The Colorado Rockies have signed pitchers Mike Ekstrom and Zach Simons and catcher Wilkin Castillo to minor league deals, according to Matt Eddy of Baseball America.
Mike Ekstrom, who last pitched for the Tampa Bay Rays, has 45 and 1/3 innings of MLB experience, owning a career 5.36 ERA and 4.73 FIP. Though the 28-year-old righty has yet to start a major league game, he has often been used in the minors as a swing-man reliever who can pitch several innings or occasionally start. Ekstrom is also a major character in Dirk Hayhurst's best-selling book The Bullpen Gospels.
Zach Simons is a career minor league reliever who played at different levels for both the Detroit Tigers and Miami Marlins in 2011. In stints between High-A, Double-A and Triple-A, Simons put together a 5.46 ERA. From 2008 through 2010, Simons sported ERAs at or below 2.73 in the Tigers' and Rockies' minor league systems.
Wilkin Castillo is a catcher from Atlanta Braves minor league system. In 291 PAs with the Triple-A Gwinnett Braves, Castillo hit .262/.285/.366 and caught 43% of attempted base stealers. Castillo has also played over 100 minor league games at third base and 45 games each at second base and left field.
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