BRADENTON, Fla. -- A little less than a year ago, manager Clint Hurdle told Gift Ngoepe he'd been reassigned to Minor League camp. That was when Ngoepe decided he had something to tell the Pirates, too.
After the 2014 season, Ngoepe returned home to South Africa and decided to give up switch-hitting. He didn't feel comfortable with his left-handed swing, and it was affecting his preparation as a right-handed hitter. But he knew he'd be in big league camp in February, so he decided to hold off a little longer.
On March 19, Ngoepe sat in an office at McKechnie Field and got the news he'd been cut and sent out to the Pirate City complex for Minor League camp.