BRADENTON, Fla. — Gift Ngoepe, an ebullient and talented middle infielder in the Pirates’ minor league system, found himself stressed.
The stress inherent in nearing the top of the minor league ladder, he could deal with. He had dealt for years with the pressure of his story, that of a black South African who grew up in a baseball clubhouse before finding his way to the Pirates as a teen.
But this was different. This was causing clutter.
In spring 2015, when the Pirates reassigned Ngoepe to minor league camp, he walked into manager Clint Hurdle’s office.