Pirela signed with the New York Yankees as an international free agent, receiving a $300,000 signing bonus.
He made his professional debut with the Yankees in 2007 for the Dominican Summer League Yankees 1.

He reached Triple-A for the first time in 2013 with the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders of the Class AAA International League.
After the season, he played for the Aguilas del Zulia of the Venezuelan Professional Baseball League.

Pirela began the 2014 season with the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders.
He ended the International League season with a .305 batting average (5th in the league), 87 runs (leading the league), 11 triples (leading the league), 10 home runs, and 60 runs batted in (RBIs).
He was named a midseason All-Star, a postseason All-Star, and an MiLB.com Organization All Star.
Pirela signed with the New York Yankees as an international free agent, receiving a $300,000 signing bonus. He made his professional debut with the Yankees in 2007 for the Dominican Summer League Yankees 1. 
He reached Triple-A for the first time in 2013 with the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders of the Class AAA International League. After the season, he played for the Aguilas del Zulia of the Venezuelan Professional Baseball League.
Pirela began the 2014 season with the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders. He ended the International League season with a .305 batting average (5th in the league), 87 runs (leading the league), 11 triples (leading the league), 10 home runs, and 60 runs batted in (RBIs). He was named a midseason All-Star, a postseason All-Star, and an MiLB.com Organization All Star.
José Pirela