Pirates/MLB category, Page 168
Pirates prospects Endy Rodriguez, Adrian Florencio earn Low-A Southeast League honors
Two more Pittsburgh Pirates prospects earned honors Friday, when Endy Rodriguez was named MVP and right-hander Adrian Florencio the pitcher of the year in the Low-A Southeast League after leading the Bradenton Marauders to the league’s championship series. Rodriguez, 21, a catcher/first baseman/outfielder who was acquired from the New York...
Pirates prospect Quinn Priester named High-A East League pitcher of the year; Matt Fraizer named MVP
Greensboro Grasshoppers right-hander Quinn Priester, the Pittsburgh Pirates’ top pitching prospect who is ranked 49th overall by MLB Pipeline, was named High-A East League pitcher of the year. The 21-year-old Priester, the Pirates’ 2019 first-round pick, went 7-4 with a 3.04 ERA and 1.24 WHIP with 98 strikeouts and 39...
U mad, bro?: Steelers, Pirates, Ben Roethlisberger, Ben Cherington, Gerrit Cole feel fan wrath
With the state of affairs surrounding the Steelers of late, it’s a wonder how any other sports made the cut for this week’s “U mad, bro?” But with a 101-loss season and a smooth-talking general manager who just can’t seem to answer a question directly, the Pirates made the cut...
Former 1st-rounder Nick Gonzales among 7 Pirates prospects to play in Arizona Fall League
Seven Pittsburgh Pirates prospects, including 2020 first-round pick Nick Gonzales, will play for the Peoria Javelinas in the Arizona Fall League. Gonzales is one of 17 top-100 prospects who will play in the AFL. He will be joined by middle infielder Ji-hwan Bae, outfielder Canaan Smith-Njigba and right-handed pitchers Bear...
Altoona Curve promotes Nate Bowen to general manager, as Derek Martin moves to advisor role
The Altoona Curve, the Double-A affiliate of the Pittsburgh Pirates, announced Wednesday the promotion of Nate Bowen to general manager. The 2022 season will mark Bowen’s 10th in the Curve’s front office. He spent the past three as assistant general manager to Derek Martin, who has accepted a job in...
Tim Benz: With MLB playoffs underway, Pirates’ roster is as far away as ever
If you spent any time in the Pittsburgh sports Twittersphere last Friday, you saw a lot of chatter about the eighth anniversary of the 2013 National League Wild Card Game. The Pirates’ first postseason game in Pittsburgh since 1992. PNC Park. Blackout. Johnny Cueto drops the ball on the pitcher’s...
Pirates GM Ben Cherington: Winning games best way to draw fans back to ballpark
When the Pittsburgh Pirates finished the season with an announced attendance of 859,498, it marked the first time since 1995 they failed to draw at least 1 million fans to their home stadium. Those figures came with a caveat, considering fans weren’t permitted to attend games in 2020, and the...
Oneil Cruz hits first career homer but Pirates lose season finale to Reds
The Pittsburgh Pirates played their finale on a day as dreary as their season, and watched their prospects of finally clinching a series sweep slip away in the same inning their manager was ejected. Derek Shelton was tossed for arguing an overturned call, so he wasn’t in the dugout to...
Pirates farm report for Oct. 3, 2021: Bligh Madris hits 2 doubles as Indianapolis loses season finale
INDIANAPOLIS (61-67) ended its season with an 8-3 loss to Nashville (Brewers). 1B Mason Martin (.240) and RF Bligh Madris (.272) each were 2 for 4. Madris smacked two doubles. LF Canaan Smith-Njigba (.095) and C Eli Wilson (.333) had RBIs. RHP Carmen Mlodzinski (0-1, 4.50) allowed two runs (one...
Pirates farm report for Oct. 2, 2021: Indy’s penultimate game rained out
INDIANAPOLIS (61-66) and Nashville (Brewers) were rained out. The game will not be made up. Indianapolis will play its season finale Sunday. Next: Sunday vs. Nashville, 1:35 p.m....
Top prospect Oneil Cruz sparks Pirates to 6-run rally, win against Reds in MLB debut
As a 6-foot-7 shortstop, Oneil Cruz often is the subject of tall tales. The Pittsburgh Pirates even speak of their top prospect in mythical terms, so it’s no wonder Ke’Bryan Hayes called Cruz a “unicorn” who can hit baseballs 600 feet with a single swing. Cruz didn’t deliver any majestic...
Ke’Bryan Hayes says cyst that developed on left hand forced Pirates to shut him down
Ke’Bryan Hayes blamed a cyst that developed in his left hand for causing the pain that forced a premature end to the Pittsburgh Pirates third baseman’s rookie season. Hayes said he plans to see a hand specialist when he returns home to Houston after the season ends but doesn’t expect...
Pirates promote top prospect Oneil Cruz, giving 1st glimpse of 6-foot-7 shortstop
The Pittsburgh Pirates are giving fans their first glimpse of the team’s top prospect by promoting 6-foot-7 shortstop Oneil Cruz on Saturday for the final two games of the season at PNC Park, a source confirmed to the Tribune-Review. The news was first reported by Dominican baseball insider Hector Gomez....
Pirates farm report for Oct. 1, 2021: Indy’s James Marvel fans 8 in 8 innings
INDIANAPOLIS (Triple-A, 61-66) beat Nashville (Brewers), 7-2. RHP James Marvel (7-7, 5.26) had his best start of the season, allowing two runs and striking out eight over eight innings. RHP Tyler Bashlor (2.39) pitched a perfect ninth with a pair of strikeouts. C Christian Bethancourt (.281) had two RBIs on...
Pirates get stellar effort from Crowe, grand slam from Tucker in win over Reds
The final start of Wil Crowe’s rookie season might have been the best by a Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher all season. Yet it wasn’t enough to get him a win. While Crowe wasn’t credited with what would have been his fifth victory of the season, the Pirates rallied for an exhilarating...
Pirates recall reliever Shea Spitzbarth
The Pittsburgh Pirates recalled right-handed reliever Shea Spitzbarth from Triple-A Indianapolis for the fourth time this season prior to Friday night’s game against the Cincinnati Reds at PNC Park. Spitzbarth made his major league debut Aug. 2. In four games with the Pirates, he has allowed two runs and four...
Michael Chavis could become part of Pirates’ long-term plans
Michael Chavis doesn’t necessarily care if he has made a good impression during his first two months with the Pittsburgh Pirates. However, that should not be mistaken for apathy. The Pirates acquired the infielder/outfielder from the Boston Red Sox on July 30 in a trade for left-handed relief pitcher Austin...
‘How are we going to lose this one?’: Ex-Pirates reflect on lessons learned in 100-loss seasons
The night before the Pittsburgh Pirates clinched the ninth 100-loss season in franchise history, Neil Walker sat in the AT&T SportsNet broadcast booth at PNC Park and sensed the impending doom. Walker certainly could relate, given he was a rookie second baseman on their previous 100-loss team, when the Pirates...
Pirates farm report for Sept. 30, 2021: Oneil Cruz homers again
INDIANAPOLIS (Triple-A, 60-66) lost to Nashville (Brewers), 8-3. RHP Beau Sulser (7-9, 5.65) got the start, allowing five runs in three innings. C Christian Bethancourt came in to pitch for an inning and did not allow a run. SS Oneil Cruz (.524) went 1 for 2 with three walks and...
Pirates hit century mark as Cubs hand them 100th loss of season
Well, no one can accuse the Pittsburgh Pirates of backing into 100 losses. Rookie starting pitcher Miguel Yajure was roughed up for seven runs in two innings, and the Chicago Cubs rolled to a 9-0 victory over the Pirates on Thursday night at PNC Park. The loss dropped the Pirates...
Pirates promote Tanner Anderson, option Roansy Contreras to Indianapolis
The Pittsburgh Pirates selected the contract of right-hander Tanner Anderson from Triple-A Indianapolis on Thursday and optioned rookie right Roansy Contreras to the same club. Anderson was in uniform for the game against the Chicago Cubs at PNC Park and available to pitch out of the bullpen. The Pirates signed...
Pitching for Pirates ‘keeps getting cooler and cooler’ for Mars grad David Bednar
David Bednar has the same routine each day the Pittsburgh Pirates have a home game. The rookie relief pitcher parks his car in the players’ lot underneath the right field stands at PNC Park. He then walks across the field to the Pirates’ dugout on the third base side before...
With Ke’Bryan Hayes out, Pirates to give Hoy Park, Michael Chavis a chance to play third
When Ke’Bryan Hayes informed the Pittsburgh Pirates that he was feeling soreness in his left wrist, they took no chances risking the health of their starting third baseman. Even though Hayes expressed his desire to play through the pain for the final five games of the season, a conversation with...
Pirates farm report for Sept. 29, 2021: Oneil Cruz hits tying homer in Indy win
INDIANAPOLIS (60-65) rallied past Nashville (Brewers), 5-4. SS Oneil Cruz (.526) went 4 for 5 and hit a game-tying two-run home run with one out in the bottom of the ninth. 3B Diego Castillo (.293) hit a pinch-hit solo home run earlier in the inning. Indy won on a walk-off...
Willson Contreras hits two-run double as Cubs spoil Pirates prospect Roansy Contreras’ debut
Roansy Contreras arrived with a reputation for throwing heat, so it was no surprise that his first pitch in the major leagues was a four-seam fastball for a called strike. That it registered 120 mph on the radar in a television graphic, however, might have been a mistake. It was...
