Kevin Gorman stories, Page 107
Who’s at shortstop?: Pirates transparent with trio that starting job is up for grabs this spring
If asked to reveal the starting shortstop as spring training begins, Pittsburgh Pirates manager Derek Shelton’s answer would sound like something out of a famous Abbott and Costello comedy sketch. I don’t know. Never mind that he played third base in the “Who’s On First” routine. For the Pirates, the...
AT&T SportsNet to televise all but one of Pirates’ spring training home games
AT&T SportsNet will televise all but one of the Pittsburgh Pirates’ 15 Grapefruit League home games in spring training, with the exception of a conflict of schedule with a Pittsburgh Penguins game. The only Pirates home game that won’t be televised is the March 6 game against the New York...
Pirates, Entercom announce contract extension that will keep 93.7 FM home of radio broadcasts
The Pittsburgh Pirates and Entercom announced a multiyear contract extension that will keep 93.7 FM as the team’s flagship radio station and broadcast all spring training and regular-season games. The Pirates’ radio broadcast partner since 2012 on KDKA-FM, Entercom will now air all weekday and afternoon games on sister stations...
Pirates outfielders Bryan Reynolds, Gregory Polanco vow to put hitting woes behind them
The Pittsburgh Pirates aren’t going to pretend their corner outfielders didn’t bat below the Mendoza Line last season. Right fielder Gregory Polanco and left fielder Bryan Reynolds just don’t want anyone to think playing amid a pandemic resembled a normal baseball season. After Reynolds batted .187 (35 for 185) and...
Pirates right fielder Gregory Polanco says he never fractured his wrist in winter ball
Whether it was lost in translation or a mistake by the manager of his Dominican winter ball club, Gregory Polanco on Thursday disputed reports he fractured his wrist in the offseason. “First of all, the injury, they said it the wrong way,” Polanco said on a video conference call from...
Pirates’ Todd Frazier embraces chance to serve as a sounding board
One of the newest Pittsburgh Pirates never imagined being the oldest guy in spring training. That didn’t stop Todd Frazier from dropping an indicator of his age while reminiscing about his rookie year. When talking about accepting a role as a corner infielder who can back up both first and...
Pirates trade cash to Oakland A’s for outfielder Dustin Fowler
The Pittsburgh Pirates acquired outfielder Dustin Fowler from the Oakland A’s in exchange for cash considerations Wednesday. The 6-foot, 198-pound Fowler is a left-handed hitter who last played in the major leagues in 2018, when he batted .224 with three doubles, two triples, six home runs and 23 RBIs in...
No injury restrictions for Pirates RF Gregory Polanco, SS Kevin Newman in spring training
Pittsburgh Pirates right fielder Gregory Polanco, who fractured his right wrist while sliding in winter ball in the Dominican Republic, reported to spring training in Bradenton, Fla., with no restrictions. Pirates director of sports medicine Todd Tomczyk proclaimed Polanco “100% ready to go” on Wednesday while delivering the first injury...
Healthy Chad Kuhl ready to solidify spot in Pirates’ starting rotation
After building up his surgically repaired right arm by pitching piggyback to start the season, Chad Kuhl found a familiar feeling after throwing 78 pitches over five innings last August at Cincinnati. “I woke up the next day, and I was really, really sore,” Kuhl said on a video conference...
After spectacular September debut, Pirates rookie Ke’Bryan Hayes still has ‘a lot to prove’
With a spectacular September followed by an offseason that saw the Pittsburgh Pirates trade their biggest names, Ke’Bryan Hayes went from the club’s top prospect to the future of the franchise. That’s a role the 24-year-old third baseman is eager to embrace. After winning NL rookie of the month honors,...
Pirates open ticket sales to public on Wednesday for home spring training games
After allowing season ticket holders first shot at buying tickets to spring training games in Bradenton, Fla., the Pittsburgh Pirates are opening sales to the public on Wednesday. Fans interested in attending a Grapefruit League game at LECOM Park can buy tickets in pods of two or four starting at...
Adam Frazier puts trade talk behind him, focuses on getting off to fast start for Pirates
Adam Frazier heard his name in rumors about being dealt at the trade deadline last August and again all offseason, so it was something of a surprise that the second baseman is back in spring training with the Pittsburgh Pirates. Not that Frazier was complaining, explaining that he is ready...
New Pirate Brian Goodwin hopes to get last laugh in center field
Brian Goodwin aced his first test as a Pittsburgh Pirates outfielder with the answer to why he was willing to sign with the team that finished with the worst record in baseball last season. “I don’t really see a reason to not like the opportunity here,” Goodwin said on a...
Pirates’ Derek Shelton: Todd Frazier added for right-handed power, veteran leadership
Derek Shelton rattled off Todd Frazier’s attributes, from being a 10-year veteran and two-time All-Star to a right-handed bat who can play either corner infield spot, as reasons for his addition to the Pittsburgh Pirates. Not that Ke’Bryan Hayes has to be worried. Frazier signed a minor league deal with...
Pirates pitcher Quinn Priester ‘itching’ to prove top-100 status while chasing his daydreams
Quinn Priester reported for his first major league spring training with the Pittsburgh Pirates wearing a first-round tag and a growing reputation as one of baseball’s top-100 prospects, so don’t mind the 20-year-old right-hander if his mind drifts towards leading the revival of a struggling franchise. “So I do, I...
Pirates sign 2-time All-Star Todd Frazier to minor league deal
The Pirates added a power-hitting corner infielder Friday by signing Todd Frazier to a minor league deal with a non-roster invitation to spring training, according to a source. Frazier, a two-time All-Star, will earn $1.5 million if he makes the team. Frazier, 35, has a career .242 batting average with...
Pirates lefty Steven Brault ‘excited’ to build off strong finish, cement spot in starting rotation
Now that Steven Brault has solidified a spot in the starting rotation, the Pittsburgh Pirates left-hander can’t contain his excitement. He even used the word with the frequency which he used to throw his fastball. “I’m excited. There’s no other way to play it. I’m excited,” Brault said. “I’m going...
Pirates catcher Michael Perez hopes to honor legacy of his idol Roberto Clemente
Michael Perez has the distinction of being the lone Puerto Rican player on the Pittsburgh Pirates’ 40-man roster and the honor of playing for the same team as his hero Roberto Clemente once did. Not that Perez had any control over that decision, however, as the Pirates claimed him off...
As Pirates’ oldest player, Jacob Stallings embraces role of breaking in backup catchers
Before his first spring training, Jacob Stallings was warned by David Price that the way to earn respect was by working hard and keeping his mouth shut, so the catcher adopted that as his mantra. That approach has changed dramatically for Stallings. Now 31, he is the oldest player on...
Mitch Keller takes confident step toward becoming leader for Pirates
Mitch Keller arrived at spring training a year ago fighting for a spot in the starting rotation, missed six weeks with an oblique injury and ended the season throwing 11 consecutive hitless innings over his final two starts. If that sounds like a dramatic change, it’s nothing compared to the...
After minor league contraction, Pirates shuffle coaching staffs of their 4 affiliates
The Pittsburgh Pirates announced changes Wednesday to their minor league coaching staffs, with some shuffling among their affiliates and two former affiliates who became MLB developmental leagues. The Triple-A Indianapolis Indians’ coaching staff will remain intact, with Brian Esposito as manager, Joel Hanrahan as pitching coach and Jon Nunnally as...
Lefty pitcher Tyler Anderson embraces chance to start anew with the Pirates amid rebuild
When the Pittsburgh Pirates showed interest in signing Tyler Anderson, the left-handed pitcher saw something familiar in the idea of joining a club trying to change the culture while going through a rebuild. Anderson was a freshman when Spring Valley High School opened in Las Vegas, then went to Oregon...
Pirates sign left-hander Tyler Anderson to add depth to starting rotation
After trading their past two Opening Day starters this offseason, the Pittsburgh Pirates added to their rotation Tuesday by agreeing to terms on a major league deal with left-handed pitcher Tyler Anderson. The contract is for one-year at $2.5 million, pending Anderson passing a physical, a source confirmed to the...
Pirates manager Derek Shelton: ‘We’re preparing to win, making decisions to win’
Derek Shelton doesn’t want to dwell on the performances that led the Pittsburgh Pirates to finish with the worst record in baseball last season or the projections that have them losing 100-plus games this summer. Despite an offseason in which All-Star first baseman Josh Bell and starting pitchers Joe Musgrove...
Pirates manager Derek Shelton focused on spring training competition at SS, CF
On the eve of the first workouts for pitchers and catchers of spring training, manager Derek Shelton said the Pittsburgh Pirates will have open competition for starting jobs at multiple positions. Shelton’s focus will be on finding starters at shortstop and center field, helping his corner outfielders rediscover their swing...
