Pirates/MLB category, Page 287
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...
Pirates gear headed to Bradenton for spring trainingVideo
It wasn’t only the balmy temperatures that made it feel a little like spring this morning. Pittsburgh Pirates clubhouse staff and workers from Recker Transfer began around 7 a.m. at PNC Park loading equipment and other items onto a truck bound for Bradenton, Fla., for the start of spring training....
Once again, Pirates’ Opening Day outfield will change
The Pittsburgh Pirates have used 18 Opening Day outfield alignments over the 19 seasons since the turn of the century. An injury will force them to make it 19 combinations in 20 years. With Gregory Polanco expected to miss the first one to two months of the season as he...
Pirates bring back Francisco Liriano on a minor-league deal
Francisco Liriano, who had the best season of his 13-year career with the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2013, returned to the team Monday. At least, he’ll be with the Pirates at spring training in Bradenton, Fla., trying to win a spot in the starting rotation or bullpen. He signed a minor-league...
Steven Brault back in familiar spot: competing for fifth starter in Pirates’ rotation
Groundhog Day was Saturday. But Steven Brault can relate to Bill Murray’s iconic Phil Connors character every time he reports to Bradenton, Fla., in the spring. If the Pittsburgh Pirates are preparing for a season, it must mean Brault is competing for a spot at the back end of their...
Pirates legend Bob Friend dies at 88
Bob Friend, who spent 15 seasons as one of the Pittsburgh Pirates’ most durable pitchers, died Sunday in Pittsburgh, team president Frank Coonelly announced. Friend was 88. Friend holds the franchise record for career innings pitched (3,481), starts (477) and strikeouts (1,682). He pitched in 568 games, earned a berth...
Pirates lineup gets jolt from ex-Indians Lonnie Chisenhall, Erik Gonzalez
Twenty-two percent of the Pittsburgh Pirates’ 2019 projected opening day lineup was imported during the offseason down Interstate 76. Barring injury or an unexpected spring roster move, Lonnie Chisenhall and Erik Gonzalez are expected to be the names manager Clint Hurdle writes in at right field and shortstop, respectively, when...
Pirates prospect Cole Tucker could add flavor to infield
With his bushy hair, wide smile and gregarious personality, no one would describe Pittsburgh Pirates shortstop prospect Cole Tucker as vanilla. “I’m not that vanilla,” Tucker said at PiratesFest last week. “I’ve got some sprinkles in my game.” Tucker, though, considers “vanilla” a compliment. After all, two of his role...
Pirates want new hitting coaches to ‘recalibrate’ offensive philosophy
The Pittsburgh Pirates exceeded most expectations in 2018, but within 24 hours of the season’s completion they fired both of their hitting coaches. The result of an offense that ranked 20th in the majors in runs, 25th in home runs and in the bottom half of MLB in slugging percentage,...
Pirates expect better Kevin Newman for spring training
Kevin Newman’s baptism into the majors was less than inspiring for fans of the Pittsburgh Pirates. After fans watched Newman post a .209 average and .478 OPS with 23 strikeouts, no stolen bases and underwhelming defense in 31 games over seven weeks, many wondered if he was just another overhyped...
