Kevin Gorman stories, Page 4
‘Be yourself’: In 1st spring as Pirates manager, Don Kelly accepts advice from Hall of Famer
Don Kelly is past the pinch-me phase of being manager of the Pittsburgh Pirates, yet the Mt. Lebanon and Point Park alum was so stunned by one fun factoid that he let out a hearty laugh in disbelief. After Mike Sullivan was relieved of duties in April after 10 seasons...
Pirates add big bat by agreeing with DH Marcell Ozuna on 1-year contract
The Pittsburgh Pirates completed the final piece of the puzzle in an aggressive offseason designed to add some pop to baseball’s least productive offense by agreeing Monday morning to a free-agent deal with Marcell Ozuna. Ozuna will sign a one-year contract for $12 million, pending the passing of a physical,...
Kevin Gorman’s Take 5: Top storylines to watch for as Pirates start spring training
The Pittsburgh Pirates have endured seven consecutive losing seasons, finishing either in last place or tied for last in six of them, so it’s not often they are associated with consensus or unanimous in a positive way. But the Pirates enter spring training with the unanimous winner of the National...
Pirates by Position: Whether a 1-man job or rotation, designated hitter could be different
Despite their pursuit of pop in free agency, the Pittsburgh Pirates have maintained their position that the designated hitter doesn’t necessarily have to be a one-man job. The DH spot has been occupied the past three seasons by Andrew McCutchen, but the 39-year-old franchise icon remains an unsigned free agent...
Pirates by position: Oneil Cruz, Bryan Reynolds look to bounce back; expect battle in left field
Oneil Cruz and Bryan Reynolds are considered unquestioned starters who compose two-thirds of the outfield for the Pittsburgh Pirates, yet both provided plenty of question marks last season. With Cruz in center field and Reynolds in right, the Pirates are more concerned with who will cover the cavernous ground in...
Pirates add pitching depth by signing righty Jose Urquidy
The Pittsburgh Pirates struck out on another top free agent target when left-handed pitcher Framber Valdez signed with the Detroit Tigers but added one of his former teammates Thursday. The Pirates agreed to sign right-hander Jose Urquidy to a one-year, $1.5 million contract, a source confirmed to TribLive. The 30-year-old...
Pirates by Position: Infield adds 2 All-Stars, but will Konnor Griffin start season at shortstop?
The Pittsburgh Pirates opened last season with a pair of Gold Glove winners on the left side of the infield — shortstop Isiah Kiner-Falefa and third baseman Ke’Bryan Hayes — and question marks on the right side. This spring, their lineup could feature a pair of All-Stars — first baseman...
Led by top prospect Konnor Griffin, Pirates boast Baseball America’s No. 1 farm system
Boosted by shortstop Konnor Griffin, baseball’s No. 1 prospect, the Pittsburgh Pirates can claim the sport’s top farm system according to Baseball America rankings released Wednesday. The Pirates boast four of Baseball America’s top 100 prospects: Griffin, right-handed pitcher Bubba Chandler (No. 15), outfielder Edward Florentino (No. 28) and right-hander...
Pirates by Position: Endy Rodriguez, Rafael Flores look to fit in at catcher
The Pittsburgh Pirates’ starting lineup included Endy Rodriguez on Opening Day and Rafael Flores in the season finale, but the 25-year-olds will start spring training wondering where they fit into the roster. Although both are catchers who can play first base, the majority of their major-league starts came at the...
Pirates add 6 non-roster invitees to big league camp
The Pittsburgh Pirates announced an additional six players will attend big league camp as non-roster invitees. Catcher Derek Berg, first baseman Nick Cimillo, right-handed pitcher Michael Darrell-Hicks, left-handed pitcher Nick Dombkowski, outfielder/infielder Mitch Jebb and infielder Alika Williams were invited to camp, which opens Feb. 16 at Pirate City in...
Pirates by position: Bullpen boosted by addition of a pair of flamethrowing lefties
The Pittsburgh Pirates knew the Tampa Bay Rays had a left-handed reliever with a reputation for his impressive velocity but didn’t know much more about him. After throwing 15 of his 16 pitches for strikes — touching triple digits on a handful, including a 102.2 four-seamer against Joey Bart —...
Pirates by Position: Paul Skenes anchors starting rotation expecting battle at back end
The Pittsburgh Pirates opened their offseason on the premise that they had a solid foundation with their starting pitching, one that was deep enough to allow them to address their offensive inefficiencies. With a rotation anchored by 2025 National League Cy Young Award winner Paul Skenes and featuring former All-Star...
Kevin Gorman’s Take 5: Pirates ace Paul Skenes has something up sleeve with ‘sleeper’
When MLB Network ranked its “Top 10 Starting Pitchers Right Now” on Wednesday night, the biggest revelation involved Paul Skenes, but it wasn’t that the Pittsburgh Pirates ace didn’t rank at the top of the list. Skenes has something up his sleeve in the form of a new pitch. That...
Building a consensus: Pirates abuzz about Konnor Griffin being baseball’s No. 1 prospect
Some of the biggest buzz for the Pittsburgh Pirates surrounded a shortstop who was neither in attendance at PiratesFest nor has played a game yet in the major leagues but is being billed as a future superstar. Konnor Griffin became baseball’s consensus No. 1 prospect entering the 2026 season when...
‘Rip the jersey off of me’: Free agent franchise icon Andrew McCutchen lashes out at Pirates
Pittsburgh Pirates icon Andrew McCutchen publicly lashed out at his treatment from the franchise Saturday in a late-night social media post in response to comments by general manager Ben Cherington at PiratesFest regarding the free-agent designated hitter’s future. “There’s more work to do and I’m not done, no matter what...
‘A different level of energy’: Pirates fans express excitement amid aggressive offseason
As Travis Williams walked around the David L. Lawrence Convention Center, the Pittsburgh Pirates president found fans to be just as passionate about the baseball club as ever. Just not as angry. A year after PiratesFest was met with protests from fans frustrated with team chairman Bob Nutting’s lack of...
Following bad season with a big chop, Oneil Cruz focuses on fulfilling potential for Pirates
Oneil Cruz had a black beanie pulled tight over his head, trying to conceal his biggest change of an ultra-important offseason for the Pittsburgh Pirates center fielder. The first thing Cruz did upon returning to his native Dominican Republic was to have his barber chop off the shoulder-length dreadlocks he...
Pirates announce schedule changes, player cancellations for PiratesFest due to weather
The Pittsburgh Pirates announced that the anticipation of severe weather this weekend has impacted player appearances and caused a change in the schedule for Saturday’s annual fan festival at David L. Lawrence Convention Center. Among the players who canceled appearances at PiratesFest because of travel concerns are three new acquisitions...
Nick Gonzales switches to No. 3, as Pirates announce jersey numbers for newcomers
Nick Gonzales had misgivings about wearing No. 39 once Dave Parker was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame, and the Pittsburgh Pirates second baseman made his intentions clear to change his jersey number upon Parker’s death last summer. “It just meant a little more playing today with that number,”...
Baseball America ranks Konnor Griffin its No. 1 prospect, as 3 other Pirates make top 100 list
When Baseball America released its top 100 prospects list Wednesday, Konnor Griffin had only strengthened his status as the No. 1 prospect in the game with “an iron grip.” The 6-foot-4, 225-pound shortstop, who shined at three minor league levels, is one of three teenagers and four players in the...
PiratesFest shorter on star power, as Paul Skenes will miss fan event to accept Cy Young
Pittsburgh Pirates fans will get their first glimpse of the team’s newest additions — including former All-Stars Brandon Lowe, Ryan O’Hearn and Gregory Soto — but PiratesFest will be shorter on star power because of notable absences at the annual fan festival this weekend. That includes their biggest draw, as...
MLB Pipeline names Pirates’ Konnor Griffin No. 1 shortstop prospect, with ‘highest ceiling’
Given that Konnor Griffin is considered the consensus No. 1 prospect in baseball, it’s no surprise that the 19-year-old Pittsburgh Pirates farmhand is ranked the top player at his position by MLB Pipeline. But Griffin’s potential for greatness was captured when he was graded at the top of nearly every...
Kevin Gorman: In a Hall of Fame vote centered around center fielders, why Torii Hunter made my ballot
Call me a world-class procrastinator, if you will, or simply someone who performs better under deadline pressure, but I wait until the final day allowed to mail my Baseball Hall of Fame ballot. Baseball Writers Association of America voters are permitted to pick 10 players, so following the elections of...
Top prospect Konnor Griffin among 7 non-roster invitees to Pirates’ big-league camp
The Pittsburgh Pirates announced Friday that Konnor Griffin, the consensus top prospect in baseball, is one of seven non-roster invitees who have been invited to major-league camp for spring training. The 19-year-old Griffin, a 6-foot-4, 225-pound shortstop/center fielder who was the No. 9 overall pick in the 2024 MLB Draft,...
Pirates sign top-20 prospect in Dominican shortstop with family ties to Hall of Famer
The Pittsburgh Pirates invested their top international signing bonus in a Dominican teenager who is the nephew of a Hall of Famer and cousin of one of the game’s most prodigious power hitters. The Pirates agreed Thursday to sign 16-year-old shortstop Wilton Guerrero Jr. for $1.95 million, as the top-20...
