The Pittsburgh Pirates made more spring training cuts today sending eight players off of the major league roster. Five players were reassigned to minor league camp: Jake Brigham (RHP) Chase d' Arnaud (INF) Cody Eppley (RHP) Josh Kinney (RHP) Yao-Hsun Yang (LHP) The Pirates also optioned three players to Triple-A Indianapolis: Phil Irwin (RHP) Chris McGuiness (INF) Brent Morel (INF) The moves, along with catcher Chris Stewart expected to start ... Read More
Pirates Position Preview: Right Field
We continue our preview of the 2014 Pittsburgh Pirates with a look at right field, a position that had some question marks going into spring training. Gregory Polanco will be the Pirates right fielder once he gets the call up from AAA -- Most likely mid-to-end of June -- but before he gets his shot, it will be the tandem of Travis Snider and Jose Tabata to hold down the spot. Jose Tabata: Tabata experienced an up-and-down season in 2013 which included a stint on the DL that made him miss ... Read More
Jameson Taillon: On the Verge of the Bigs
Jameson Taillon has been sent down to minor league camp by the Pirates, but this doesn't mean it will be the last time you see him this year. As with Gerrit Cole last year, the Pirates gave Taillon a second small helping of big league spring training to get used to the staff, players and the feel for the major league game before going back to minor league camp to get prepared for the start of the AAA season. It was a different feel for him this time around as he was able to focus on his game ... Read More
Pirates Position Preview: Setup man / Closer
We move on with our 2014 Pirates position previews with the men that shut the door on opposing offences at the end of games. The Pirates back end was 73 - 5 -- three of those losses came in the final month-- when taking a lead into the eighth inning and it produced two NL All-Stars in Mark Melancon and Jason Grilli. Tony Watson and Justin Wilson also aided in the setup role with their power game to create one of the most feared groups in the league. Justin Wilson: 2013: 6 - 1, 2.08 ERA ... Read More
Penguins Acquire Lee Stempniak from Calgary
The Penguins acquired F Lee Stempniak from Calgary for a third-round draft choice at the deadline. It was a trade that was made last-minute after the Vancouver Canucks announced they would not be trading Ryan Kesler earlier today. In 52 games for the Flames, Stempniak recorded 23 points (8 G [2 short-handed], 15 A) with a +/- of -21. He, like Goc, will be an upgrade to the Penguins bottom 6 which needed help. Over 11 seasons, Stempniak posted 146 goals and 184 assists in 616 games for St. ... Read More
Penguins Acquire Marcel Goc from the Panthers
The Penguins have acquired Marcel Goc from the Florida Panthers in exchange for two draft picks, a fifth round pick this year and a third round pick next year. The 30 year old Center has recorded 23 points (11 G, 12 A) and a +/- of -7 in 62 games this season while playing on the Panthers bottom 6. His 52.8% faceoff percentage is ranked 27th in the league and better than any other Penguin on the roster. Goc has played nine seasons in the NHL with the Sharks, Predators and Panthers playing ... Read More
Mercer, Pirates Confident For 2014
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: Third Base
We continue our spring preview of the Pirates with the hot corner. The position filled by last years Co-NL home run champ, Pedro Alvarez. Although, this season, he may be getting some help. Pedro Alvarez: Pedro showed offensive improvement last season by hitting a league-leading 36 home runs and driving in 100 which was fifth-best in the NL and also good enough for his first silver slugger award. He still has more room to improve though, as he led the league in strikeouts (186) while ... Read More
Pirates National TV Schedule Released
Fox and Fox Sports 1 released their national baseball schedule Thursday with the Pirates being showcased seven times during the season (twice at PNC). This bumps their number of national games up to nine with ESPN in town on opening day and on May 11th for Sunday Night Baseball. Games on Fox Sports 1 will also be televised on ROOT while games on FOX can be seen by viewers outside of the regional area on MLB.TV. The opening day game on ESPN can also be seen locally on ROOT. Pirates National ... Read More
Pirates Position Preview: Middle/Long Relief
The Pirate bullpen was an anchor of the team last year as they were handed small leads many times over the course of the 2013 season and, for the most part, succeeded in bridging the gap between starter and setup/closer. Jeanmar Gomez: 2013: 3 - 0, 3.35 ERA in 80 2/3 IN with 53 strikeouts and 28 walks. Gomez proved more valuable than just a reliever last season as he made 8 spot starts for the Pirates in place of the injured Wandy Rodriguez. In those eight starts between May 1st and June ... Read More