Kevin Gorman stories, Page 153
With struggles behind him, Kevin Newman ready to compete for Pirates’ starting shortstop jobVideo
BRADENTON, Fla. — Kevin Newman knew there would be a transition to the major leagues and his status as a former first-round draft pick would only add to the expectations. Newman struggled after being called up last season, but believes that experience has prepared him for the starting shortstop competition...
Chris Archer excited to feed off energy of Pirates home openerVideo
BRADENTON, Fla. — Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Chris Archer is no stranger to starting Opening Day — he threw four consecutive openers for the Tampa Bay Rays from 2015-18 — but is pumped for a first in his major league career. Archer will pitch in the home opener against the St....
Outfielder Melky Cabrera ready to do ‘whatever it takes’ for PiratesVideo
BRADENTON, Fla. – Melky Cabrera might be the elder statesman on the Pittsburgh Pirates, but the 14-year veteran outfielder feels like he can still contribute to a winning baseball team. The Pirates signed the 34-year-old Cabrera to a minor-league contract with a non-roster invitation to spring training, hoping that he...
Kevin Gorman: New hitting coach Rick Eckstein pushes Pirates to tap into powerVideo
BRADENTON, Fla. When the Pittsburgh Pirates prioritized tapping into their potential for power, they turned to a man who is small in stature but has a reputation for being big with the bat. New hitting coach Rick Eckstein, charged with changing the club’s philosophy in its preparation at the plate...
Pirates tab Jameson Taillon as Opening Day starter, Chris Archer for home openerVideo
BRADENTON, Fla. — Jameson Taillon was the kid who searched the spring-training box scores in the newspaper, following the progress of pitchers to see who would earn the Opening Day start. For his hometown Houston Astros, Taillon remembers Scott Elarton getting the nod in 2001 and then eight consecutive seasons...
New shortstop Erik Gonzalez excited for chance to play every day for PiratesVideo
BRADENTON, Fla. — Erik Gonzalez waited a decade to become an everyday player in the major leagues, and this spring training represents his first chance to be a starter. “I always tried to put my vision on being a guy that played every day in the league,” said Gonzalez, 27,...
Kevin Gorman: Mobility a priority for Pirates’ Colin MoranVideo
BRADENTON, Fla. Colin Moran didn’t need an exit meeting with the Pittsburgh Pirates last fall to be told what he should work on in the offseason if he wanted to remain their starting third baseman. It was that obvious. “I was pretty honest evaluation-wise,” Moran said Friday at Pirate City....
Colin Moran hopes for improved mobility at 3rd base for PiratesVideo
BRADENTON, Fla. – Colin Moran was honest with his self-evaluation, so the Pittsburgh Pirates third baseman spent the offseason working on his mobility to improve his defensive range. “When I’m ready to react to the ball, the right muscles are firing so I’m maybe not as slow on the first...
Dan Zangrilli returns, Kraig Riley joins Pirates shows on 93.7 The Fan
Dan Zangrilli will host Pittsburgh Pirates pregame and postgame broadcasts on flagship station 93.7 The Fan, returning to a role he held from 2012-16. Analyst Jack Zduriencik, a former Pirates scouting director and Seattle Mariners general manager, returns for his fourth season. Kraig Riley, a producer at The Fan since...
Pirates begin 3-way battle for 5th spot in starting rotationVideo
BRADENTON, Fla. — The Pittsburgh Pirates believe pitching is one of their biggest strengths this season, with four starters already penciled into their starting rotation. That leaves the competition involving Jordan Lyles, Nick Kingham and Steven Brault for the fifth spot in one of the biggest position battles of spring...
Kevin Gorman: Pirates need to make Jameson Taillon an offerVideo
BRADENTON, Fla. Jameson Taillon follows the business side of baseball with keen interest, from free agency to arbitration, and the Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher was captivated by a trio of cases that could affect his future as the face of the franchise. Mostly, Taillon was thrilled to see Gerrit Cole win...
Pirates’ Joe Musgrove focused on fast recovery from surgeryVideo
BRADENTON, Fla. — Joe Musgrove knew abdominal surgery would sideline him for six weeks, so the Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher searched for a fast way to pass his down time. The 6-foot-5 Musgrove has been clocked on the radar gun throwing his fastball from 95-97 mph, regardless of whether he weighed...
Pirates pitcher Jameson Taillon ‘happy’ for Gerrit Cole’s record-setting arbitration winVideo
BRADENTON, Fla. – Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Jameson Taillon was rooting for his former teammate and good friend Gerrit Cole in his arbitration case against the Houston Astros. Taillon was thrilled to see Cole not only won his hearing but was awarded a $13.5 million salary for the 2019 season, the...
Kevin Gorman: Pirates feel ‘something special’ but better have a Plan BVideo
BRADENTON, Fla. The first practice for Pittsburgh Pirates pitchers and catchers was forced indoors by rain, but the cool temperatures and overcast skies didn’t dampen Clint Hurdle’s spirit. “It’s a good first day,” Hurdle said Wednesday at Pirate City. “We got the audible early from Plan A and went to...
Pirates GM says Francisco Liriano, Melky Cabrera ‘have a legitimate opportunity to make our club’Video
BRADENTON, Fla. – Pittsburgh Pirates general manager Neal Huntington insisted that pitcher Francisco Liriano and outfielder Melky Cabrera are both “still quality major-league players.” “They both have a legitimate opportunity to make our club and help our club be better,” Huntington said Wednesday, the first day of practice for pitchers...
Pirates manager Clint Hurdle has ‘a feeling we’re about to do something special’Video
BRADENTON, Fla. – Clint Hurdle kept his first message to Pittsburgh Pirates pitchers and catchers brief on Wednesday at Pirate City, given that the full squad will meet again in a handful of days. But Hurdle said he reinforced the belief that baseball leans heavily upon pitching, one of the...
Felipe Vazquez excited to be stopper on a Pirates bullpen that is ‘locked up’Video
BRADENTON, Fla. – When Felipe Vazquez looks around the Pirate City clubhouse and sees Richard Rodriguez, Kyle Crick and Keone Kela, the Pittsburgh Pirates closer thinks back to spring training last year. Only Vazquez began the 2018 season on the Pirates’ Opening Day roster and with a defined spot in...
Kevin Gorman: Pirates’ Francisco Cervelli coming off season worth repeatingVideo
BRADENTON, Fla. Francisco Cervelli’s eyes lit up in response to a tongue-in-cheek question Tuesday asking the Pittsburgh Pirates catcher about being an established home-run hitter. “Wow! I love that question,” Cervelli said, breaking into a big smile. “Can you say it again, please?” Cervelli, fresh off a career-best 12-homer season...
Francisco Cervelli talks trade rumors, concussions and playing catcher for PiratesVideo
BRADENTON, Fla. – Francisco Cervelli was not surprised to hear his name connected to trade rumors, but the veteran catcher made it clear that he wishes to remain with the Pittsburgh Pirates. “The way baseball is now, nothing surprises me,” Cervelli said Tuesday at Pirate City. “I’m here now. I’ve...
Kevin Gorman’s Take 5: Francisco Liriano could help fill a veteran leadership voidVideo
BRADENTON, Fla. — It was no coincidence that Francisco Liriano had a corner locker waiting for him inside the clubhouse Monday at Pirate City, in the same spot where Ivan Nova once resided. Where Pittsburgh Pirates fans bemoaned the trade that sent Liriano to Toronto – along with two top-10...
Francisco Liriano hopes to make more good memories pitching for PiratesVideo
BRADENTON, Fla. — Francisco Liriano never imagined he would return to the Pittsburgh Pirates after they dealt him and two prospects to Toronto at the 2016 trade deadline in a salary dump. “To be honest, no,” Liriano said, “but … baseball is crazy.” Liriano signed a minor-league contract with the...
Pirates outfielder Gregory Polanco is step closer to recovering from shoulder surgeryVideo
BRADENTON, Fla. — For Gregory Polanco to take a step closer to a comeback from shoulder surgery, it required his target to take more than a dozen steps backward. The Pittsburgh Pirates rightfielder stretched out his left arm by throwing the longest distance of his rehabilitation, estimating that he soft-tossed...
Pirates pitcher Chris Archer starting slowly but plans to be ready for seasonVideo
BRADENTON, Fla. – Don’t call it a rehab. Chris Archer has been here for weeks. That was the message from the Pittsburgh Pirates right-hander Monday, when pitchers and catchers reported to Pirate City. Archer had surgery in late November to repair a bilateral hernia, and is long past his expected...
Country music legend Garth Brooks pitch perfect with Pirates in spring trainingVideo
BRADENTON, Fla. — Corey Dickerson didn’t recognize the newcomer taking batting practice right away Monday at Pirate City but the Gold Glove winner didn’t mind sharing space with him in left field. Country music legend Garth Brooks, the first artist to have seven albums reach diamond status in the U.S.,...
Corey Dickerson excited to show off Gold Glove in left field for PiratesVideo
Corey Dickerson showed off his new Gold Glove on social media this offseason, but the Pirates left fielder said he is still in the process of breaking in his new mitt with the Rawlings signature patch. “It’s in a good place,” Dickerson said last month at PiratesFest at PNC Park....
