JEFF SALAZAR

11/24/80; '02 8th (Colorado); Oklahoma State Univ.
L/L; 6-0, 175

Level
BA
OBP
SA
AB
2B
3B
HR
BB
K
SB
CS
2002 A- (Colo)
.235
.351
.328
268
5
4
4
47
43
10
6
2003 A+ (Colo)
.000
.000
.000
5
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
2003 A (Colo)
.284
.387
.527
486
23
4
29
77
74
28
14
2004 AA (Colo)
.223
.331
.313
224
13
2
1
35
31
10
3
2004 A+ (Colo)
.347
.419
.586
314
18
9
13
38
33
17
2
2005 AAA (Colo)
.263
.349
.436
236
17
3
6
32
58
5
2
2005 AA (Colo)
.278
.381
.410
266
13
2
6
44
49
12
8
2006 NL (Colo)
.283
.409
.415
53
4
0
1
11
16
2
0
2006 AAA (Colo)
.262
.354
.430
328
14
7
9
46
64
12
5
2007 NL (Ari)
.277
.340
.394
94
6
1
1
9
19
2
0
2007 AAA (Ari)
.299
.385
.495
402
31
9
10
56
56
18
5
2008 NL (Ari)
.211
.331
.344
128
5
3
2
21
41
0
2
2008 AAA (Ari)
.364
.439
.606
99
6
3
4
14
14
3
0
2009 NL
.043
.154
.043
23
0
0
0
3
7
1
0
2009 AAA
.270
.334
.406
315
7
3
10
30
57
16
0

Salazar has been a solid hitter with very good plate discipline and good gap power throughout most of his career. Even in 2008, when he struggled with Arizona, he maintained a pretty good OBP. He's played mainly the outfield corners, but he's seen a good number of games in center. He's been used almost exclusively against RHPs in the majors, with only 22 ABs against southpaws. That's probably due to his minor league splits; since 2005, his OPS in the minors has been .877 against RHPs and only .653 against LHPs. Salazar got to Arizona when the Diamondbacks claimed him off waivers from the Rockies. His 2008 struggles, however, got him non-tendered, good OBP and all. The Pirates signed him to a minor league deal about ten days later. He went into spring training expecting to have a very good shot at winning a bench job, but that changed when the Pirates signed Eric Hinske, leaving them overloaded with LH-hitting corner players.

Salazar instead went to AAA to serve as organizational depth. He got off to a good start in AAA but slumped. Just the same, he was added to the 40-man roster and called up at the end of June when the Pirates, ironically, traded Hinske and Nyjer Morgan on the same day. (The other player standing in Salazar's way, Craig Monroe, had been waived earlier due to poor play.) He managed only one hit in 23 at-bats, however, and was designated for assignment in mid August. He was outrighted to Indianapolis after he cleared waivers. He finished the season in Indianapolis, but will most likely move on in 2010.

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