Former San Francisco Giants relief pitcher George Kontos has been claimed off waivers by the Pittsburgh Pirates the team has announced.
Kontos on the 2017 season has pitched in 51.2 innings, posting a 3.83 ERA and 4.02 FIP. The main attraction to Kontos has been his spike in strikeouts, as he has gone from 16.2 percent last season to 24.7 percent this season. He has also been excellent in getting the ball on the ground, as his ground ball rate is 47.9 percent, which is also an improvement as he was at just 44.3 percent last season. Kontos has also improved his walk rate, going from 9.