Former Ole Miss shortstop Kevin Mort has signed with the Pittsburgh Pirates organization.The slick-fielding Mort went undrafted in last week’s Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft but was signed to a contract by the Pirates on Tuesday.
As a senior at Ole Miss, Mort hit .284 with two home runs and 23 RBIs. He also had a walk-to-strikeout ratio or 19-to-15.
While Mort was servicable on offense, and proved to be valuable as a situational hitter with a team-high nine sacrifice hits, he also carries a reputation as a plus defender.
In 63 games, Mort tallied just six errors and had a fielding percentage of .975 at shortstop.
As a junior, Mort hit .286 with 33 RBIs, 21 walks and 17 strikeouts. He also had seven errors and a fielding percentage of .973.
Prior to playing for Ole Miss, the West Covina, Calif., native spent two seasons at Rio Hondo (Calif.) Community College and was named to the 2008 All-Southern California Team after hitting .388 with 26 RBIs and 14 doubles as a sophomore.
HERE is the Pirates press release on the signing.
And HERE is a feature we did on Mort last season when it became clear that he was the answer the Rebels were looking for at shortstop after a by-committee the season before had struggled to replace All-American Zack Cozart. (June 17, 2010)
