Pirates/MLB category, Page 241
New GM Ben Cherington: Pirates open to trading any player
SAN DIEGO — It remains to be seen if Ben Cherington will make the first splash move of his nascent career as the Pittsburgh Pirates general manager during the winter meetings. The four-day event started Monday at the Manchester Hyatt, and there wasn’t even a trace of a rumor involving...
Time as Pirates GM special for new Hall of Famer Ted Simmons
SAN DIEGO — Ted Simmons is now a Hall of Famer, being elected by the Hall’s Modern-Day Era Committee on Sunday night for his stellar career as a switch-hitting catcher. In the years after amassing 2,472 hits and making eight All-Star Games during his 21-year career, Simmons had a 1½-year...
John Steigerwald: Gerrit Cole situation a sobering reminder for Pirates
The Pittsburgh Pirates are excited about having a new general manager and a new manager. Maybe some fans are, too. Meanwhile, the New York Yankees are the favorites to sign Gerrit Cole as a free agent. According to the New York Post, it’ll be a shock if they don’t. Yankees...
Pirates manager Derek Shelton anticipates adjustments to NLVideo
Derek Shelton believes every step of his coaching career prepared him to become the Pittsburgh Pirates manager, from serving as Tampa’s hitting coach to Toronto’s quality control coach to Minnesota’s bench coach. The only exception for Shelton is his background was strictly with American League teams, so he’s expecting an...
Winter meetings could kick-start offseason plans for new Pirates management
Ben Cherington drew an interesting football analogy to his new job in baseball earlier this week. The Pittsburgh Pirates’ general manager said when he was hired Nov. 18, he felt like a quarterback backed up on his 1-yard line. Nearly three weeks later, Cherington feels like he at least has...
Former Mt. Lebanon, Point Park star Don Kelly named Pirates bench coach
The Pittsburgh Pirates stayed in town for their bench coach. Don Kelly was hired to be new manager Derek Shelton’s right-hand man Saturday. Kelly starred at Mt. Lebanon and Point Park and lives in Mars with his wife Carrie — sister of former Pirates second baseman Neil Walker — and...
A Pirate, a few Steelers and a movie star go to Penguins gameVideo
Pirates pitcher Joe Musgrove is becoming something of a tour guide for Pittsburgh. On Tuesday, the day before Derek Shelton was officially introduced as the Pirates new manager, Musgrove took him out for lunch at Primanti’s in the Strip District. Before you ask, yeah he's been there. Yesterday, @ItsbuccnJoe59 took...
Confident Pirates legend Dave Parker to soon find out if Baseball Hall calls
Dave Parker will find out Sunday if his latest bid to be inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame is successful. If it were up to Parker, he already would have a spot in Cooperstown, N.Y. Somehow, that is not a surprising thought coming from one of the most...
Pirates manager Derek Shelton’s path guided by ‘hard-nosed’ competitivenessVideo
Ron and Kathy Shelton never needed a babysitter. Almost from the first day he could stand, young Derek always was next to his dad, who was a prominent high school baseball and basketball coach in Illinois for 25 years. “That was our babysitter, the ball,” Derek Shelton said. Ron Shelton...
Pirates legend Bill Mazeroski putting personal memorabilia up for auction
When Bill Mazeroski smashed a walk-off home run over Forbes Field’s left field wall, he not only secured the 1960 World Series crown for the Pirates but claimed a top spot in Pittsburgh sports history. His hit and jubilant celebration as he rounded the bases still stand as one of...
Kevin Gorman: Derek Shelton receives endorsement from Pirates legendVideo
Not long after being hired as manager of the Pittsburgh Pirates, Derek Shelton was having dinner with his wife, Alison, and some friends in Florida when he received a phone call. Shelton didn’t recognize the number but answered anyway, leaving the table for the conversation. The way his face lit...
New Pirates manager Derek Shelton unafraid of fans’ expectationsVideo
When Derek Shelton was a college and minor league catcher, he was not afraid of home-plate collisions. So handling Pittsburgh Pirates fans’ dissatisfaction with the recent past is an issue he said he’s willing to confront. Shelton, 49, was introduced Wednesday as the 41st manager in Pirates history, but the...
Pirates part ways with catcher Elias Diaz, sign Erik Gonzalez to 1-year deal
Elias Diaz once was considered the Pittsburgh Pirates’ catcher of the future. Now, he is in their past. The Pirates decided not to offer Diaz a contract Monday night rather than go to a potential arbitration hearing with him. The 29-year-old hit .241/.296/.307 with two home runs in 101 games...
Pirates to hire Blue Jays scouting director Steve Sanders to be assistant GM
New Pittsburgh Pirates general manager Ben Cherington has found his right-hand man. The Pirates announced Tuesday morning they hired Toronto Blue Jays amateur scouting director Steve Sanders as assistant GM. “Steve has significant experience in amateur and international scouting from his time with the Red Sox and Blue Jays,” Cherington...
Plenty of trade partners exist if Pirates choose to move Starling Marte
Starling Marte does not necessarily want out of Pittsburgh, but he made it clear this past week being traded from the Pirates wouldn’t be a bad thing. “If it was for me, I will leave for a team that is ready to compete right now on a World Series, and...
Pirates hope Derek Shelton can replicate success as minor league manager
Derek Shelton does not have much of a track record when it comes to managing. The Pittsburgh Pirates, however, might be on to something if their new manager can replicate his success in the minor leagues Shelton’s managerial experience consists of three seasons in the low minors when he was...
Pirates name Derek Shelton new manager
Derek Shelton was considered the favorite to land the Pittsburgh Pirates manager’s job when the search for Clint Hurdle’s successor began under former general manager Neal Huntington. Even though Huntington was fired Oct. 28 and replaced by Ben Cherington on Nov. 18, Shelton still emerged as the Pirates’ man and...
Pirates trade pitcher Dario Agrazal to Tigers
While it wasn’t a blockbuster, Ben Cherington made his first trade Monday as the Pittsburgh Pirates’ general manager. The Pirates dealt right-hander Dario Agrazal to the Detroit Tigers for cash considerations. Agrazal was designated for assignment last Wednesday. The trade came a week after Cherington was hired to succeed Neal...
Report: Matt Quartaro, Derek Shelton among favorites for Pirates manager job
Little news has come from the Pittsburgh Pirates’ restarted managerial search. However, ESPN reported Saturday a pair of bench coaches, the Tampa Bay Rays’ Matt Quartaro and Minnesota Twins’ Derek Shelton, have emerged as the favorites. A source confirmed to the Tribune-Review that Quartaro and Shelton are in the running...
Pirates affiliate 1 of 42 minor league teams in danger of being dropped
WASHINGTON — Nearly one-quarter of the members of the U.S. House of Representatives asked MLB to reconsider its proposal for a restructuring of the minor leagues after the 2020 season that would lead to 42 teams — including those in Erie, Williamsport, State College as well as the Pittsburgh Pirates’...
Pirates add top prospect Ke’Bryan Hayes to 40-man roster
Top prospect Ke’Bryan Hayes was one of five players added to the 40-man roster Wednesday by the Pittsburgh Pirates. The 22-year-old third baseman was joined by right-handers Blake Cederlind and Cody Ponce, first baseman Will Craig and shortstop ONeil Cruz. That prevents them from being selected in the Rule 5...
3 Pirates players GM Ben Cherington could trade before spring training
Actions rather than words eventually will tell whether the Pittsburgh Pirates rebuild, retool or re-something else under Ben Cherington. It would seem, at least on the surface, the Pirates are headed for a shakeup of some sort after a season in which they had a 69-93 record and finished last...
Red Sox writer shares what Pirates fans should know about Ben Cherington
If you are a Pirates fan looking for a guy to give you great background on the Boston Red Sox during Ben Cherington’s time there, check out Alex Speier. He has covered the Red Sox for 17 years. Speier currently works for the Boston Globe and NESN. He also wrote...
Why former Pirates star Andrew McCutchen stays involved with PittsburghVideo
On a dreary Tuesday, on the sixth floor of UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh, a roomful of young patients were busy working on a variety of different art projects. The children, inpatients at the hospital, visit regularly as part of what’s referred to as art therapy. The energy level in...
Pirates post opening for Pierogi jobVideo
Do you have what it takes to be a Pierogi? The Pittsburgh Pirates have put the call out for a new team member by posting a job listing: “2020 Pierogie.” (Of course, the misspelling leads us to wonder if they meant to write “Pierogies,” plural.) The team’s mascots are famous...
