On the night of the MLB Draft, many dreams come true. For the Pirates, they were fortunate enough to draft not just one, but two high schoolers in the first round and make their dream come true. The Pirates selected outfielder Austin Meadows with the No. 9 pick in the first round and Reese McGuire with the No. 14 pick in the first round. Meadows said the whole process has been a humbling one and he didn't even hear his name called. “It’s been a great, humbling experience. I wasn’t even in the ... Read More
Neal Huntington: “They were the best players available on our board”
Going into the 2013 MLB Draft, the Pirates were hoping to be able to land Reese McGuire or Austin Meadows with the No. 9 pick. As they say, you can't predict baseball. The Pirates, who had two first round picks, were able to land not just Meadows, but also McGuire at the No. 14 spot. “I would like to thank out scouting department for their outstanding work, time, energy and effort. The exhausting work is tremendous for our strength as an organization," Pirates General Manager Neal Huntington ... Read More
Pirates select Reese McGuire with 14th pick in MLB Draft
Continuing to show their commitment to the draft, the Pirates followed up the selection of Austin Meadows with the selection of Reese McGuire. The Pirates have been linked to McGuire for quite some time now and the value of getting McGuire at No. 14 couldn't have worked out better for the Pirates. After the Mets took Dominic Smith, the Pirates had just the Mariners and Padres standing between them and McGuire. Since the Mariners took Mike Zunino a year ago as their catcher of the future, they ... Read More
Pirates take Meadows with ninth pick in MLB Draft
The last three years, the Pirates have used its first round draft pick on a pitcher. In 2010, the team took high school pitcher Jameson Taillon. The Pirates took back-to-back college pitchers in 2011 and 2012 with Gerrit Cole (UCLA) and Mark Appel (Stanford), but Appel decided to return to school for his senior year. With Appel's decision to return to Stanford, the Pirates received two first round picks and a whole lot of money to sign them. While General Manager Neal Huntington has taken ... Read More
June 5, 2013: The day the sports world stood still in Pittsburgh
I'm not a fan of using words like "tragedy" or "heroes" when it comes to sports or athletes. We all know who the the real heroes are and what the real tragedies are. That doesn't mean that there are certain times when a collection of bad things will happen to your favorites teams that just leave you in a state of shock. For Western Pennsylvania, that day was Wednesday, June 6. The news first broke that morning that Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger would have to undergo minor ... Read More
Going on the defensive
We hear it all of the time. It doesn't just occur with baseball players, but athletes in every sport. When they first arrive to their respective league, the fans and media want to judge them right away. While it's no secret that Pedro Alvarez and Garrett Jones can both hit the long ball with the best of them - Jones' mammoth shot into the river on Sunday can attest to that - we don't necessarily think of them as being the best fielders in the world. When talking with Tim Williams from Pirates ... Read More
“We Are Baseball Nuts From Germany” – 30 Stadiums in Three Months
As much as hockey means to Canada, that's what baseball means to America. It is, after all America's sport. Baseball is popular all over the world, though. An event like the World Baseball Classic helps elevate baseball's status globally. Countries like Japan, Dominican Republic and Cuba are hotbeds for baseball talent. One country that isn't usually associated with baseball is Germany. Their national sport is football and its top league is known as Bundesliga. Germany also has a baseball ... Read More
Locke-d and loaded
Each year, there seems to be that one player that breaks out from behind that shadows and takes the city, and league, by storm. Last year for the Pirates, that guy was James McDonald. Now, we of course know the story with McDonald. He came over in the Octavio Dotel trade with the Los Angeles Dodgers. Last year was the year that J-Mac became a household name, at least for the first half of the season. McDonald was considered an All-Star snub and in the running for the Cy Young Award before the ... Read More
Pirates come from behind in win over Tigers
With a late-game rally that was equal parts American League thunder and National League small ball, the Pirates on Thursday upended the Detroit Tigers, 5-3, at PNC Park. In the seventh inning, the Pirates batted around against right-hander Anibal Sanchez and erased a two-run deficit. With one out, Garrett Jones dropped a single into center field. Russell Martin walked. Pedro Alvarez lined a two-run double. On the next pitch, Travis Snider banged a double off the Clemente Wall to give the ... Read More
Pirates drop opener to Tigers
DETROIT -- Justin Verlander struck out 13 batters and sent the Pirates to a 6-5 loss against the Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park on a rainy Monday afternoon. Jhonny Peralta had four hits and drove in three runs. Neil Walker doubled and tripled, scoring a run and driving in another for the Pirates. Verlander (6-4) allowed three runs on seven hits in seven innings. After the Pirates scored one off Verlander in the first, he shut them out until the seventh. The Pirates fought back ... Read More