Pirates/MLB category, Page 199
GM Ben Cherington has transformed Pirates into top-10 farm system but ‘not satisfied at all’
Ben Cherington was adamant from his first day as general manager that his mission was to infuse the Pittsburgh Pirates with more talent, believing their minor leagues needed an overhaul. Where his trades of proven veterans Starling Marte, Josh Bell, Joe Musgrove and Jameson Taillon were viewed as a total...
Pirates middle infield prospects Nick Gonzales, Liover Peguero a ‘very talented odd couple’
Liover Peguero watched Ozzie Smith sprint onto the field, do a handspring followed by a back flip while playing for the St. Louis Cardinals. That’s when Peguero knew he wanted to play shortstop. “I used to be like, ‘Oh my God. I want to be like him,’” Peguero said. “I...
Todd Frazier opts out of contract with Pirates, elects free agency
Once expected to platoon at first base for the Pittsburgh Pirates, Todd Frazier instead exercised the opt-out clause of his minor league contract and elected free agency less than a week before the start of the season. Jon Heyman of MLB Network first reported the news. The 35-year-old Frazier, a...
Tyler Anderson stretched out but Derek Shelton mum on Pirates’ Opening Day starting pitcher
If Tyler Anderson is lined up to be the Opening Day starting pitcher for the Pittsburgh Pirates, Derek Shelton isn’t saying. When asked if he was ready to name his starter for the April 1 opener against the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field, the Pirates manager gave a quick “no”...
MLB 2021: NL Central team-by-team previewVideo
Capsules of National League Central teams, in order of finish last year: Chicago Cubs 2020: 34-26, first place, lost to Marlins in first round of playoffs. Manager: David Ross (second season). He’s Here: OF Joc Pederson, RHP Jake Arrieta, RHP Zach Davies, RHP Trevor Williams, RHP Brandon Workman, INF Eric...
Pirates’ Derek Shelton has ‘very challenging decision’ with starting shortstop
The Pittsburgh Pirates promised a competition for the starting job at shortstop and, after narrowing a three-way battle down to two players, Derek Shelton is days away from making a decision. Whether he selects Kevin Newman or Erik Gonzalez to be the starter, the Pirates manager has found both players...
Phillip Evans goes 4 for 5 to lead Pirates’ 16-hit effort in loss to Orioles
Six Pittsburgh Pirates had multiple hits as they rapped out 16 hits Thursday night against the Baltimore Orioles. Problem was, none of them were home runs. The Orioles built a big lead, thanks to three-run homers by Ryan Mountcastle and Austin Hays, and held on for a 10-9 win over...
Kevin Gorman’s Take 5: Position decisions looming for Pirates manager Derek Shelton
By putting the pitcher in the batting order for the first time in spring training, Derek Shelton gave his first glimpse of what an Opening Day lineup could like for the Pittsburgh Pirates. A week before the opener against the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field, the Pirates manager still has...
JT Brubaker throws 5 innings, Nick Gonzales homers as Pirates rally to beat Braves
On a day when the Pittsburgh Pirates lost one starting pitcher for at least the next two months, another came through with a performance that proved he is ready for a spot in the rotation. With lefty Steven Brault (left lat strain) out, right-hander JT Brubaker delivered the deepest outing...
Pirates option Cole Tucker in roster moves, turning shortstop job into 2-man race
The Pittsburgh Pirates’ shortstop competition became a two-man race when Cole Tucker was optioned Wednesday, leaving Erik Gonzalez and Kevin Newman left to fight for the starting job. Tucker, the Pirates’ 2014 first-round pick, had returned to the middle infield this spring after spending last season in the outfield for...
Pirates starting rotation suffers as lefty Steven Brault shut down for a month
In a blow to the Pittsburgh Pirates starting rotation, left-handed pitcher Steven Brault is being shut down for a month from throwing because of a “moderate” lat strain. Pirates director of sports medicine Todd Tomczyk said Wednesday morning that Brault could be out for at least 10 weeks before he...
Phillip Evans puts violent collision behind him, focuses on finding a role for Pirates
At the best time of his career came the worst moment, one Phillip Evans would rather not revisit. The Pittsburgh Pirates infielder can’t forget the collision that he didn’t see coming until it was too late. As Evans chased a pop fly into foul territory in shallow right field, he...
New pitchers shine as Adam Frazier homers, Pirates score a shutout over Twins
Derek Shelton loved everything about the way the Pittsburgh Pirates ended their Grapefruit League game against the Minnesota Twins, with three consecutive strikeouts to seal a shutout. What got a shout-out from the Pirates manager was the brevity of the 1-0 victory over the Twins on Tuesday afternoon at LECOM...
Pirates Rule 5 pick Luis Oviedo confident he can make leap from Class A to major leagues
Luis Oviedo can laugh now, but on that December day, it was mostly confusing. His agent called to tell the right-hander the New York Mets had selected him from the Cleveland Indians in the Rule 5 Draft, telling Oviedo he was free to contact family and share the news. “And...
Another ugly stat line for Mitch Keller, but this time Pirates see progress
The line in the box score for Mitch Keller’s fourth start of spring training wasn’t significantly better than it was for any of the previous three. Monday, eight of the 17 batters he faced reached base. But the precocious Pittsburgh Pirates right-hander and his manager insist that the 71-pitch outing...
Pirates knuckleballer Steven Wright unafraid to confront his ‘dark past’
Steven Wright can talk at great length about the knuckleball. • How he doesn’t recommend it for a young pitcher: “Ain’t nobody going out there trying to draft a knuckleball guy,” he said. • How it saved his career: “I was 26 years -old, in Double-A for the fifth year....
Jared Oliva, Edgar Santana among those removed from Pirates’ spring roster
After entering spring training viewed as sleepers for roles for the Pittsburgh Pirates’ regular-season roster, Jared Oliva and Edgar Santana were among those officially dropped from consideration Monday. Outfielder Oliva and right-hander Santana were optioned to the minor leagues and infielder Kevin Kramer and right-hander Shea Spitzbarth were reassigned to...
First Call: Was Philadelphia trying to sign JuJu Smith-Schuster or not?; Pirates said to have ‘top 10’ farm system
Monday’s “First Call” examines the alleged level of interest in Steelers receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster before he decided to stay in Pittsburgh. Specifically, from the Baltimore Ravens and Philadelphia Eagles. Alex Highsmith has a plan to replace Bud Dupree at outside linebacker. And at least one outlet seems to think that...
Wil Crowe focused on winning job on Pirates’ pitching staff
Wil Crowe didn’t mind talking baseball Sunday afternoon, but he preferred to keep the conversation focused on his outing against the Boston Red Sox. He was the starting pitcher in the Pittsburgh Pirates’ 9-4 victory at JetBlue Park in Fort Myers, Fla., working 3 2/3 innings and allowing one run,...
Pirates sign 36-year-old ex-Red Sox knuckleballer Steven Wright
The Pittsburgh Pirates took a low-risk chance on knuckleball pitcher Steven Wright on Sunday, signing him to a minor-league contract, with an invitation to big-league camp. It sounds like just another spring training transaction until you hear the rest of the story. Five years ago, Wright was considered a promising...
Hoping Kevin Newman’s hot bat is contagious, Cole Tucker triples in Pirates’ loss
In the thick of the shortstop competition with Kevin Newman and Erik Gonzalez, Cole Tucker has found Newman’s play to be infectious. Tucker is so convinced Newman’s hot bat can be contagious that he joked about following his Pittsburgh Pirates teammate around the cafeteria to see what he’s eating for...
Pirates hitting coach Rick Eckstein took 2020 woes personally, made Gregory Polanco a pet project
When the Pittsburgh Pirates finished last in the major leagues in on-base and slugging percentages and in the bottom five of most other major offensive categories, Rick Eckstein took it personally. How could he not? The Pirates finished with the worst record in baseball, had a pair of starting outfielders...
Steven Brault leaves after 2nd inning with left arm tightness as Pirates lose to Orioles
The alarming part for the Pittsburgh Pirates wasn’t that Steven Brault allowed allowed three hits, threw two wild pitches and hit a batter in the first two innings Friday night against the Baltimore Orioles. It was that the left-hander threw only 33 pitches in his fourth start before he was...
Adjustments have Pirates infielders Adam Frazier, Kevin Newman swinging with success
Start with the premise that spring training statistics are meaningless and don’t translate to the regular season, that a hot start is more symbolic of hitters being ahead of pitchers who are fine-tuning a grip or delivery. Then consider that batters also have spent the offseason working on their stance...
How Chase De Jong’s comeback has made him the Pirates’ best storyline of spring training
After some serious soul searching, Chase De Jong decided he wasn’t ready to quit baseball. But he had nowhere to train, and no one to train with. That brought about a my-way-or-the-highway moment. The Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher’s way hadn’t worked. De Jong had gone from second-round draft pick by the...
