Kevin Gorman stories, Page 70

On the opening day of his third spring training as Pittsburgh Pirates manager, Derek Shelton discussed how nothing about his two-year tenure has been normal — and why it’s made him a better leader. Serving as the steady hand steering a sinking ship, Shelton has endured a roster reconstruction as...

Aaron Fletcher will be the first to tell you he’s funky. The left-handed reliever has a low-quarters delivery and relies more on movement than overpowering pitches. Fletcher didn’t share that he throws sidearm when he joined the Pittsburgh Pirates in spring training after being claimed off waivers from the Seattle...

The Pittsburgh Pirates limped out of spring training with a loss. The injuries hurt more than the outcome. With the two players vying for the starting job in left field, Anthony Alford and Greg Allen, both headed for the injured list, the Pirates relied upon the positional versatility of their...

The Pittsburgh Pirates made their final cuts of spring training, though there are likely more moves to come. The Pirates reassigned five players, including three catchers, to the minor leagues following a 5-1 loss to the Philadelphia Phillies in their Grapefruit League finale Tuesday afternoon at BayCare Ballpark in Clearwater,...

The transformation of the Pittsburgh Pirates pitching staff has involved such turnover the past two seasons that only four pitchers — two starters and two relievers — remain on the active roster. The Pirates are counting on JT Brubaker and Mitch Keller to serve as anchors for their rotation and...

Last year, the Pittsburgh Pirates started spring training with Bryan Reynolds locked into the lineup at left field and Gregory Polanco in right, so the question was who would win the starting job in center field. This year, it’s the opposite. Reynolds shifted to center field late last April after...

Diego Castillo attended his first MLB game at PNC Park last summer after he was acquired by the Pittsburgh Pirates and assigned to the Double-A Altoona Curve. His next will be on Opening Day. The sensation of spring training, Castillo earned a spot on the Pirates roster for Thursday’s season...

The Pittsburgh Pirates already were down one outfielder when they played the Tampa Bay Rays in their spring training home finale, then lost another who was projected to be a starter. Left fielder Greg Allen, who hit a leadoff triple, was removed because of left hamstring discomfort after sliding in...

JT Brubaker will be the Opening Day starting pitcher for the Pittsburgh Pirates when they visit the St. Louis Cardinals on April 7, manager Derek Shelton announced Sunday during the AT&T SportsNet telecast. Brubaker is the seventh different pitcher to start the opener in as many years. The 28-year-old right-hander...

When Derek Shelton discusses the Pittsburgh Pirates infield, the only things set in stone is that Ke’Bryan Hayes will be playing third base and Roberto Perez will be behind the plate. The rest is written in pencil, with a big eraser at the ready. That has more to do with...

Michael Chavis doesn’t know which position he will play for the Pittsburgh Pirates, given that he has played games at first, second and third base and even right field since being acquired from Boston last July. So long as he is in the lineup, Chavis is happy. “My preference is...

BRADENTON, Fla. — Ke’Bryan Hayes started spring training with the goal of being available to play every game this season, knowing a left hand/wrist injury was one of two things that stood in the way of the Pittsburgh Pirates third baseman winning a Gold Glove as a rookie. The other,...

When the Toronto Blue Jays turned a pair of plays that glanced off the gloves of Pittsburgh Pirates infielders into a pair of runs, they counted against Jose Quintana’s spring training statistics. That didn’t faze the 33-year-old left-hander, who signed a one-year free-agent contract with the Pirates for the opportunity...

BRADENTON, Fla. — When MLB Network ranked the top 10 center fielders in baseball, Bryan Reynolds was thrilled to see he was at No. 4 after playing the position for only one season with the Pittsburgh Pirates. Reynolds was ranked behind Mike Trout of the Los Angeles Angels, George Springer...

The Pittsburgh Pirates acquired infielder Josh VanMeter from the Arizona Diamondbacks for a minor league pitcher Thursday in a move that required the shuffling of their 40-man roster. VanMeter, 27, slashed .212/.297/.354 with 17 doubles, two triples, six home runs and 36 RBIs last season for Arizona. He spent two...

On a day that started with Bryan Reynolds being the subject of trade speculation, he provided a no-doubter. Reynolds drilled a Tyler Wells fastball 349 feet over the right-center field fence for his second home run of spring training for the Pittsburgh Pirates, who tied the Baltimore Orioles, 4-4, on...

BRADENTON, Fla. — The warm welcome by the Pittsburgh Pirates took Anthony Banda by surprise. He was no stranger to transactions, having been traded three times and purchased before being claimed off waivers, so he wasn’t sure what type of reception to expect. When Pirates players invited Banda to dinner,...

Spring training statistics are relatively meaningless, so the Pittsburgh Pirates aren’t about to celebrate that they lead all major-league teams with 27 home runs through 12 Grapefruit League games. If that sounds improbable, consider Diego Castillo leads the Pirates in homers after hitting two in a 9-4 loss to the...

BRADENTON, Fla. — Bryse Wilson was only 22 when he started Game 4 of the 2020 NLCS, outdueling Clayton Kershaw as the Atlanta Braves beat the Los Angeles Dodgers to take a 3-1 series lead. So it was hard for Wilson to swallow that the Braves traded him to the...

That Oneil Cruz won’t be on the Opening Day roster of the Pittsburgh Pirates might have stunned a frustrated fanbase but shouldn’t come as a shock, given their history of treating prized prospects with kid gloves. When the Pirates optioned the 6-foot-7 shortstop, ranked their No. 1 prospect by Baseball...

Oneil Cruz won’t be on the Pittsburgh Pirates’ Opening Day roster. The Pirates optioned the 6-foot-7 shortstop, ranked their top prospect by Baseball America, to Triple-A Indianapolis on Tuesday afternoon. Cruz batted .333 (5 for 15) with a 1.066 OPS in five Grapefruit League games this spring, hitting two home...

Mitch Keller gave up back-to-back singles, putting Boston Red Sox runners on first and second with one out in the top of the fourth inning. It was the type of scenario that saw the Pittsburgh Pirates right-hander go into meltdown mode the past three seasons. This time, Keller heated up....

In the biggest moment of his baseball career, Heath Hembree remembers receiving the phone call in the bullpen, tossing a couple warm-up pitches and realizing that he needed to use the restroom. “When they called and said I was in the game,” Hembree said, “I had to go to the...

BRADENTON, Fla. — It was a diversion by Derek Shelton, a way for the Pittsburgh Pirates manager to avoid a question about a secondary position battle that could come to the forefront early this season. What do you need from a backup catcher? “We haven’t even talked about carrying a...

TAMPA — Diego Castillo has gone about his business quietly in spring training, making a positive impression on the Pittsburgh Pirates while bouncing around the infield and making consistent contact. When New York Yankees ace Gerrit Cole grooved an outside fastball, Castillo drove it over the right-field fence for a...