Pirates/MLB category, Page 266
Tim Benz: Bryan Reynolds’ tools are fixing 2 Pirates trades at once
The defense of the Chris Archer trade always has been, and always will be, its intent. It was a rare moment the Pirates went for it. A rare instance when they sacrificed prospects to get an established veteran, with a willingness to absorb salary in the process. Criticism of that...
First Call: Pirates’ 1st-round pick Quinn Priester has ‘highest ceiling’
Tuesday’s “First Call” some high praise for the Pirates’ first-round draft pick, an injury to Andrew McCutchen and a lucky break for the Steelers. Mighty Quinn? The Pirates are getting high praise for their first-round pick. It’s right-handed high school pitcher Quinn Priester from Illinois. On MLB network, Jim Callis...
Kevin Gorman’s Take 5: Did Pirates pick right player in prep pitcher Quinn Priester?
Neal Huntington might have foreshadowed the Pittsburgh Pirates’ first-round draft pick when he cited an old baseball adage Sunday on his weekly radio show. The right high school player gets to the majors faster than the wrong college player. The Pirates had strong ties to both in Monday’s MLB Draft,...
Pirates minor league report: June 3, 2019
Pirates INDIANAPOLIS (Triple-A, 32-22) won 7-6 in 10 innings against Louisville (Reds). The Indians scored the tying run in the top of the ninth inning. 2B Jake Elmore (.388) doubled to center field, scoring LF Pablo Reyes (.214) to tie the score 6-6 in the ninth. CF Jason Martin (.248)...
Pirates draft high school pitcher Quinn Priester in 1st round
a The first words out of Quinn Priester’s mouth Monday night when he talked with reporters on a conference call was an apology. “I’m a little hoarse,” he said not long after the Pittsburgh Pirates made the 18-year-old right-handed pitcher a first-round pick (18th overall) in the MLB Draft. He...
Pirates’ Josh Bell named National League player of the month
Josh Bell, whose monumental and historic home runs are turning him into the face of the Pittsburgh Pirates franchise, was named Monday as the National League player of the month. Bell, 26, led the Major Leagues with 46 hits and 31 RBIs in May, but five of his 12 home...
Draft day ‘nerve-racking,’ even for 1st-round picks like Pirates’ Cole Tucker
With “hundreds of people” gathered around the television, Cole Tucker and his family just wanted to go somewhere quiet. It was MLB Draft day in 2014, and with the Los Angeles Dodgers on the clock at No. 22, Tucker’s agent had just called with the news. “Hey, man, it’s happening....
If Pirates’ Josh Bell skips HR Derby, Neal Huntington wouldn’t protest
When Josh Bell was asked Sunday whether he will enter the Home Run Derby, he smiled and said “maybe.” Neal Huntington wouldn’t have been upset if Bell’s answer was “no.” The Pittsburgh Pirates slugger, the National League Player of the Month for May, appears to be a lock to receive...
Pirates’ Josh Bell plans to unplug on his day off after historic month
After Josh Bell played 27 games in 27 days, don’t expect to see him at PNC Park on Monday. The Pittsburgh Pirates are off, and Bell plans to go out and do — of all things — some costume shopping for an upcoming road trip. “I’m definitely not coming to...
Pirates notebook: Neal Huntington doesn’t like pitchers in draft
Neal Huntington lamented the unfortunate reality of the MLB Draft. “There doesn’t seem to be a ton (of pitchers),” the Pittsburgh Pirates general manager said Sunday on 93.7 FM. The draft begins at 7 p.m. Monday — there will be 78 players drafted — and continues through 40 rounds before...
Pirates fall 5 games behind Brewers after home loss
Jordan Lyles was one-on-one with 27 Milwaukee Brewers batters Sunday at PNC Park, and he handled 18 of them without a problem. But teams are judged on victories and defeats, and that’s why his first outing since leaving the game in Cincinnati last Tuesday with a hamstring strain wasn’t good...
Kevin Gorman: Will MLB draft yield an Andrew McCutchen or Bryan Bullington for Pirates?
Once upon a time, I considered myself something of a draft junkie, tracking and charting every pick of the NFL and NBA drafts long before it was my job to do so. But the MLB draft doesn’t have the same cachet, as it involves a mix of high school and...
Pirates minor league report: June 1, 2019
Pirates INDIANAPOLIS (Triple-A, 31-21) lost 7-6 in 10 innings against Gwinnett (Braves). The Indians scored once in the bottom of the 10th after giving up two runs but couldn’t complete the extra-inning comeback. SS Jung-Ho Kang went 3 for 4 with a double, a walk and a strikeout. LF Corey...
Pirates lose 13-inning home-run fest against Brewers
They overcame an early five-run deficit and took the lead from down two runs in the eighth inning. But that only made Saturday that much tougher to swallow for the Pittsburgh Pirates. Orlando Arcia hit his second homer of the game in the 13th inning, and the Milwaukee Brewers beat...
Kentucky basketball coach, Moon native John Calipari a guest at Pirates game Saturday
John Calipari regularly makes an annual stop at Pittsburgh Steelers training camp, and he’s developed a friendship with Steelers coach Mike Tomlin. The same can be said of the Pittsburgh Pirates and Clint Hurdle. Calipari, the University of Kentucky basketball coach, attended Saturday’s Pirates game against the Milwaukee Brewers at...
Early MVP candidate Josh Bell plays in 507 of Pirates’ first 510 innings
There are plenty of reasons why Josh Bell has been one of the best players in the majors over the past month. But as the saying goes, sometimes the best ability is availability. And no one has been more available than Bell. Heading into Saturday’s game, the Pittsburgh Pirates had...
Pirates rank among best in NL in most pinch-hitting stats
Seventy-seven times during his decade-long MLB career, Clint Hurdle pinch hit. His .243 average during those at-bats translates into simple advice to his players. “My expectations,” the Pittsburgh Pirates manager said, “are to let them know that they can’t do bad.” The Pirates are doing anything but bad when pinch...
Pirates shut down ailing reliever Keone Kela for 10 days
Keone Kela felt fine after his most recent rehab appearance, and the Pittsburgh Pirates medical team was ready to plot its next move for getting the reliever back on the active roster. But after a couple of days of long toss followed by a bullpen session Thursday, it became apparent...
Kevin Gorman’s Take 5: Chris Archer deserved standing O for slinging arrowsVideo
The first play of Chris Archer’s start saw shortstop Kevin Newman make a backhand stab and jump-throw that saw Josh Bell stretch into a split to get Lorenzo Cain out at first. Seven innings later, Gregory Polanco made a sliding catch of a Lorenzo Cain pop fly in right field,...
Pirates minor league report for May 31, 2019
INDIANAPOLIS (Triple-A, 31-20) won 4-1 over Gwinnett (Braves). The Indians broke a 1-1 tie with three runs in the sixth inning, and RF J.B. Shuck (.371) grounded into a RBI fielder’s choice for the winning run. C Christian Kelley (.203) followed with a two-run single. LHP Sean Keselica (1-2, 4.50)...
Chris Archer shakes slump, pitches Pirates to 9-4 victory
By his estimation, Chris Archer has thrown “thousands and thousands” of pitches in his 196 major-league starts. Hard to believe, but the first one he threw Friday night at PNC Park stands out among most of the rest. At least, it did while Archer was leading the Pittsburgh Pirates to...
Pirates shut down Keone Kela for at least 10 days
Relief pitcher Keone Kela’s troubled season continued Friday when he returned from his rehab assignment in Triple-A Indianapolis with recurrent shoulder discomfort. The Pittsburgh Pirates announced that Kela will be shut down from throwing for about 10 days. He has been on the injured list retroactive to May 6. Kela...
Pirates’ Clint Hurdle believes Josh Bell won’t mishandle fame
While Josh Bell finds himself in demand all over the major leagues, Clint Hurdle doesn’t believe the fame will negatively impact his slugging first baseman. “We’ve had a couple conversations along the way,” the Pittsburgh Pirates manager said. Hurdle told Bell, “Let’s continue to revisit what got you here and...
MLB, Pirates weigh fan safety in wake of foul ball incident in Houston
The Pittsburgh Pirates were among the first MLB teams to expand netting to the far end of each dugout at PNC Park to protect fans. The Houston Astros did the same at Minute Maid Park, but Wednesday night that turned out to be not far enough. A 4-year-old girl, seated...
First Call: Reds fans go after John Wehner after Derek Dietrich comments
In “First Call” Friday, Reds fans attack John Wehner. Le’Veon Bell and Odell Beckham Jr. are taking heat for skipping practices. Problems for a few former Pirates. Now it’s on! Pirates broadcaster John Wehner made headlines this week when he shamed Reds player Derek Dietrich for showboating his home runs...
