Pirates/MLB category, Page 236
Now longest-tenured Pirate, Gregory Polanco healthy, ready to playVideo
BRADENTON, Fla. – When Gregory Polanco reported to spring training Saturday and declared he was happy and healthy, the Pittsburgh Pirates had to be as relieved as they are thrilled. After missing a quarter of last season following surgery on his left shoulder, Polanco pronounced himself “way better”...
Kevin Gorman: Pirates’ search for shortstop of future starts with Kevin Newman, Cole TuckerVideo
BRADENTON, Fla. Kevin Newman and Cole Tucker are former first-round picks who play the same position for the Pittsburgh Pirates. When it comes to their performance, the shortstops are more opposites than anything. Where Newman had a nondescript debut in the major leagues in August 2018, Tucker made an unforgettable...
Pirates newcomer Riddle ready, willing to fill variety of roles
BRADENTON, Fla. — JT Riddle is a newcomer to a team that almost certainly will have the lowest payroll in the major leagues on Opening Day. Yet playing for a thrifty organization such as the Pittsburgh Pirates is nothing new to the utility player. Money was a factor in the...
First Call: Jarrod Dyson’s hilarious, honest answer when asked about joining Pirates
For Friday’s “First Call,” I want to introduce you to my new favorite Pittsburgh Pirate. It’s recently signed center fielder Jarrod Dyson. He just inked a one-year contract for $2 million. I know. I know. I previously endorsed Kevin Pillar as my choice to replace Starling Marte. But forget him....
Kevin Gorman’s Take 5: Are you ready for some Pirates spring training football?
BRADENTON, Fla. – When Pittsburgh Pirates pitchers started to activate for workouts – a fancy way of saying to warm up – they found a football on the half-fields at Pirate City. Soon enough, Derek Holland had it in his hands. The left-hander got Kyle Crick, Keone Kela, Mitch Keller,...
Kevin Gorman: Adjusted arm angle has Pirates first baseman Josh Bell throwing like TekeVideo
BRADENTON, Fla. — When Josh Bell fielded the grounder at first base and spun for the throw to second, he did so in a way that should draw the instant attention of Pittsburgh Pirates fans. The short-arm throw that made you cringe every time he tried to turn two? Now,...
New Yankees pitcher Gerrit Cole keeping close tabs on Pirates
TAMPA, Fla. — Gerrit Cole no longer plays for the Pittsburgh Pirates, but he hasn’t forgotten his first professional organization. Cole keeps close tabs on the Pirates. The right-hander still talks to some of his former teammates, though he last played for Pittsburgh in 2017 before being traded to the...
Jarrod Dyson reports to Pirates ready to be Starling Marte’s replacement in center field
BRADENTON, Fla — It wasn’t lost on Jarrod Dyson that he is not only swapping teams with Starling Marte by signing with the Pittsburgh Pirates but also will take his position and his number. Dyson, who arrived at Pirate City on Thursday after signing a one-year contract, is expected to...
Kevin Gorman’s Take 5: Signing Jarrod Dyson will force Pirates to make an interesting moveVideo
BRADENTON, Fla. — The Pittsburgh Pirates declared one important move Wednesday when manager Derek Shelton named Keone Kela the closer but are waiting to make a formal announcement on another. Their search for a center fielder to replace Starling Marte brought about an agreement to sign Jarrod Dyson, whose one-year,...
Kevin Gorman: A special start for new Pirates manager Derek SheltonVideo
BRADENTON, Fla. This was the first workout for Pittsburgh Pirates pitchers and catchers, so full uniforms were required for the first time in spring training at Pirate City. That meant something special to Derek Shelton, as it marked the first time he wore a black Pirates jersey and gray uniform...
Pirates manager Derek Shelton wastes no time naming Keone Kela the closerVideo
BRADENTON, Fla. — On the first day of pitchers and catchers workouts at spring training, Pirates manager Derek Shelton wasted no time announcing an important decision. After saying last month Keone Kela would have a prominent back-end role out of the bullpen, Shelton on Wednesday declared Kela will be the...
Kevin Gorman’s Take 5: Pirates players weigh pros, cons of MLB plotting playoff expansion
The playoff picture is the furthest thing from the minds of the Pittsburgh Pirates, who started spring training without their best all-around player, ace pitcher and All-Star closer on a roster with a projected payroll around $50 million. That didn’t stop us from asking Pirates players about a New York...
Pirates director of sports medicine anticipating Gregory Polanco will report healthy to camp
BRADENTON, Fla. — The Pittsburgh Pirates are anticipating that right fielder Gregory Polanco will be healthy when he reports to Pirate City for spring training, director of sports medicine and performance Todd Tomczyk said Wednesday. Polanco played in only 42 games last season after having setbacks from surgery on his...
Pirates reportedly agree to deal with speedy center fielder Jarrod Dyson
BRADENTON, Fla. — The Pittsburgh Pirates are adding another center fielder to their roster, as they reportedly agreed to a one-year contract with 10-year veteran Jarrod Dyson on Wednesday. The deal is pending Dyson passing a physical exam. The Pirates have agreed to a Major League deal with outfielder Jarrod...
Pirates’ Jameson Taillon ‘definitely curious’ to follow Ben Roethlisberger’s recovery from elbow surgery
BRADENTON, Fla. – The two players with the most prominent right arms in Pittsburgh sports saw their 2019 seasons end with surgery on their throwing elbows in a five-week span. As he rehabilitates from Tommy John surgery in mid-August, Pirates pitcher Jameson Taillon said he intends to closely monitor the...
Kevin Gorman: Pirates pitchers hope Tommy John recovery becomes ‘instant classic’Video
BRADENTON, Fla. What began as a friendly, one-on-one basketball game between a pair of pitchers at Pirate City turned into a tug-of-war that left Jameson Taillon and Chad Kuhl physically spent — all because of three words. No, not Tommy John surgery. Win. By. Two. The winner would be whoever...
New Pirates catcher Luke Maile finds comfort with familiar facesVideo
BRADENTON, Fla. — Luke Maile might be a newcomer to the Pittsburgh Pirates, but the faces that are familiar to the 29-year-old catcher carry some serious weight within the organization. Maile played for Pirates manager Derek Shelton in Tampa Bay and spent the past three seasons under the supervision of...
Kevin Gorman’s Take 5: New-look Pirates back to being all about baseballVideo
The first sign that things are different with the Pittsburgh Pirates this spring training was the missing signs. The hallway outside the clubhouse at Pirate City didn’t have any of the inspirational messages and mottos posted on the walls that were hallmarks of the previous regime. Hanging in their place...
Kevin Gorman: Keone Kela wants to become something bigger than Pirates closer
BRADENTON, Fla. The least surprising storyline of spring training for the Pittsburgh Pirates is Keone Kela enters it with every intention of claiming the closer’s role. Kela is the front-runner to go from setup man to stopper to replace jailed two-time All-Star Felipe Vazquez, given the effectiveness Kela showed in...
Chris Archer brings positive perspective to Pirates, promises ‘better version of myself’Video
BRADENTON, Fla. — Chris Archer arrived for the start of spring training sporting a new look after cutting off his signature, shoulder-length dreadlocks. What the Pittsburgh Pirates right-hander wants, following a career-worst season, is to rediscover the pitching form that made him a two-time All-Star and staff ace in Tampa...
Tim Benz: Ex-Pirate Charlie Morton accepts scorn for Astros’ cheating. More need to do the same.
In the wake of the Houston Astros sign-stealing scandal, one player I’ve been anxiously waiting to hear from is Charlie Morton. After his stint in Pittsburgh, Morton was traded to Philadelphia then to Houston where he ended up winning Game 7 of the 2017 World Series. It is that 2017...
John Steigerwald: Small-market teams should steal Astros’ tactics
Spare me the outrage. People in and out of MLB are being whipped into a frenzy again over the Houston Astros’ stealing signs on their way to a 2017 World Series win. Jared Diamond of the Wall Street Journal reported this week MLB’s claim the plan was “entirely player-driven” is...
Kevin Gorman’s Take 5: Position battles take center stage at Pirates spring training
If there is optimism surrounding the Pittsburgh Pirates entering spring training, it’s with the change in leadership. The starting lineup is another story. New Pirates manager Derek Shelton inherits a 93-loss team minus its ace pitcher, All-Star closer, veteran catcher and best all-around player when pitchers and catchers report to...
Changes to Pirates pitching staff could take time
The question didn’t require an immediate answer, but Derek Shelton had one ready. “Who’s your opening day starter?” the Pittsburgh Pirates’ first-year manager was asked at PiratesFest, two months and two days before the season begins March 26 in Tampa. Shelton’s answer: “You got an opinion?” Everyone does, of course,...
Outlook for every attendee at Pirates spring training 2020
Outlook for every attendee at Pirates spring training 2020: Note: Format is uniform number, player name, age, bats/throws, height/weight, MLB seasons, how acquired Infielders— 55 Josh Bell, 27, S/R, 6-4/250, 4, 2nd rd pick 2011 draft Bell was challenging Babe Ruth records his first two months of 2019; he cooled...
