Pirates/MLB category, Page 240
Pittsburgh sports teams hope 2020 won’t be another injury-filled yearVideo
As the calendar flipped to 2020, the happiest people in Pittsburgh were likely the players, coaches and fans of the Steel City’s professional sports teams. A spate of injuries to high-profile athletes across all sports in 2019, including some of the most recognizable names in pro football, baseball and hockey,...
New Pirates coach Tarrik Brock to prioritize baserunning
Bad baserunning seemingly has become an epidemic around the major leagues. Rarely does a game go by without an egregious baserunning error. The lack of acumen players sometimes show can be galling, especially to traditionalists. However, Tarrik Brock isn’t ready to say baserunning is a lost art. In fact, it...
Pirates World Series hero Hal Smith dies at age 89
Former Pirates catcher Hal Smith, whose eighth-inning home run in Game 7 of the 1960 World Series made Bill Mazeroski’s heroics possible an inning later, died at the age of 89 Thursday in Columbus, Texas. With the Pirates trailing 7-6 with two outs in the eighth, Smith hit a three-run...
Pirates avoid arbitration with Josh Bell; All-Star lands big raise
Josh Bell followed an All-Star season with a big bump in pay. The Pittsburgh Pirates first baseman agreed to a $4.8-million contract Friday for the upcoming season. That represents an 817% increase over his $587,000 salary of last year. Spurring Bell’s salary growth is the fact he had the necessary...
Pirates sign catcher John Ryan Murphy to minor-league contract
The catcher’s position was an offseason concern for the Pittsburgh Pirates, especially after they decided not to bring back Elias Diaz. The new management team addressed that personnel shortage by signing two free-agent catchers, including the most recent addition, John Ryan Murphy, 28. He signed a minor-league contract and will...
Pirates sign former Tampa Bay outfielder Guillermo Heredia
The Pittsburgh Pirates started shoring up their outfield depth Thursday — and perhaps preparing for a trade of center fielder Starling Marte — when they signed light-hitting Guillermo Heredia to a one-year contract. General manager Ben Cherington announced the signing Thursday evening. Heredia, a four-year veteran who will turn 29...
Pirates pitcher Trevor Williams and wife, Jackie, welcome baby boy
Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Trevor Williams and his wife, Jackie, welcomed a new addition to their family Tuesday, baby boy Jude Michael. He will be the brother to Isaac and JoJo. The family will have two toddlers in the house as JoJo was born and adopted by the family last year....
Pirates name former Tigers minor-league manager Mike Rabelo assistant hitting coach
The Pittsburgh Pirates made the final appointment to their coaching staff Tuesday when general manager Ben Cherington named Mike Rabelo assistant hitting coach. Rabelo, 39, was a manager in the Detroit Tigers’ farm system for six seasons, most recently with the Double-A Erie SeaWolves in 2019. He led the SeaWolves...
Pirates still looking to add depth at catcher as activity figures to pick up post-holidays
Spring training is five weeks away. Pittsburgh Pirates pitchers and catchers will begin undergoing physical examinations Feb. 10 at Pirate City. Baseball front offices come back from their de facto holiday break Monday, and things should heat back up on the transaction front. Of course, there hasn’t been much warmth...
Top 5 stories in Pittsburgh sports in 2019
Much like a year ago, the 2019 Steelers season ended in disappointment when the team fell short of reaching the playoffs. Also like 2018, the past year was filled with captivating storylines in Pittsburgh sports. Here’s a few of the most memorable: 1. Quarterback carousel Life without Ben Roethlisberger was...
Maria and Andrew McCutchen announce birth of 2nd son
Andrew McCutchen and his wife, Maria, welcomed their second child, Armani X McCutchen, on Christmas Eve. The former Pittsburgh Pirates All-Star shared a link to Maria’s Instagram page which announced the baby’s birth. “Armani X McCutchen Born on Christmas Eve.” she shared on the post. “The X signifies 10 years...
From McCutchen to Iwamura, best and worst Pirates of the decade
The 2010s were filled with ups and down for the Pittsburgh Pirates. They bookended the decade with last-place finishes, going 57-105 in 2010 and 69-93 in ‘19. Those awful seasons brought the end of the managerial tenures of John Russell and Clint Hurdle. General manager Neal Huntington was also axed...
Pirates, other NL Central teams quiet so far this offseason
Ben Cherington has the reputation of being deliberate with his decisions. He has lived up to that during his first six weeks as the Pittsburgh Pirates’ general manager. Cherington has made just two player moves of note. Catcher Elias Diaz was for designated for assignment, and catcher Luke Maile was...
Pirates add Glenn Sherlock to coaching staff
Glenn Sherlock, a 35-year veteran in professional baseball, will join the Pittsburgh Pirates coaching staff, the organization announced Monday. Sherlock’s primary focus will be run prevention and coaching the team’s catchers. He also will assist manager Derek Shelton and bench coach Don Kelly with game preparation and management. Sherlock, 59,...
Pirates will look to upgrade offense that struggled to score runs last season
The 2019 Pittsburgh Pirates provided a fine example of new-age baseball thinking that batting average is an overrated statistic. The Pirates hit .265, which was sixth in the major leagues. Yet they had a 69-93 record and finished last in the National League Central for the first time since 2010....
Pirates hire Tarrik Brock as new 1st base coach
Pittsburgh Pirates manager Derek Shelton filled another vacancy on his coaching staff Friday, as the team announced the hiring of Tarrik Brock as its new first base coach. Brock, 45, has been minor league outfier/baserunning coordinator for the Los Angeles Dodgers for the past three seasons. Before that, he was...
VideoChart: The highest-paid Pirates playersVideo
This offseason, former Pirates pitcher Gerrit Cole inked a $324 million contract with the New York Yankees. Here’s a VideoChart of the players with the highest-career earnings while a member of the Pittsburgh Pirates. Want to see more animated stats? Check out all of our VideoCharts here....
Mark Madden: Pirates signing catcher Luke Maile signifies rebranding, not rebuilding
The Pirates signed catcher Luke Maile. He hit .151 with Toronto last season. His career batting average is .198. Gee, how can you not get excited? The new Pirates management effectively has batted its eyes at the local stooge media, because we keep reading/hearing about Maile’s defensive acumen, particularly his...
Pirates sign four minor league free agents
The Pirates have agreed to terms on minor league contracts with an infielder, an outfielder and two pitchers and given them non-roster invitations to spring training, the team announced Tuesday. Right-handed pitcher Hector Noesi has the most big league experience, going 12-34 with a 5.51 ERA in 119 appearances with...
Oscar Marin ‘super excited’ for opportunity to coach Pirates pitchers
Oscar Marin, even during a phone call from another country, made it clear how enthusiastic he is to join the Pittsburgh Pirates. The team announced Marin’s hiring as pitching coach Tuesday, a day after news broke the Texas Rangers bullpen coach was tabbed to replace Ray Searage. The Pirates also...
Pirates officially tab Oscar Marin as pitching coach
Oscar Marin, who has been a pitching instructor at many levels since 2010, was officially named Pittsburgh Pirates pitching coach Tuesday morning by general manager Ben Cherington. Marin, 37, spent last season as the bullpen coach with the Texas Rangers. He served the Seattle Mariners in 2017 and 2018 as...
Tim Benz: Pirates need to let manager Derek Shelton truly be in charge
A frequent criticism of the Pittsburgh Pirates in recent years has been that the franchise employed one of the most expensive managers in Major League Baseball but had one of the lowest payrolls. In August 2018, USA Today published a deep dive into why managerial contracts were dipping. Clint Hurdle’s...
Sources: Pirates to hire Oscar Marin as pitching coach
The trend in the major leagues recently has been for teams to hire pitching coaches with varied backgrounds who haven’t necessarily played professional baseball. That fits the description of Oscar Marin, whom the Pirates will hire as their pitching coach. Two baseball sources confirmed to the Tribune-Review on Monday that...
Pirates sign catcher Luke Maile
The Pirates added a player at a position of desperate need Monday, signing free agent catcher Luke Maile to a one-year major league contract. Maile, 28, is known as a strong defensive catcher who hasn’t hit much in parts of five big league seasons. For his career, he’s a .198...
Pirates’ Gregory Polanco will be OK for spring training, but shoulder will need monitoring
Pittsburgh Pirates right fielder Gregory Polanco’s extended recovery from shoulder surgery continues, but he should have no restrictions when he reports to spring training. But that doesn’t mean his shoulder problems are finished. Todd Tomczyk, the Pirates’ director of sports medicine, said Polanco’s shoulder will require regular management, possibly including...
