Baseball's Pigott Signs Professional Contract
Thursday, July 29, 2010 | Baseball
Former Gator outfielder Jonathan Pigott (Ormond Beach, Fla.) recently signed a free-agent contract with the Atlanta Braves. He has been assigned to the Braves' affiliate in the Rookie Gulf Coast League.
Pigott completed his four-year career at Florida with a perfect fielding percentage after not committing any errors in 267 chances. In his final season, he played in 50 games, with 27 starts (18-LF, 7-RF, 2-CF), and hit .260 with 18 runs, 13 RBI and 10 walks as UF finished 47-17 overall en route to the Southeastern Conference title and a trip to the NCAA College World Series. Pigott was 13-for-43 (.302) in 23 SEC outings and 12 starts and batted .286 (2-for-7) at the CWS, highlighted by a 2-for-4 performance against Florida State in his final collegiate game that included a solo homer in the fifth.
Pigott made perhaps the defensive play of the 2010 SEC Tourney with a sprawling catch in the bottom of the ninth inning in the elimination game against Arkansas that prevented extra bases. He laid out to snare a line drive in right field and then had the presence of mind to double the runner off first base to end the game and preserve UF's 5-4 win over the Hogs.
As a junior, Pigott played in 49 games, with 25 starts in right field, three in left field and one as the designated hitter, and batted .357 with 32 RBI, 31 runs, 15 walks and six stolen bases. He batted .379 (22-for-58) in 22 SEC games and .333 (12-for-36) during the postseason.
He was selected to the All-Tournament Team of the 2009 NCAA Gainesville Regional after hitting .438 (7-for-16) with a team-high six runs and four RBI. Pigott matched Preston Tucker (Tampa, Fla.) for the top spot with four homers during the postseason and had three multiple-hit performances in Regional play.
Previously, he joined Tucker on the SEC All-Tournament Team after clubbing three homers in the Gators' final two contests at Regions Park and led the squad in slugging percentage (1.000) and total bases (12). In the rout of seventh-ranked Ole Miss, Pigott became just the second Florida player to homer twice in an SEC Tournament game when he belted round-trippers in both the first and sixth innings. Against Arkansas, he pulled the Orange and Blue to within 8-7 in the seventh stanza with a two-run jack. The big fly enabled him to match Mike Stanley (1982-85) for Florida's career record for dingers in the SEC Tournament with three. Pigott had entered the tourney with two homers the entire season.
As a rookie, Pigott was named to the SEC All-Freshman Team in 2007, when he turned in a .303 clip and scored 16 runs in 27 league outings. In his debut season, he appeared in 52 games, had a .260 average and scored 25 runs.
Pigott became the fourth member of the 2010 Gators to sign a professional contract. Left-hander Kevin Chapman (Coral Springs, Fla.), a fourth-round choice of the Kansas City Royals, is playing with the Wilmington (Del.) Blue Rocks of the Class A Carolina League, outfielder Matt den Dekker (Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.), a fifth-round selection of the New York Mets, is with the St. Lucie Mets of the Class A Florida State League and catcher Hampton Tignor (Sarasota, Fla.), a 36th-round pick of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, is currently playing for the Cedar Rapids (Iowa) Kernels of the Class A Midwest League.
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