The Pittsburgh Pirates signed Gift Ngoepe in 2008 out of South Africa. He, and the Pittsburgh Pirates, hoped that one-day Ngoepe would become the first African born player to make the big leagues. Obviously coming from Africa, where sports like soccer dominate, the Bucs were getting quite a raw player. However, they believed he showed enough tools at a showcase to give him a shot.
One thing was apparent right off the bat, his glove work was quite good. From pretty much the time he debuted in the organization through this past season, he was viewed as having the best glove in the system.