The Pittsburgh Pirates today acquired outfielder Jaff Decker (first name pronounced Jeff) and right-handed pitcher Miles Mikolas from the San Diego Padres in exchange for minor league outfielder Alex Dickerson. The announcement was made by Pirates Senior Vice President, General Manager Neal Huntington. Decker, who was San Diego’s supplemental first round selection (42nd pick overall) in the 2008 First-Year Player Draft, hit .286 (100-for-350) with 23 doubles, 10 home runs and 40 RBI in 105 ... Read More
Pirates Go Back-To-Back-To-Back, But Fall 5-4
The Pirates led late, but Jason Grilli gave up a two-out, two-run homer to Anthony Rizzo to give the Cubs a 5 - 4 victory in Pittsburgh on Friday night. The Cubs jumped out to an early lead against Charlie Morton when Nate Schierholtz turned a lead-off walk in the second into the games first run, a fielders choice by Darwin Barney as he beat out a double play. They would add two more in the fourth inning when Brian Bogusevic hit a two-out, two-run homer into the bushes to push the Cubs ... Read More
Pirates Back On Top In NL Central With 5 – 0 Victory
Garrett Jones made the most of his first start at first base in a while with a 3-for-4 night with a homer and 4 RBI's and Francisco Liriano continued his dominance of the Cardinals as the Pirates pull back into a tie with St. Louis for first place in the NL Central with a 5 - 0 victory on Friday night. For Jones, it was a breath of fresh air after a few days off. Jones was batting .119 with 2 home runs and 4 RBI before tonight and was given time off to mentally recharge the batteries. That ... Read More
Pirates Blow Offensive Chances, Lose To Phillies 3-1
The Phillies invaded Pittsburgh looking for some revenge on the three-out-of-four that the Pirates took in Philadelphia and they got off to a good start as they stifled a couple prime offensive chances for the Bucs in a 3 – 1 victory on Tuesday night. The Pirates had something going in the third with two out. Marte reached on a fielder’s choice and stole second. Russell Martin would then work a walk and Andrew McCutchen would hit a shot up the middle. Phillies second baseman, Chase Utley, ... Read More
Father before athlete: What it’s like to be a big league daddy
Growing up, the 25 men on the Pittsburgh Pirates dreamt about reaching the Major Leagues. When they finally reached that level, they held the title that little boys everywhere were jealous of: Major Leaguer. Playing baseball in the backyard, kids would emulate their favorite player in hopes of one day making it to "The Show." For some athletes, the title of Major Leaguer or professional athlete isn't the only title that matters. Ask some of the Pirates and they'll tell you there is one that ... 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
Are Pirates one player away from a dominant outfield?
Several sites have put out their "Best Outfields in Baseball" list after the Atlanta Braves recently acquired Justin Upton. This move has solidified the Braves at the top of these lists. Atlanta now has BJ Upton, Justin Upton and Jason Heyward. Other teams to show up on the list include the Los Angeles Angels of Aneheim, Los Angeles Dodgers, St. Louis Cardinals, and Washington Nationals. There are other teams that round out the Top 10 that are solid in maybe two positions and iffy on the thrid ... Read More
Pirates Ink Jones and Sanchez
The Pittsburgh Pirates were able to reach deals with first basemen Garrett Jones and Gaby Sanchez on Friday. Jones has been with the Pirates since 2009 and has been a bright spot for their offense. If nothing else, Jones has been consistent. Last season he batted .274, hitting 27 homers and driving in 86 runs. Both were well above his average as the 27 homeruns were a career high and 86 RBI's tie a career major league high for Jones. On the field he was just as confident. He posted a fielding ... Read More