Pirates/MLB category, Page 237
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...
Tim Benz: Ex-Pirate Charlie Morton accepts scorn for Astros’ cheating. More need to do the same.
In the wake of the Houston Astros sign-stealing scandal, one player I’ve been anxiously waiting to hear from is Charlie Morton. After his stint in Pittsburgh, Morton was traded to Philadelphia then to Houston where he ended up winning Game 7 of the 2017 World Series. It is that 2017...
John Steigerwald: Small-market teams should steal Astros’ tactics
Spare me the outrage. People in and out of MLB are being whipped into a frenzy again over the Houston Astros’ stealing signs on their way to a 2017 World Series win. Jared Diamond of the Wall Street Journal reported this week MLB’s claim the plan was “entirely player-driven” is...
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...
Changes to Pirates pitching staff could take time
The question didn’t require an immediate answer, but Derek Shelton had one ready. “Who’s your opening day starter?” the Pittsburgh Pirates’ first-year manager was asked at PiratesFest, two months and two days before the season begins March 26 in Tampa. Shelton’s answer: “You got an opinion?” Everyone does, of course,...
Outlook for every attendee at Pirates spring training 2020
Outlook for every attendee at Pirates spring training 2020: Note: Format is uniform number, player name, age, bats/throws, height/weight, MLB seasons, how acquired Infielders— 55 Josh Bell, 27, S/R, 6-4/250, 4, 2nd rd pick 2011 draft Bell was challenging Babe Ruth records his first two months of 2019; he cooled...
4 position players on the bubble as Pirates spring training opensVideo
Selection Sunday remains five weeks away. But that doesn’t mean that talk of the “bubble” hasn’t started already, nor does it have to be limited to college basketball. A week before Pittsburgh Pirates pitchers and catchers were required to report to spring training, here are four position players who enter...
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...
4 pitchers on the bubble as Pirates spring training opensVideo
Selection Sunday remains five weeks away. But that doesn’t mean talk of the “bubble” hasn’t started, nor does it have to be limited to college basketball. On the eve of Pittsburgh Pirates pitchers and catchers reporting to spring training, here are four pitchers who enter it on a proverbial bubble...
Pirates hope post-surgical Gregory Polanco can be big part of reshaped outfield
Two seasons ago, the Pittsburgh Pirates had an outfield of Corey Dickerson, Starling Marte and Gregory Polanco — all on the under side of 30 with specific, serviceable skill sets. • Dickerson, the left fielder, was on his way to a .300 season. • Marte ended 2018 with an impressive...
Pirates infield shows promise, but with lots of room to grow
All you need to know about Ben Cherington’s and Derek Shelton’s expectations for the Pittsburgh Pirates is the team’s second-most-productive run producer doesn’t have a lock on his job. Chances are, Colin Moran will be difficult to unseat at third base (at least early in the season). He hit .277...
Pirates pitcher Chris Archer chops dreads for clean-cut lookVideo
Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Chris Archer cleaned up a bit before the start of spring training — he cut his dreads for a more clean-cut look. Archer posted a short video and two photos of his new look to his Instagram page on Wednesday. “Shout out to everyone who supported my...
U mad, bro? Pittsburgh fans jump on Hall of Fame voting, Penguins’ trade talk, Pirates roster
If nothing else, our readers show their great emotional range in this week’s “U mad, bro?” They are angry over Hall of Fame snubs. They are angry over Hall of Fame snubbers. They are angry at the idea of the Pirates trading away veteran talent. They are angry at the...
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...
Pirates’ pitcher Steven Brault takes center stage with Pittsburgh SymphonyVideo
Which is more nerve-wracking: taking the mound at PNC Park or the stage in Heinz Hall? For Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Steven Brault, both are more exciting than anxiety-producing. A vocal performance major in college, Brault will sing two numbers with the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra during “Blockbuster Broadway!” performances Feb. 7-9...
Pirates catcher Jacob Stallings earns trust of teammates in seizing No. 1 roleVideo
His affable father, fair or not, was not necessarily one of the more popular figures in Pittsburgh sports. But the just-as-genial Jacob Stallings, undoubtedly, is one the most popular players among his Pittsburgh Pirates teammates. Less than two years after Kevin Stallings was let go by Pitt following a winless...
Pirates’ Kevin Kramer motivated by daughter’s birth
If Kevin Kramer was a shallow thinker without much ambition, he might have welcomed MLB’s roster expansion from 25 to 26 players. He might have seen it as an easier way to sneak onto the Pittsburgh Pirates’ 2020 roster. But Kramer, 26, responded to a question about 26-man rosters with...
Tim Benz: Pirates’ Josh Bell thinks he knows why his hot start faded in 2019
Pirates first baseman Josh Bell has an interesting philosophy on his swing. It’ll be worth tracking as this season progresses for him in Pittsburgh. Well, unless he gets traded for two prospects that are barely old enough to shave, as was the case for Starling Marte last week. Bell is...
New Pirates OF Guillermo Heredia provides much-needed positivityVideo
Through the words and actions of their management team since Guillermo Heredia was signed as a free agent early last month, the Pittsburgh Pirates have made it clear they do not expect Heredia to be an everyday outfielder. A glance at his career offensive statistics (.240 average, .659 OPS, 17...
Pirates outfielder Bryan Reynolds: A tough out everywhere he goesVideo
The words did come out of Bryan Reynolds mouth. A quick review of his interview at PirateFest confirmed it. “Pitchers have been trying to get me out for a long time,” he said. That’s what the Pirates’ second-year outfielder said. But before anyone accuses Reynolds of pumping out his chest...
New-look Chad Kuhl prepares for return to Pirates
The first glimpse Pittsburgh Pirates fans and observers get of Chad Kuhl this spring could cause a double-take. Kuhl said he will have a different look in his comeback from Tommy John surgery. The 27-year-old righty has not pitched in a game since June 2018 but is on track to...
