Kevin Gorman stories, Page 130
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...
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,...
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...
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...
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...
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...
Kevin Gorman: Timing would be terrible for Pitt’s Pat Narduzzi to leave for Michigan State
We’ve always known it was only a matter of time before Mark Dantonio would leave Michigan State and speculation would surround Pitt coach Pat Narduzzi’s name to surface as successor. That countdown started only seconds after the news broke. And the timing is terrible. When Dantonio abruptly retired Tuesday —...
Kevin Gorman: Pitt proves wins don’t need to be prettyVideo
Jeff Capel was trying to tell his Pitt players to shoot less with hesitation and more with conviction, no small feat in a game where you wouldn’t hesitate to convict the Panthers for their putrid performance from the perimeter. Miami abandoned its man-to-man defense and packed the paint with a...
Kevin Gorman: From Kobe Bryant to Super Bowl, sports world a roller coaster ride of tears, cheers
Chuck Franciscus was 5 years old when he became a Los Angeles Lakers fan for life, watching in awe as Magic Johnson went from throwing no-look, behind-the-back passes to playing center and scoring 42 points in winning Game 6 of the 1980 NBA Finals to clinch the world championship. Franciscus...
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...
