Pirates/MLB category, Page 237
4 position players on the bubble as Pirates spring training opensVideo
Selection Sunday remains five weeks away. But that doesn’t mean that talk of the “bubble” hasn’t started already, nor does it have to be limited to college basketball. A week before Pittsburgh Pirates pitchers and catchers were required to report to spring training, here are four position players who enter...
Kevin Gorman: New Pirates manager Derek Shelton’s short, sweet message: Have funVideo
The Pittsburgh Pirates wanted a new voice with a new message, and they got their wish when Clint Hurdle was fired after his was tuned out too often over the last of his nine seasons. Derek Shelton is preparing for his first spring training as a major-league manager by practicing...
4 pitchers on the bubble as Pirates spring training opensVideo
Selection Sunday remains five weeks away. But that doesn’t mean talk of the “bubble” hasn’t started, nor does it have to be limited to college basketball. On the eve of Pittsburgh Pirates pitchers and catchers reporting to spring training, here are four pitchers who enter it on a proverbial bubble...
Pirates hope post-surgical Gregory Polanco can be big part of reshaped outfield
Two seasons ago, the Pittsburgh Pirates had an outfield of Corey Dickerson, Starling Marte and Gregory Polanco — all on the under side of 30 with specific, serviceable skill sets. • Dickerson, the left fielder, was on his way to a .300 season. • Marte ended 2018 with an impressive...
Pirates infield shows promise, but with lots of room to grow
All you need to know about Ben Cherington’s and Derek Shelton’s expectations for the Pittsburgh Pirates is the team’s second-most-productive run producer doesn’t have a lock on his job. Chances are, Colin Moran will be difficult to unseat at third base (at least early in the season). He hit .277...
Pirates pitcher Chris Archer chops dreads for clean-cut lookVideo
Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Chris Archer cleaned up a bit before the start of spring training — he cut his dreads for a more clean-cut look. Archer posted a short video and two photos of his new look to his Instagram page on Wednesday. “Shout out to everyone who supported my...
U mad, bro? Pittsburgh fans jump on Hall of Fame voting, Penguins’ trade talk, Pirates roster
If nothing else, our readers show their great emotional range in this week’s “U mad, bro?” They are angry over Hall of Fame snubs. They are angry over Hall of Fame snubbers. They are angry at the idea of the Pirates trading away veteran talent. They are angry at the...
Kevin Gorman: Can Joe Musgrove become the leader the Pirates need? Maybe he already hasVideo
Joe Musgrove wasn’t showing a gap-toothed smile when he talked about “taking it in the teeth” and how the Pittsburgh Pirates’ season went south amid clubhouse chaos. But Musgrove knew what was missing. “We had a lot of internal problems going and some issues getting things together on the field,”...
Pirates sign 16-year-old Australian outfielder Solomon MaguireVideo
The Pittsburgh Pirates signed 16-year-old Australian outfielder Solomon Maguire as a non-drafted free agent on Wednesday. We have officially signed outfielder Solomon Maguire (Sydney, Australia) as a non-drafted free agent. The Pirates have now signed 43 players during the 2019-20 international signing period. pic.twitter.com/VItxSs8bLB— Pirates (@Pirates) February 5, 2020 The...
Pirates’ pitcher Steven Brault takes center stage with Pittsburgh SymphonyVideo
Which is more nerve-wracking: taking the mound at PNC Park or the stage in Heinz Hall? For Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Steven Brault, both are more exciting than anxiety-producing. A vocal performance major in college, Brault will sing two numbers with the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra during “Blockbuster Broadway!” performances Feb. 7-9...
Pirates catcher Jacob Stallings earns trust of teammates in seizing No. 1 roleVideo
His affable father, fair or not, was not necessarily one of the more popular figures in Pittsburgh sports. But the just-as-genial Jacob Stallings, undoubtedly, is one the most popular players among his Pittsburgh Pirates teammates. Less than two years after Kevin Stallings was let go by Pitt following a winless...
Pirates’ Kevin Kramer motivated by daughter’s birth
If Kevin Kramer was a shallow thinker without much ambition, he might have welcomed MLB’s roster expansion from 25 to 26 players. He might have seen it as an easier way to sneak onto the Pittsburgh Pirates’ 2020 roster. But Kramer, 26, responded to a question about 26-man rosters with...
Tim Benz: Pirates’ Josh Bell thinks he knows why his hot start faded in 2019
Pirates first baseman Josh Bell has an interesting philosophy on his swing. It’ll be worth tracking as this season progresses for him in Pittsburgh. Well, unless he gets traded for two prospects that are barely old enough to shave, as was the case for Starling Marte last week. Bell is...
New Pirates OF Guillermo Heredia provides much-needed positivityVideo
Through the words and actions of their management team since Guillermo Heredia was signed as a free agent early last month, the Pittsburgh Pirates have made it clear they do not expect Heredia to be an everyday outfielder. A glance at his career offensive statistics (.240 average, .659 OPS, 17...
Pirates outfielder Bryan Reynolds: A tough out everywhere he goesVideo
The words did come out of Bryan Reynolds mouth. A quick review of his interview at PirateFest confirmed it. “Pitchers have been trying to get me out for a long time,” he said. That’s what the Pirates’ second-year outfielder said. But before anyone accuses Reynolds of pumping out his chest...
New-look Chad Kuhl prepares for return to Pirates
The first glimpse Pittsburgh Pirates fans and observers get of Chad Kuhl this spring could cause a double-take. Kuhl said he will have a different look in his comeback from Tommy John surgery. The 27-year-old righty has not pitched in a game since June 2018 but is on track to...
Pirates sign INF/OF JT Riddle as possible center field platoon candidateVideo
New Pittsburgh Pirates general manager Ben Cherington continued to supplement his roster, announcing the signing of free agent infielder/outfielder JT Riddle on Friday. Riddle was signed to a major league deal and became the final member of the 40-man roster with the start of spring training less than two weeks...
Pirates sign LHP Robbie Erlin, C Andrew Susac, OF Charlie Tilson to minor league deals
With spring training less than two weeks away, the Pittsburgh Pirates fortified their depth in some notable areas by announcing the signings of veterans to minor league contracts that include invites to spring training. Robbie Erlin joined Derek Holland as veteran left-handed relievers signed. Erlin, 29, made 106 appearances (38...
Pirates sign veteran LHP Derek Holland to minor league contractVideo
The Pittsburgh Pirates signed four players to minor league contracts that include invites to spring training, most notably veteran left-handed pitcher Derek Holland. Holland, 33, has pitched for four teams over 11 seasons in the majors, most recently splitting last season primarily as a reliever for the San Francisco Giants...
New Pirates braintrust Ben Cherington, Derek Shelton adjusting to new MLB rules
A new management team and new manager will have to navigate new MLB rules during their first season in charge of the Pittsburgh Pirates. MLB is the midst of a dramatic, if gradual, reshaping of decades-long rules practices. For the 2020 season, the most notable of these changes is active...
U mad, bro? Some Pirates fans bash Starling Marte trade. Others bash Tim Benz for bashing it.
This week’s “U mad, bro?” was easy. Everybody was mad about the Pirates trading Starling Marte to the Arizona Diamondbacks for two 19-year-old prospects, who are years away from making their big-league debuts. You are either mad about the trade. Or you are mad at those being critical of it....
Finally healthy, Pirates reliever Nick Burdi offers intrigueVideo
Nick Burdi is not sure where. But somewhere in the Chicago-area home of the Pittsburgh Pirates reliever is a human bone. Not just any bone —Burdi’s right first rib. “I don’t know where it is now,” Burdi said with a sheepish chuckle last week at PiratesFest. “They give you a...
Tim Benz: If Pirates are serious about getting a real MLB center fielder, here’s an ideaVideo
Here are the options for the Pirates in the outfield now that Starling Marte has been traded to the Arizona Diamondbacks. 1. Move Bryan Reynolds to center field and have newly acquired Guillermo Heredia play left field. 2. Keep Reynolds in left field and have Heredia play center. 3. Move...
Kevin Gorman: A ‘Dream Outfield’ deferred, Pirates turn to Gregory Polanco for productionVideo
Now that the Pittsburgh Pirates have traded two-thirds of the so-called Dream Outfield, we finally can wake up to this reality: It was more of a fantasy. The idea of fielding an outfield of All-Stars Andrew McCutchen, Starling Marte and Gregory Polanco in the same fashion as the early 1990s...
Pirates appear to have few options to fully replace Starling Marte’s offense
By this past weekend, it had been two months since the Pittsburgh Pirates’ new management team started engaging in trade talks regarding their starting center fielder. So Monday’s announcement of the trade of Starling Marte to the Arizona Diamondbacks probably didn’t catch new manager Derek Shelton by surprise. “The one...
