another member of the White Sox organization coming to Boston is Clevelan Santeliz, a 24-year-old right-hander from Venezuela. In five seasons in the White Sox organization, Santeliz was 12-26 with a 4.46 ERA in 174 games (29 starts) with spotty control.

Hill, Miller, Williams and Santeliz have all received invites to Spring Training as non-roster invitees.

Tweet