Pirates/MLB category, Page 243
Kevin Gorman: Derek Shelton receives endorsement from Pirates legendVideo
Not long after being hired as manager of the Pittsburgh Pirates, Derek Shelton was having dinner with his wife, Alison, and some friends in Florida when he received a phone call. Shelton didn’t recognize the number but answered anyway, leaving the table for the conversation. The way his face lit...
New Pirates manager Derek Shelton unafraid of fans’ expectationsVideo
When Derek Shelton was a college and minor league catcher, he was not afraid of home-plate collisions. So handling Pittsburgh Pirates fans’ dissatisfaction with the recent past is an issue he said he’s willing to confront. Shelton, 49, was introduced Wednesday as the 41st manager in Pirates history, but the...
Pirates part ways with catcher Elias Diaz, sign Erik Gonzalez to 1-year deal
Elias Diaz once was considered the Pittsburgh Pirates’ catcher of the future. Now, he is in their past. The Pirates decided not to offer Diaz a contract Monday night rather than go to a potential arbitration hearing with him. The 29-year-old hit .241/.296/.307 with two home runs in 101 games...
Pirates to hire Blue Jays scouting director Steve Sanders to be assistant GM
New Pittsburgh Pirates general manager Ben Cherington has found his right-hand man. The Pirates announced Tuesday morning they hired Toronto Blue Jays amateur scouting director Steve Sanders as assistant GM. “Steve has significant experience in amateur and international scouting from his time with the Red Sox and Blue Jays,” Cherington...
Plenty of trade partners exist if Pirates choose to move Starling Marte
Starling Marte does not necessarily want out of Pittsburgh, but he made it clear this past week being traded from the Pirates wouldn’t be a bad thing. “If it was for me, I will leave for a team that is ready to compete right now on a World Series, and...
Pirates hope Derek Shelton can replicate success as minor league manager
Derek Shelton does not have much of a track record when it comes to managing. The Pittsburgh Pirates, however, might be on to something if their new manager can replicate his success in the minor leagues Shelton’s managerial experience consists of three seasons in the low minors when he was...
Pirates name Derek Shelton new manager
Derek Shelton was considered the favorite to land the Pittsburgh Pirates manager’s job when the search for Clint Hurdle’s successor began under former general manager Neal Huntington. Even though Huntington was fired Oct. 28 and replaced by Ben Cherington on Nov. 18, Shelton still emerged as the Pirates’ man and...
Pirates trade pitcher Dario Agrazal to Tigers
While it wasn’t a blockbuster, Ben Cherington made his first trade Monday as the Pittsburgh Pirates’ general manager. The Pirates dealt right-hander Dario Agrazal to the Detroit Tigers for cash considerations. Agrazal was designated for assignment last Wednesday. The trade came a week after Cherington was hired to succeed Neal...
Report: Matt Quartaro, Derek Shelton among favorites for Pirates manager job
Little news has come from the Pittsburgh Pirates’ restarted managerial search. However, ESPN reported Saturday a pair of bench coaches, the Tampa Bay Rays’ Matt Quartaro and Minnesota Twins’ Derek Shelton, have emerged as the favorites. A source confirmed to the Tribune-Review that Quartaro and Shelton are in the running...
Pirates affiliate 1 of 42 minor league teams in danger of being dropped
WASHINGTON — Nearly one-quarter of the members of the U.S. House of Representatives asked MLB to reconsider its proposal for a restructuring of the minor leagues after the 2020 season that would lead to 42 teams — including those in Erie, Williamsport, State College as well as the Pittsburgh Pirates’...
Pirates add top prospect Ke’Bryan Hayes to 40-man roster
Top prospect Ke’Bryan Hayes was one of five players added to the 40-man roster Wednesday by the Pittsburgh Pirates. The 22-year-old third baseman was joined by right-handers Blake Cederlind and Cody Ponce, first baseman Will Craig and shortstop ONeil Cruz. That prevents them from being selected in the Rule 5...
3 Pirates players GM Ben Cherington could trade before spring training
Actions rather than words eventually will tell whether the Pittsburgh Pirates rebuild, retool or re-something else under Ben Cherington. It would seem, at least on the surface, the Pirates are headed for a shakeup of some sort after a season in which they had a 69-93 record and finished last...
Red Sox writer shares what Pirates fans should know about Ben Cherington
If you are a Pirates fan looking for a guy to give you great background on the Boston Red Sox during Ben Cherington’s time there, check out Alex Speier. He has covered the Red Sox for 17 years. Speier currently works for the Boston Globe and NESN. He also wrote...
Why former Pirates star Andrew McCutchen stays involved with PittsburghVideo
On a dreary Tuesday, on the sixth floor of UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh, a roomful of young patients were busy working on a variety of different art projects. The children, inpatients at the hospital, visit regularly as part of what’s referred to as art therapy. The energy level in...
Pirates post opening for Pierogi jobVideo
Do you have what it takes to be a Pierogi? The Pittsburgh Pirates have put the call out for a new team member by posting a job listing: “2020 Pierogie.” (Of course, the misspelling leads us to wonder if they meant to write “Pierogies,” plural.) The team’s mascots are famous...
New Pirates GM Ben Cherington used professor stint to learn more about himself
Perhaps the new Pittsburgh Pirates general manager can be referred to as Professor Ben Cherington. After all, he is just a little over three years removed from being an adjunct professor at an Ivy League school. Cherington took time off from baseball after a four-year stint as the Boston Red...
Pirates pitcher Felipe Vazquez faces 21 new child sex-related chargesVideo
Prosecutors filed 21 new charges Tuesday against suspended Pittsburgh Pirates relief pitcher Felipe Vazquez after investigators found evidence of child pornography on devices they say he owned. Vazquez, 28, was ordered to stand trial Tuesday on 10 counts of child pornography, 10 counts of unlawful contact with a minor and...
Tim Benz: Breaking down Pirates GM Ben Cherington’s ties to Neal HuntingtonVideo
It could just be one of those “funny how things work out” stories. Or, it could make more sense than that. “He was someone who helped me get an interview for an internship with the Cleveland Indians in 1998,” new Pirates general manager Ben Cherington said of his predecessor Neal...
Kevin Gorman: New Pirates GM changes culture by refusing to sing small-market blues
That the Pittsburgh Pirates hired Ben Cherington as general manager made so much sense, as he has previous experience at the position and a World Series championship on his resume. Pirates chairman Bob Nutting and president Travis Williams took turns highlighting Cherington’s 1) track record of building a winner, 2)...
Bob Nutting says no one on Pirates is ‘untouchable’ for new GM Ben Cherington
Upon hiring Ben Cherington as general manager, Pirates chairman Bob Nutting gave him the green light to make whatever roster moves he deemed necessary to create a winning club. And no one is off limits. “I told Ben from the beginning that no one on the roster, no one in...
New GM Ben Cherington wants Pirates to ‘be competitive on a regular basis’Video
Ben Cherington knows about breaking curses. He was the assistant director of player development when the Boston Red Sox swept the St. Louis Cardinals in the 2004 World Series. That ended an 86-year title drought that stretched to 1918 and eradicated the so-called Curse of the Bambino. There is no...
Tim Benz, Mark Madden discuss Mason Rudolph vs. Myles Garrett, Colin Kaepernick, Ben Cherington
If you were on Twitter this weekend, it was a frustrating place to be. Nothing but people trying to soften Myles Garrett’s actions against the Steelers by way of blaming Mason Rudolph. And people pounding the Colin Kaepernick drum because he threw a nice deep ball or two against air...
Steve Blass remembers Vera Clemente for her charity work, continued love for Pittsburgh
When Steve Blass was pitching for the Pittsburgh Pirates, he had a vision of what teammate Roberto Clemente would do following his playing days. “I always thought Roberto would become the governor of Puerto Rico, and that Vera would make a great first lady,” Blass said. “He was that popular...
New Pirates GM Cherington gets endorsement from ex-Red Sox manager Farrell
The Pittsburgh Pirates have a strong endorsement of their new general manager from someone who knows him well. “You got a great guy there to run things in Pittsburgh,” John Farrell said of Ben Cherington. “I can’t say enough good things about him.” Cherington will be introduced Monday at a...
Vera Clemente, wife of former Pirates star outfielder, dies
Vera Clemente, the widow of former Pirates outfielder Roberto Clemente, died Saturday at age 78. “We are deeply saddened to learn of the passing of Vera Clemente, the widow of the great Roberto Clemente and a cherished member of the Pittsburgh Pirates and Major League Baseball family,” Pirates chairman of...
