Former Knights' Slugger Matt Hague Called Up by Pirates.

203 Alums of WCL Teams Have Appeared or Are Active in Affiliated Pro Baseball in 2014

Knights' alum Matt Hague (pictured with the Aloha Knights) is back in the major leagues.

The Pittsburgh Pirates purchased the contract of the 2005 Aloha Knights star from the triple-A Indianapolis Indians on Wednesday and he want 0-for-1 that night as a pinch-hitter in a 5-2 loss to the St. Louis Cardinals.

A corner infielder, Hague returns to the majors for the first time since 2012, when he made the club out of spring training. He hit .229 (16-70), with no homers and seven RBIs, in 30 games in two stints with the big club but he was sent back down to Indianapolis at midseason and had not returned to the majors until Wednesday.

"He's given quality at-bats for two years now," in the minors, Pittsburgh manager Clint Hurdle told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette in explaining why Hague, 28, was selected even though he wasn't on Pittsburgh's 40-man major-league roster at the time of his promotion.

"He's gone down there with a very professional work ethic and game ethic as far as just showing up and continuing to play and being dependable."

The 28-year old Hague was having an outstanding season at Indianapolis and was recently named to the International League All-Star team. He hit .267 (76-285) in 80 games, with 13 homers, a league-leading 59 RBIs, and a stellar .363 on-base percentage.

Hague hit .285, with eight homers and 69 RBIs, in 142 games at Indianapolis in 2013 and has a .293 lifetime average in 775 minor-league games. He signed with the Pirates in 2008 after a standout career at Washington and Oklahoma State.

A native of Kent., Wash., Hague hit .276 with no homers and nine RBIs in 30 total games for the Knights in 2005, the summer after he earned freshman All-American honors at Washington. He hit .328 in West Coast League games, went 4-1, 2.20 as a pitcher, and was named the WCL's No. 10 pro prospect by Baseball America.

Matt is one 20 alums of WCL teams that have appeared in the big leagues including his Pirates mates and ex-Knights Chris Stewart (2001) and Brent Morel (2006-07) of Pittsburgh.

In total, 203 alums of West Coast League teams have appeared or are active in affiliated professional baseball.