After coming to terms with 22 international free agents over the weekend and holding a signing ceremony for seven prospects in Venezuela on Sunday, the Pirates today will hold a similar ceremony for eight prospects from the Dominican Republic, including a pair of slugging corner outfielders, 17-year-old Raymond Mola and Angel Aquino, who is from the D.R. but lives now in Alexandria, Virginia.
The Pirates family is mourning the death of Frank Thomas, a Pittsburgh native who played for the Bucs for eight seasons in the 1950s. Thomas was 93 years old. He led the Pirates in home runs in the fifties, with 163, and played in three All-Star games. After hitting 35 home runs in 1958, he was traded along with three other players to the Reds in return for Smokey Burgess, Don Hoak, and Harvey Haddix, who all became key members of the 1960 Pirates World Series champions. Thomas later became a member of the original New York Mets, hitting 34 home runs for them in 1962, their inaugural season.
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