Pittsburgh Pirates first baseman Corey Hart may have gotten the break he needed. In the top of the seventh inning against the Chicago White Sox on Thursday, Hart hit what would be a routine fly ball out to shallow center field. Shortstop Alexei Ramirez and centerfielder Adam Eaton converged towards where the ball was landing, but both stopped and the ball dropped in for a hit. Ramirez looked at Eaton and shrugged, and Hart picked up his third single of the night. He finished the game 3-3 at ... Read More
Where Willy Garcia fits in Pirates outfield mix
Pittsburgh Pirates’ outfield prospect Willy Garcia was three games away from possibly tying the Altoona Curve record for most games in a row with a hit at 21. Instead, Garcia’s hit streak will end at 18, since it was reported Monday that he has been promoted to AAA Indianapolis. Outfielder Mel Rojas Jr. was demoted to AA Altoona as a corresponding move. That is a pretty favorable reason for Garcia’s streak to end. The 22-year-old was having a great season for the Curve, with a ... Read More
COLUMN: Morton on pace for unspectacular, yet quality year
On Wednesday, Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Charlie Morton received a roaring ovation from Pirate fans as he walked off the pitcher’s mound and toward the third base dugout against the Milwaukee Brewers. The right-hander just gave one of the Pirates’ best pitching performances this season – seven and a third innings of shutout baseball. And Morton’s season so far has deserved the applause of Pirate fans. The 31-year-old began the season on the disabled list while he continued to recover ... Read More
Why MLB Draft is unique
The Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft is probably the most complex draft process out of the big four American sports leagues. The best players eligible do not always get drafted in the first or second round. Sometimes they do not get drafted at all. Others may get drafted, but won’t sign with the team that picked them. So why is that? One word can explain that – signability. In the NFL, for example, a team signs the players they draft within a matter of weeks of them ... Read More
Cervelli is no Martin, but still quality find for Pirates
It’s another year and another former New York Yankee catcher is having success with the Pittsburgh Pirates. Almost feels like clockwork at this point. First it was signing Russell Martin in 2013, and then last year it was acquiring Chris Stewart for cash. This year, it was trading for Francisco Cervelli. The 29-year-old has been a quality backstop for the Pirates and is only costing the team $987,500 this year. But so far this year, how does Cervelli stack up against Martin, who signed ... Read More
Down on the farm: Looking at Pirates pitching depth in AAA without Kingham
It’s a reality Pittsburgh Pirate fans are becoming all too familiar with over the last couple seasons – a top pitching prospect needs Tommy John Surgery. This time, it’s Nick Kingham. Kingham is considered by pundits as the third-best pitching prospect in the Pirates system, and a guy that was expected to make the majors at some point in 2015. Now his big league debut is going to have until late 2016, or maybe even 2017. The surgery obviously gives the Bucs one less depth option this season ... Read More
Jose Tabata has earned his stay for now
It seems like it’s been forever that the Pittsburgh Pirates have been trying to move Jose Tabata and his remaining two years and $9.5 million that the club owes him. After once being considered a top prospect and key piece of the Pirates future starting outfield, the 26-year old has been spending parts of the last four years shuffling between the majors and Triple-A Indianapolis. Tabata had a very solid 2013 season in which he batted .282 and a career high six home runs, however ultimately ... Read More
Down on the farm: Hanson gives Pirates flexibility at middle infield
During the Pittsburgh Pirates 20-year losing streak, having too much talent at one position was one of the few problems the Bucs ever had to deal with. However, a cluttered middle infield in the majors and upper minors could lead to that very problem. But it’s a good problem to have. Here is what we do know. Josh Harrison is entrenched at third base for the long term. In the off-season, the 27-year-old signed a four-year extension with the club, with team options for the 2019 and 2020 ... Read More
COLUMN: Pirates can’t afford more inconsistency from Charlie Morton
The last time I rode the Jack Rabbit at Kennywood, I felt a sense of anxiousness and excitement as I went up the hills, and then I questioned why I torture myself when I go down the slopes. Watching pitcher Charlie Morton’s seven-year career as a Pittsburgh Pirate has been a very similar experience for Bucs fans. And the experience is about to return, since it is probable that Morton will come off the disabled list (hip) and rejoin the rotation early next week, likely sending Vance Worley ... Read More