Pirates/MLB category, Page 239
Pirates’ Kevin Kramer motivated by daughter’s birth
If Kevin Kramer was a shallow thinker without much ambition, he might have welcomed MLB’s roster expansion from 25 to 26 players. He might have seen it as an easier way to sneak onto the Pittsburgh Pirates’ 2020 roster. But Kramer, 26, responded to a question about 26-man rosters with...
Tim Benz: Pirates’ Josh Bell thinks he knows why his hot start faded in 2019
Pirates first baseman Josh Bell has an interesting philosophy on his swing. It’ll be worth tracking as this season progresses for him in Pittsburgh. Well, unless he gets traded for two prospects that are barely old enough to shave, as was the case for Starling Marte last week. Bell is...
New Pirates OF Guillermo Heredia provides much-needed positivityVideo
Through the words and actions of their management team since Guillermo Heredia was signed as a free agent early last month, the Pittsburgh Pirates have made it clear they do not expect Heredia to be an everyday outfielder. A glance at his career offensive statistics (.240 average, .659 OPS, 17...
Pirates outfielder Bryan Reynolds: A tough out everywhere he goesVideo
The words did come out of Bryan Reynolds mouth. A quick review of his interview at PirateFest confirmed it. “Pitchers have been trying to get me out for a long time,” he said. That’s what the Pirates’ second-year outfielder said. But before anyone accuses Reynolds of pumping out his chest...
New-look Chad Kuhl prepares for return to Pirates
The first glimpse Pittsburgh Pirates fans and observers get of Chad Kuhl this spring could cause a double-take. Kuhl said he will have a different look in his comeback from Tommy John surgery. The 27-year-old righty has not pitched in a game since June 2018 but is on track to...
Pirates sign INF/OF JT Riddle as possible center field platoon candidateVideo
New Pittsburgh Pirates general manager Ben Cherington continued to supplement his roster, announcing the signing of free agent infielder/outfielder JT Riddle on Friday. Riddle was signed to a major league deal and became the final member of the 40-man roster with the start of spring training less than two weeks...
Pirates sign LHP Robbie Erlin, C Andrew Susac, OF Charlie Tilson to minor league deals
With spring training less than two weeks away, the Pittsburgh Pirates fortified their depth in some notable areas by announcing the signings of veterans to minor league contracts that include invites to spring training. Robbie Erlin joined Derek Holland as veteran left-handed relievers signed. Erlin, 29, made 106 appearances (38...
Pirates sign veteran LHP Derek Holland to minor league contractVideo
The Pittsburgh Pirates signed four players to minor league contracts that include invites to spring training, most notably veteran left-handed pitcher Derek Holland. Holland, 33, has pitched for four teams over 11 seasons in the majors, most recently splitting last season primarily as a reliever for the San Francisco Giants...
New Pirates braintrust Ben Cherington, Derek Shelton adjusting to new MLB rules
A new management team and new manager will have to navigate new MLB rules during their first season in charge of the Pittsburgh Pirates. MLB is the midst of a dramatic, if gradual, reshaping of decades-long rules practices. For the 2020 season, the most notable of these changes is active...
U mad, bro? Some Pirates fans bash Starling Marte trade. Others bash Tim Benz for bashing it.
This week’s “U mad, bro?” was easy. Everybody was mad about the Pirates trading Starling Marte to the Arizona Diamondbacks for two 19-year-old prospects, who are years away from making their big-league debuts. You are either mad about the trade. Or you are mad at those being critical of it....
Finally healthy, Pirates reliever Nick Burdi offers intrigueVideo
Nick Burdi is not sure where. But somewhere in the Chicago-area home of the Pittsburgh Pirates reliever is a human bone. Not just any bone —Burdi’s right first rib. “I don’t know where it is now,” Burdi said with a sheepish chuckle last week at PiratesFest. “They give you a...
Tim Benz: If Pirates are serious about getting a real MLB center fielder, here’s an ideaVideo
Here are the options for the Pirates in the outfield now that Starling Marte has been traded to the Arizona Diamondbacks. 1. Move Bryan Reynolds to center field and have newly acquired Guillermo Heredia play left field. 2. Keep Reynolds in left field and have Heredia play center. 3. Move...
Kevin Gorman: A ‘Dream Outfield’ deferred, Pirates turn to Gregory Polanco for productionVideo
Now that the Pittsburgh Pirates have traded two-thirds of the so-called Dream Outfield, we finally can wake up to this reality: It was more of a fantasy. The idea of fielding an outfield of All-Stars Andrew McCutchen, Starling Marte and Gregory Polanco in the same fashion as the early 1990s...
Pirates appear to have few options to fully replace Starling Marte’s offense
By this past weekend, it had been two months since the Pittsburgh Pirates’ new management team started engaging in trade talks regarding their starting center fielder. So Monday’s announcement of the trade of Starling Marte to the Arizona Diamondbacks probably didn’t catch new manager Derek Shelton by surprise. “The one...
Starling Marte thanks fans and Pirates in farewell post
Starling Marte, who spent 13 years in the Pirates organization, took to social media Monday to say goodbye to Pittsburgh and Pirates fans, after he was traded to the Arizona Diamondbacks. The outfielder thanked the city and fans for their support and expressed gratitude for playing for the Pirates, which...
First Call: Diamondbacks bask in Starling Marte trade; Montana’s advice for Brady; big games for Pitt and Duquesne
In Tuesday’s “First Call,” Arizona is celebrating the Starling Marte trade in a way we might not like. Joe Montana has advice for Tom Brady. LeSean McCoy talks about his reduced role. Jeff Capel’s return to Duke. And stunning numbers for Duquesne’s big game Wednesday. Hey! You can’t do that!...
Tim Benz: Different melody, same lyrics from Pirates after Starling Marte trade
Ask someone more social media savvy than me. You know, one of “these kids today.” But I think now that Ben Cherington has made his first significant trade as Pirates general manager, this would be an appropriate time to go with the Spider-Man meme that I see on Twitter all...
With Starling Marte gone, Pirates likely will turn to free agency at center fieldVideo
The Pittsburgh Pirates haven’t been this unsettled about their Opening Day center field in more than a decade. General manager Ben Cherington said he will be look for external options to fill the hole created when veteran Starling Marte was traded to the Arizona Diamondbacks on Monday. The Pirates received...
Who are the prospects the Pirates got in return for Starling Marte?Video
In a signal the organization is trending toward a full-scale rebuild, the Pittsburgh Pirates not only traded arguably their best position player, they did so for some international slot money and a pair of 19-year-old minor leaguers who have not played above the lower Class A level. But who are...
Starling Marte left his mark statistically on the Pirates
Starling Marte left his mark in eight seasons with the Pittsburgh Pirates. A look back at some of his superlatives now that he has been traded to the Arizona Diamondbacks for two prospects and international bonus money:Among all position players in the franchise’s 133-year history, Marte ranks 17th in Wins...
Pirates trade Starling Marte to Diamondbacks for pair of prospects
Starling Marte’s days with the Pittsburgh Pirates were numbered from the time Ben Cherington became general manager Nov. 18. Cherington saw the center fielder as his best trade option in his attempt to restructure — the Pirates still won’t use the term “rebuild” — the roster. The 31-year-old Marte is...
Tim Benz, Mark Madden: Kobe Bryant’s death, PiratesFest futility, Penguins second half, Super Bowl preview
This week’s “Madden Monday” starts on a somber note as we address the death of NBA legend Kobe Bryant. Mark Madden and I discuss his legacy, his place in NBA history, what made him unique, and the sad memories Pittsburghers may have of Roberto Clemente’s passing as a result. After...
Baseball took Pirates shortstop Cole Tucker to school in 2019Video
Shortstop Cole Tucker’s chat with reporters at PiratesFest included references to his hair, knee, athleticism and hitting stroke, second base, Bryan Reynolds, Mike Trout, Adrian Beltre, Cody Bellinger, his European vacation, younger brother Carson and the man everyone calls Shelty. And, yes, it only took 17 minutes. The main theme,...
Newest Pirate Guillermo Heredia was always drawn to team
Though he’s spent his entire four-year MLB career in the American League since defecting from Cuba, Guillermo Heredia said he’d always taken notice of and admired the Pittsburgh Pirates. Speaking through an interpreter Saturday from PNC Park during PiratesFest, Heredia said that played a part in the outfielder’s decision to...
‘Paranoid’ of sign-stealing last season, Pirates would change signs every inning on the roadVideo
Suspicious of opponents engaging in sign-stealing, the Pittsburgh Pirates at times would change their catcher-to-pitcher signs every inning during road games last season, catcher Jacob Stallings said. “I don’t want to say we were aware, (but) we were paranoid that things were going on when we were on the road,”...
