The Pittsburgh Pirates acquired second
baseman Akinori Iwamura from the Tampa Bay Rays on Tuesday, in exchange for
pitcher Jesse Chavez.
Iwamura finished his third major-league season on the shelf with a left knee
injury which limited him to 69 games. He batted .290 with one home run, 16
doubles and 22 RBI.
"Akinori Iwamura brings to the Pittsburgh Pirates solid attributes
offensively, defensively, on the base paths and in the club house," said
Pirates general manager Neal Huntington. "He is a good athlete with above-
average speed and is a tough out with a solid career on-base percentage. We
are very pleased to add a player of his caliber to our lineup and our
organization."
Over 344 games, all with Tampa, the 30-year-old native of Japan has racked up
14 homers, 67 doubles and 104 RBI while hitting .281.
Chavez went 1-4 with a 4.01 ERA in 73 games for the Pirates in 2009, his first
full pro campaign.
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