Dejan Kovacevic of Pittsburgh Post-Gazette confirms that the reason the Pirates released pitching prospect Olivo Astacio is because the 23-year-old attacked his own teammate with a freaking bat earlier this week.

Based on information from two sources, Kovacevic tells us that, “Astacio and the other player were having an argument…and Astacio struck the player’s leg with a swing of his bat. He swung again and missed before the incident was broken up.”  What an idiot, huh?  Thankfully, the other player was not seriously injured. 

Astacio has had a troubled past.  He was signed by the Red Sox out of Latin America in 2002, but was suspended for the 2005 season for disciplinary reasons, released, and then picked up by Pittsburgh.  I think it’s safe to say that this guy is not alright, and will probably not catch on with any team real soon unless, of course, Oakland Raiders owner Al Davis buys an MLB team.

Filed under: Boston Red Sox, Pittsburgh Pirates