Pirates designate Brandon Moss for assignment

The Pittsburgh Pirates this afternoon designated outfielder Brandon Moss for assignment. Moss is now off the Pirates 40 man roster as the Pirates had to make room for pitcher Hayden Penn who was claimed off waivers from the Florida Marlins.

Moss had a disappointing spring, batting .081 and fallen behind John Raynor for the 5th outfielder spot.

Penn split the 2009 season with Florida and Triple-A New Orleans after being acquired by the Marlins from Baltimore on April 1 in exchange for infielder Robert Andino.

The 25-year-old righthander was a member of Florida’s Opening Day roster in 2009 and went 1-0 in 16 appearances (one start) with the Marlins. In addition, Penn went 2-4 in 14 games (13 starts) with New Orleans.

Originally selected by Baltimore in the fifth round of the 2002 First-Year Player Draft, Penn was named the Orioles’ Minor League Pitcher-of-the-Year in 2004 after finishing third in the organization with 122 strikeouts and 10th with a 3.81 ERA.

Penn became just the 29th player in Orioles history to make his Major League debut before the age of 21 when he started on May 28, 2005 vs. Detroit. He has compiled a record of 4-6 in 30 games (15 starts) in the big leagues while going 38-33 with a 3.86 ERA (602.1ip/258er) and 539 strikeouts in 123 minor league games (113 starts).