Jefferson, 23, comes to Gateway after two seasons in the Pittsburgh Pirates organization.  He was drafted in the 22nd round of the 2010 MLB draft out of Louisiana Tech University.  The 6-5 left-hander from Batavia, OH, went 7-7 in 30 appearances (13 starts) at Single-A West Virginia in 2012.  He struck out 86 batters in 108 innings.

“Mike threw a lot of innings and performed at a high level last year,” Warren commented.  “He will come in and battle for a rotation spot with us.”