Jordy Mercer made the most of his first full year in the majors as he the 2013 Pittsburgh Pirates broke the streak, made the playoffs and took the eventual NL Champion St. Louis Cardinals to the brink in the NLDS. "It was fun, bringing winning back to Pittsburgh is what it's all about," said Mercer. "The tradition that the Pirates have and to be able to bring a playoff atmosphere back and playoff baseball back, it was something special. We had a good group of guys last year and we have the ... Read More
Pirates Position Preview: Middle Infield
With pitchers and catchers settling into Pirate City, it's now time for the rest of the squad to make their way to the Bradenton complex to begin spring training. Most of the pieces from last season's NLDS run return to go at it again, but there are others that hope to shake the roster up come opening day. We begin with the middle infield positions of Neil Walker, Jordy Mercer, Clint Barmes and Josh Harrison. Neil Walker: Walker had a down season last year batting .251/.339/.757 with 24 ... Read More
Morton Solid, Cutch Leads offense In Pirates 4 – 2 Win
PNC Park -- Morton pitched seven innings of two-run ball and Andrew McCutchen led the offense with a homer in a Pirates 4 - 2 victory over the Marlins on Wednesday night. Charlie Morton rebounded from his previous start where he allowed 10 hits and 5 runs by throwing seven innings of sit hit, two run ball. He only allowed more than one base runner to reach in one inning, the fourth, where the Marlins scored their only to runs. Giancarlo Stanton led the inning off with a single and moved to ... Read More
Pedro Homers, Mercer Walks Off Mets 3 – 2
PNC Park – Jordy Mercer halted his mini-slump in grand fashion as he singled up the middle in the eleventh inning to walk-off the Mets 3 – 2 on Friday night. It was the first hit with runners in scoring position in three attempts in extra frames as the Pirates had the bases loaded in the ninth and first and second in the tenth. “You always want to be that guy -- you always want to get the game winning hit and you want to score the game winning run,” said Mercer. “You go through your ... 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
Brock Holt the everyday shortstop?
I'm pulling for Brock Holt. I really am. I was excited to watch him collect four hits last night as the Pirates defeated the Astros in a crucial game. Heck, I like Holt a lot just for the hashtags that people use around his name. (Lightning Holt, Party like a Brock-star, Brock you like a Hurricane are some of my favorites). But as expected when a player does well in his first handful of games, especially when they can play middle infield, the question comes if this guy can play shortstop or ... Read More
A father & big leaguer: Jordy Mercer is having the best year of his life
Jordy Mercer grew up in Oklahoma with the dream of being a big league baseball player. From his time playing little league in Taloga, Oklahoma, to playing at Oklahoma State University, Mercer held on tight to his dream of making the show. Being a third round pick by the Pittsburgh Pirates in the 2008 draft was the start of his journey, but he was still a long way off from showing up in Pittsburgh. While playing in the Pirates system, Mercer got married and while making the big leagues was ... Read More