Nationals' John Nogowski: Finds opportunity with Nats
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Nogowski and the Nationals agreed Wednesday on a minor-league contract, Jesse Dougherty of The Washington Post reports.
Nogowski became a free agent earlier this month when he was released by Atlanta, who selected him in the minor-league Rule 5 draft over the winter. The 29-year-old produced a modest .661 OPS in 148 plate appearances for Triple-A Gwinnett before getting cut loose, but he saw 52 games' worth of big-league action in 2021 with the Pirates and Cardinals. The Nationals will initially assign Nogowski to their Double-A affiliate in Harrisburg, but he could earn a quick promotion to Triple-A Rochester.
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Braves' John Nogowski: Headed to Atlanta
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Nogowski was selected by Atlanta in the first round of the 2021 Rule 5 draft Wednesday, JJ Cooper of Baseball America reports.
Nogowski made 52 major-league appearances during the 2021 campaign and hit .233 with a home run, 14 runs and 14 RBI. He inked a minor-league deal with the Giants in late September but will now attempt to carve out a role with Atlanta this spring.
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Giants' John Nogowski: Inks minor-league deal
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Nogowski signed a two-year, minor-league contract with the Giants on Wednesday, Jessica Kleinschmidt of NBC Sports Bay Area reports.
Nogowski was released by Pittsburgh on Monday, but he'll find a spot on another minor-league roster several days later. The 28-year-old should report to Triple-A Sacramento and will have a chance to carve out a major-league role during spring training in 2022.
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John Nogowski: Parts ways with Pittsburgh
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Nogowski was released by the Pirates on Monday, Mike Persak of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.
Nogowski remained with the organization after being designated for assignment in mid-August, but he's now headed for free agency. The 28-year-old played in 33 games for the Pirates and posted a .261/.325/.351 slash line with one homers, 14 RBI and 12 runs in 123 plate appearances.
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Pirates' John Nogowski: Clears waivers
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The Pirates outrighted Nogowski to Triple-A Indianapolis on Thursday, Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.
Pittsburgh had previously acquired Nogowski when St. Louis dropped him from its 40-man roster in late June, but there were no takers for the 28-year-old when he was recently designated for assignment for the second time this season. Nogowski enjoyed a hot run at the plate in the final two weeks before the All-Star break, but he fell into a prolonged slump soon thereafter, going 8-for-63 (.127 average) in his final 21 games with the Pirates before being DFA'd.
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Pirates' John Nogowski: Designated for assignment
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Nogowski was designated for assignment by the Pirates on Monday, Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.
Nogowski had started just two of the last eight games, and he went 1-for-10 with an RBI and three strikeouts during that time. The 28-year-old will now be cast off the major-league roster to make room for Yoshi Tsutsugo, who signed a major-league deal with Pittsburgh on Sunday.
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Pirates' John Nogowski: Downward trend continues
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Nogowski flied out to center field in a pinch-hitting appearance Sunday against the Reds.
Playing time looks to be an issue for Nogowski, as Colin Moran has retaken his starting spot at first base. Nogowski has the ability to play in the outfield, but the team currently has more healthy options than it has had all season. The 27-year-old is 7-for-55 since July 21 and could find himself back in Triple-A before long.
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Pirates' John Nogowski: Loses hold of first base job
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Nogowski is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Reds.
Nogowski will remain on the bench for the second straight game while Colin Moran picks up another start at first base following his return from the injured list earlier this weekend. With Moran having recovered from a fractured wrist, the righty-hitting Nogowski will likely be limited to a short-side platoon role at first base moving forward.
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Pirates' John Nogowski: Hitless against Philly
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Nogowski went 0-for-4 with a walk in Friday's 7-0 win over the Phillies.
His playing time is likely to decrease following the return of Colin Moran (wrist) as soon as Monday, though he could move from first base to the outfield. For his part, Nogowski has cooled off at the plate, collecting only four hits in his last 28 at-bats.
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Pirates' John Nogowski: Heads to bench Thursday
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Nogowski is out of the lineup for Thursday's game against the Brewers.
Manager Derek Shelton is withholding three regulars from the starting nine for the series finale, as Nogowski will be joined on the bench by catcher Jacob Stallings and shortstop Kevin Newman. Phillip Evans will take over at first base for Nogowski, who has fallen into a 5-for-28 slump at the plate over his last eight contests.
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Pirates' John Nogowski: Cooling off at plate
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Nogowski went 0-for-3 with a walk in Friday's 6-4 win over the Giants.
After an 18-for-37 start with Pittsburgh, the 28-year-old has two hits in his last 12 at-bats. He could see playing time in the outfield when first baseman Colin Moran (wrist) returns, but he'll have to continue hitting. With no track record in the major leagues, Nogowski's numbers over the next week will have a big influence on his opportunity when Moran comes back.
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Pirates' John Nogowski: Connects on first big-league homer
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Nogowski went 2-for-3 with a two-run home run, an additional run scored and a walk in Tuesday's loss to the Diamondbacks.
Nogowski enjoyed a memorable moment in the fifth inning when he went deep to left field with a runner on base for his first major-league home run. The long ball came in his 32nd big-league game and in his 69th career at-bat. Since July 5, Nogowski is slashing .438/.491/.583 with 10 RBI and five extra-base hits across 12 games.
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Pirates' John Nogowski: Drives in pair Sunday
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Nogowski went 1-for-5 with a two-run double in Sunday's 7-6 loss to the Mets.
He's started 10 consecutive games at first base for the Bucs, going 19-for-42 with four doubles and eight RBI. Starting first baseman Colin Moran (wrist) still has no return date, giving the 28-year-old additional opportunity at first base. In fact, with Erik Gonzalez (side) also sidelined, Phillip Evans is the only other healthy option at first. Nogowski's small sample size signals regression at some point, but in the meantime fantasy managers continue to enjoy production from an unexpected source.
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Pirates' John Nogowski: Stays hot in victory
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Nogowski went 3-for-5 with an RBI and a run scored Saturday against the Mets.
Nogowski collected a double and two more singles in his five trips to the plate and has now gone an incredible 18-for-37 (.486) since being acquired from the Cardinals. He's yet to hit a homer during that stretch -- he's never been a big power producer at any stop in his career -- but he has stroked three doubles since debuting with the Pirates. The 28-year-old Nogowski hit .281 with a .370 on-base percentage across parts of seven minor-league seasons and should continue to see plenty of playing time with the Pirates.
Nogowski went 3-for-4 with a double, a walk and an RBI in Friday's 13-4 loss to the Mets.
In four games since he was called up Monday, Nogowski has gone 10-for-16 with two RBI and three runs scored. It's a highly unsustainable stretch, but the 28-year-old's solid hitting has helped Pittsburgh manage the absences of Colin Moran (wrist), Phillip Evans (concussion) and Erik Gonzalez (side) in the last week. Nogowski should see consistent time at first base in the near term, and he could also see time in the outfield.
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Pirates' John Nogowski: Enjoys four-hit afternoon
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Nogowski went 4-for-5 in Wednesday's 14-3 loss to Atlanta.
The newly acquired first baseman is now 7-for-12 since debuting in Pittsburgh, with all seven hits being singles. Three games is a small sample size, but the early results are promising for Nogowski, who had just one hit in 18 at-bats with the Cardinals this year. The 28-year-old hit fifth Wednesday, a spot in the lineup that could present plenty of RBI opportunities with the likes of Adam Frazier, Ke'Bryan Hayes and Bryan Reynolds hitting in front of him. Nogowski also pitched a scoreless inning in the blowout loss.
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Pirates' John Nogowski: Debut goes swimmingly
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Nogowski went 2-for-4 with an RBI and three runs scored in Monday's 11-1 win over the Braves.
The opportunity for playing time is there for the 28-year-old with both Colin Moran and Erik Gonzalez sidelined due to injuries. Nogowski struggled in his short stint with St. Louis, going 2-for-22, but the Pirates will give him a chance to show his minor-league performance hasn't been a fluke. In his last full season, he slashed .295/.413/.476 with 15 homers and a 69:54 BB:K for Triple-A Memphis in 2019. His versatility -- he played both first base and right field Monday -- is also something that manager Derek Shelton values highly.
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Pirates' John Nogowski: Joins active roster
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Nogowski was activated by the Pirates on Monday, Alex Stumpf of DKPittsburghSports.com reports.
Nogowski was dealt to the Pirates on Saturday after he was designated for assignment by the Cardinals last week, and he should provide depth at first base while Colin Moran (wrist) and Erik Gonzalez (side) are sidelined. The 28-year-old appeared in 19 games with St. Louis to begin the year, and he hit .056 with two runs.
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Pirates' John Nogowski: Dealt to Pirates
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Nogowski was traded from the Cardinals to the Pirates on Saturday in exchange for cash considerations.
Nogowski was designated for assignment by St. Louis on Monday, but he'll find another spot on a 40-man roster within the division. The 28-year-old hit .056 with two runs and a walk across 19 major-league games to begin the season and figures to report to Triple-A Indianapolis.
