BRADENTON, Fla. — The request for help came in the form of a phone call instead of a bat signal, but A.J. Burnett was ready to respond to the Pittsburgh Pirates in an instant.
Burnett said he was “thrilled” to receive an invitation from manager Don Kelly to visit Pirate City for spring training to serve as a mentor for a talented, young pitching staff during the first week of big league camp.
“Just what he meant to the City of Pittsburgh, to the Pirates and the resurgence of that team coming back in 2012, starting to lay the groundwork and what he meant in ’13 and ’15,” Kelly said. “He brought an edge and compete factor, something we need to emulate as the Pittsburgh Pirates this year.”
Pirates manager Don Kelly on what A.J. Burnett meant to the 2013 and ‘15 wild card teams and how he could impact NL Cy Young winner Paul Skenes. pic.twitter.com/EA3hhuwGNd
— Kevin Gorman (@KevinGormanPGH) February 15, 2026
A fiery competitor and emotional leader on the Pirates’ 2013 and ’15 wild-card playoff teams who embraced Batman as his superhero persona, Burnett spent Sunday morning introducing himself to Pirates players like National League Cy Young winner Paul Skenes and baseball’s No. 1 prospect, Konnor Griffin.
The hope is that Burnett can share what he learned in 17 seasons of pitching in the major leagues with the pitching staff, and that his burning desire to win can rub off on a Pirates team that lost 91 games last season.
“It means a little more, certain cities that deserve it, certain cities that crave it, and that’s what we did. We felt it from the fans. We felt it from the city, and we played for them,” Burnett said. “I talked to a few guys already, ‘You know, you win in Pittsburgh, you’re not going to be forgotten. You’re just not.’ Did we go as far as we wanted to go? No. And we’re still not forgotten. So it’s a place where they respect when you go about your business between the white lines and compete. As long as they do that, they’re fine.”
Batman Returns: At the invitation of manager Don Kelly, former Pirates pitcher A.J. Burnett is visiting Pirate City to serve as a mentor to the pitching staff. pic.twitter.com/Yq0jBQ9S2u
— Kevin Gorman (@KevinGormanPGH) February 15, 2026
Burnett, who turned 49 on Jan. 3, remains physically imposing but the 6-foot-4 right-hander has no plans to show off his arm in camp.
“He looks like he can still pitch, doesn’t he? It’s pretty impressive,” said Kelly, who believes Burnett still has an edge. “That’s a big part of who A.J. Burnett is and why he is so important to the Pirates and was so important to the Pirates. I’m excited to have him back in camp with us.”
Burnett misses being involved in the game, so he’s embracing the opportunity to share his experiences as someone who threw a no-hitter with the Florida Marlins in 2001, started two games for the World Series champion New York Yankees in 2009 and brought some serious swagger to the Pirates upon being acquired in 2012 and was an All-Star in 2015.
Burnett was impressed to see the 6-foot-6, 260-pound Skenes in person, calling the 23-year-old right-hander “polished for his age” and comparing him to former teammate Gerrit Cole for his never-ending desire to find ways to get better.
Skenes acted aloof that Burnett had adopted a superhero persona, jokingly naming Spiderman and Superman as his nickname before Batman, the Pirates ace called him “obviously iconic for what he did for Pittsburgh during those wild-card years.”
“He knows a lot about winning, so I’m excited to pick his brain,” Skenes said. “If you want to win, you’ve got to surround yourself with winners. I think it’s pretty simple with that. He obviously won. He’s played for some really good teams. I look at guys who’ve consistently played on really good teams and I usually think that if they’ve played for really good teams throughout their career, they’re the reason why — at least, partly. Everything I’ve heard and seen on him is that he’s a difference-maker and shapes the culture of the clubhouse and the character of the team, so it’s great to have him.”
As for the contrast between Burnett, whose brash behavior saw him shout to a batter to sit down after a strikeout, and the more subdued Skenes, who punctuates punchouts with a leg swing, the latter offered the take that they probably approach pitching the same way but “it comes down to pitching to your personality.”
Burnett introduced himself to the pitchers in a meeting, then watched with wonder next to Pirates pitching coaches as left-hander Mason Montgomery and right-handers Bubba Chandler, Cam Sanders and Carmen Mlodzinski threw bullpens on a back field.
“Everybody throws 100,” Burnett said. “Good stuff, man. Everybody’s just blowing cheese at the knees.”
As much as Burnett enjoyed “talking shop and watching ‘pens,” the real thrill for him was being pulled aside for advice: “Ask away. Come at me,” he said. “Whatever you need, I’m here for.”
Burnett impressed Chandler more with his presence during the bullpen session than anything, even though he enjoyed the back-and-forth between them. Burnett offered feedback on what he saw, asking questions and sharing some advice along the way.
“The position we’re in is pretty cool, (to have) guys that came before you that do come back is pretty sweet,” Chandler said. “They don’t have to do that. A.J. played a long time and made a lot of money. He doesn’t have to be here. The fact that he is, I think a lot of us appreciate it.”
For Sanders, it brought back childhood memories from when his father, Scott, attended spring training with Burnett for the Marlins in 2004. It was four years after Scott Sanders retired from baseball. As Sanders was walking out of the training room on Sunday, he saw Burnett and introduced himself.
“I ran into him and shook his hand and was like, ‘There’s no way you remember me but way back when, when he was still with the Marlins, my dad was in big league camp with the Marlins at the time,’” Sanders said. “I remember just watching him, honestly. He was dominant.”
Burnett could only laugh about tutoring the son of a former teammate, as Cam was a 7-year-old who was a regular in major league clubhouses when his father went to camp with the Marlins.
“For one, I’m still around, so that’s good, but it does bring the age out,” Burnett said. “But, then again, baseball is a small world. You come across people you haven’t seen in ages and kids you saw running around the clubhouse. It just means I’m a tick older than him, that’s all.”
More than anything, Burnett appreciates Kelly’s invitation to be involved in big league camp again and to share his knowledge with Pirates pitchers this week.
“It means a lot, man,” Burnett said. “Hopefully, I don’t let him down. I’m not here to change anybody. I’m not here to make a miracle. I’m just here make somebody better if I can.”
