Pirates/MLB category, Page 283
Kevin Gorman: Pirates feel ‘something special’ but better have a Plan BVideo
BRADENTON, Fla. The first practice for Pittsburgh Pirates pitchers and catchers was forced indoors by rain, but the cool temperatures and overcast skies didn’t dampen Clint Hurdle’s spirit. “It’s a good first day,” Hurdle said Wednesday at Pirate City. “We got the audible early from Plan A and went to...
Pirates GM says Francisco Liriano, Melky Cabrera ‘have a legitimate opportunity to make our club’Video
BRADENTON, Fla. – Pittsburgh Pirates general manager Neal Huntington insisted that pitcher Francisco Liriano and outfielder Melky Cabrera are both “still quality major-league players.” “They both have a legitimate opportunity to make our club and help our club be better,” Huntington said Wednesday, the first day of practice for pitchers...
Pirates manager Clint Hurdle has ‘a feeling we’re about to do something special’Video
BRADENTON, Fla. – Clint Hurdle kept his first message to Pittsburgh Pirates pitchers and catchers brief on Wednesday at Pirate City, given that the full squad will meet again in a handful of days. But Hurdle said he reinforced the belief that baseball leans heavily upon pitching, one of the...
Pirates offering $10 tickets to students
In an effort to get people in the seats, the Pittsburgh Pirates have introduced ticket promotions to entice fans or people just wanting to take in a day at the ballpark. To get students to come to games, the team is offering $10 seats in the upper bleacher section for...
Felipe Vazquez excited to be stopper on a Pirates bullpen that is ‘locked up’Video
BRADENTON, Fla. – When Felipe Vazquez looks around the Pirate City clubhouse and sees Richard Rodriguez, Kyle Crick and Keone Kela, the Pittsburgh Pirates closer thinks back to spring training last year. Only Vazquez began the 2018 season on the Pirates’ Opening Day roster and with a defined spot in...
Kevin Gorman: Pirates’ Francisco Cervelli coming off season worth repeatingVideo
BRADENTON, Fla. Francisco Cervelli’s eyes lit up in response to a tongue-in-cheek question Tuesday asking the Pittsburgh Pirates catcher about being an established home-run hitter. “Wow! I love that question,” Cervelli said, breaking into a big smile. “Can you say it again, please?” Cervelli, fresh off a career-best 12-homer season...
Francisco Cervelli talks trade rumors, concussions and playing catcher for PiratesVideo
BRADENTON, Fla. – Francisco Cervelli was not surprised to hear his name connected to trade rumors, but the veteran catcher made it clear that he wishes to remain with the Pittsburgh Pirates. “The way baseball is now, nothing surprises me,” Cervelli said Tuesday at Pirate City. “I’m here now. I’ve...
Kevin Gorman’s Take 5: Francisco Liriano could help fill a veteran leadership voidVideo
BRADENTON, Fla. — It was no coincidence that Francisco Liriano had a corner locker waiting for him inside the clubhouse Monday at Pirate City, in the same spot where Ivan Nova once resided. Where Pittsburgh Pirates fans bemoaned the trade that sent Liriano to Toronto – along with two top-10...
Francisco Liriano hopes to make more good memories pitching for PiratesVideo
BRADENTON, Fla. — Francisco Liriano never imagined he would return to the Pittsburgh Pirates after they dealt him and two prospects to Toronto at the 2016 trade deadline in a salary dump. “To be honest, no,” Liriano said, “but … baseball is crazy.” Liriano signed a minor-league contract with the...
Pirates outfielder Gregory Polanco is step closer to recovering from shoulder surgeryVideo
BRADENTON, Fla. — For Gregory Polanco to take a step closer to a comeback from shoulder surgery, it required his target to take more than a dozen steps backward. The Pittsburgh Pirates rightfielder stretched out his left arm by throwing the longest distance of his rehabilitation, estimating that he soft-tossed...
Pirates pitcher Chris Archer starting slowly but plans to be ready for seasonVideo
BRADENTON, Fla. – Don’t call it a rehab. Chris Archer has been here for weeks. That was the message from the Pittsburgh Pirates right-hander Monday, when pitchers and catchers reported to Pirate City. Archer had surgery in late November to repair a bilateral hernia, and is long past his expected...
Country music legend Garth Brooks pitch perfect with Pirates in spring trainingVideo
BRADENTON, Fla. — Corey Dickerson didn’t recognize the newcomer taking batting practice right away Monday at Pirate City but the Gold Glove winner didn’t mind sharing space with him in left field. Country music legend Garth Brooks, the first artist to have seven albums reach diamond status in the U.S.,...
Corey Dickerson excited to show off Gold Glove in left field for PiratesVideo
Corey Dickerson showed off his new Gold Glove on social media this offseason, but the Pirates left fielder said he is still in the process of breaking in his new mitt with the Rawlings signature patch. “It’s in a good place,” Dickerson said last month at PiratesFest at PNC Park....
Kevin Gorman’s Take 5: Will Pirates make more moves after signing Melky Cabrera?
Neal Huntington refused to tip his hand, but the Pittsburgh Pirates general manager last month sounded like someone who wasn’t quite finished putting together the team’s roster for this season. “We are open to adding, if it makes sense,” Huntington said at PiratesFest at PNC Park, noting that the Pirates...
‘Scary’ pitching staff offers hope for Pirates this season
Clint Hurdle referenced the baseball axiom that arguably is the oldest in a sport that has no shortage of them. Good pitching will beat good hitting. “Over 140 years of baseball,” Hurdle said at PiratesFest late last month. The Pittsburgh Pirates are hoping that cliché proves true in 2019 because...
Pirates add outfield depth by signing Melky Cabrera to minor-league deal
The Pittsburgh Pirates are adding outfield depth by signing 14-year veteran Melky Cabrera to a minor-league contract with an invitation to spring training, as first reported on Sunday by The Athletic. Cabrera, 34, is a switch hitter who slashed .280/.335/.420 with six home runs and 39 RBI last season with...
Taillon hopes development of slider takes him to next level
Clint Hurdle wasn’t sure what was more powerful: the slider Jameson Taillon wanted to add to his arsenal or his determination to use it. But, in Hurdle’s eyes, the mindset as much as the right arm is what makes Taillon one of the top pitchers in the National League. About...
5 things to watch at Pirates spring training
An optimist would point out the Pittsburgh Pirates are coming off a season in which just six National League teams had better records. But in a town in which the World Series drought reaches four decades this year, cynicism reigns — so it’s probably more appropriate to say just five...
Clint Hurdle confident Pirates lineup ready for power move
Clint Hurdle smiled. After 16 seasons as a major league manager, he is at ease in addressing tough questions. Plus, he just faced a group of inquiring season-ticket holders, so Hurdle expected the gathered media at PiratesFest to ask him about the Pittsburgh Pirates’ lack of power. “It’s a great...
Lonnie Chisenhall notes similarities between Pirates, perennially playoff-bound Indians
When Lonnie Chisenhall made his major-league debut in 2011, the Cleveland Indians were on the verge of following up two losing seasons with one in which they won 80 games. He’s recently joined the Pittsburgh Pirates under similar circumstances: the Pirates just followed up two losing seasons by last year...
Nick Kingham recognizes his career with the Pirates is at a crossroads
Nick Kingham leaned back against a chair in a PNC Park dining area, at ease in chatting with a handful of reporters at PiratesFest late last month. “I love this right now,” Kingham said of relaxed conversation with a group of people who ranged between casual acquaintance to total stranger....
Jung Ho Kang among 3 Pirates players to watch during spring training
Looking at the Pittsburgh Pirates spring training roster, it is likely 20 or more of the players who are there for Opening Day will be holdovers from last season. As such, Pirates fans figure to be familiar with the 2019 roster. That does not mean there won’t be any intrigue...
Pirates sign injured veteran RHP Tom Koehler
The Pittsburgh Pirates agreed to terms on a minor league contract with former Marlins starter Tom Koehler on Wednesday. The right-hander will report to minor-league camp and spend most of the 2019 season continuing rehab from surgery on right shoulder last summer. Koehler, 32, had a 4.39 ERA in 161...
Pirates sign veteran utility infielder Nick Franklin to minor-league deal
The Pittsburgh Pirates signed veteran utility infielder Nick Franklin to a minor-league contract Wednesday, adding another bench option to their spring-training roster. A former first-round pick, the 27-year-old Franklin has appeared in 301 major-league games for four teams over the past six seasons. He’s played at least an inning at...
Pirates’ Corey Dickerson optimistic entering ‘contract year’
During this month last year, Corey Dickerson was joining his third team over a span of 37 months. As he enters his final season before hitting free agency, it’s very possible – likely, even – that Dickerson will be on a fourth team in five years by this point next...
