The Pirates have finally signed the remaining players on their roster that are arbitration-eligible. James McDonald, one of the Pirates best right-handers, went 12-8 last season. He had a 4.21 ERA for the season and has a 4.10 ERA for his career. He had a fantastic start to the 2012 season but had a rocky end to it, posting 7.52 ERA in his last 13 starts. Towards the end of the season, the Pirates moved him to the bullpen. In this off-season, he pitched in a dominican winter league where he ... Read More
Jackie Robinson: American Legend
Today would've been Jackie Robinson's 94th birthday. Jackie Robinson came from a time that most of us today only read about in books. Born in 1919 to sharecroppers in Georgia, Jackie Robinson grew up to change the game of baseball. Adversity was nothing new for Robinson. Growing up, his family was the only African American family on their block. He went on to UCLA to be the first athlete to letter in four different sports. After being forced to leave college, he went into the Army, where ... Read More
Pirates have four prospects in Top 100
MLB.com put out their list of Top 100 Prospects tonight. The Pittsburgh Pirates have four prospects that made the list. Gerrit Cole and Jameson Taillon were the most notable. Cole, the right-handed prospect, is one of the top prospects that is league-ready for the Pirates. Last season he went 5-1 with a 2.55 ERA in Class A, 3-6 with a 2.90 ERA in Double-A, and 1-0 in six scoreless innings in his only start in Triple-A. The Pirates haven't said that they'll be bringing him up to Pittsburgh ... 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
An Early Look at Pirates Roster Battles for 2013: Position Players
Sitting in your house this week, watching the snow fall almost as quickly as the temperature, there are a few simple words that can turn that winter frown upside-down: Pitchers and Catchers report for duty! That’s correct, baseball fans. The 2013 MLB season is beginning to come into focus. With every toss of a snow-filled shovel head, Sprig Training gets closer to being a reality. For fans of the Pittsburgh Pirates, this means that it is time to put away those Steelers jerseys and dust off ... Read More
Sure, no I in Team, but there most certainly is a ME
This article is in response to There’s no I – or we, us, our – in fan. "I want to bring back the pride and tradition long associated with the Pittsburgh Steelers, and more importantly, with the people of Pittsburgh." Bill Cowher, upon being hired as Head Coach of the Steelers in 1992. "To be honest, the fans pay our bills. They pay my bills. They pay for my house and everything else. That's the best feeling in the world to come out and see 60,000 people at a football game." Lee Flowers, on ... Read More
Marte MVP of Dominican Winter League Finals
It isn't rare that MLB players join a winter league team to keep in shape for the regular season back here in the states. The Pittsburgh Pirates' left fielder Starling Marte was no exception. Marte went back to where he was born, the Dominican, to play for Escodigo in the Dominican Winter League this off-season. Marte's club swpet the Aguilas in the Dominican Winter League Finals, the equivalent to the MLB World Series, just a little less publicized. For the series, Marte went 11-21 and ... Read More
There’s no I – or we, us, our – in fan
Now we've all heard this before. And yes, I meant to say we. I'm grouping us into a group. We, in this case, is the fan. The fan which is short for fanatic. That's what we are, right? We're all sport fanatics. But there's something that we aren't. We aren't a part of the team that we cheer for. Call me picky or call me clueless. That's fine. But you are a fan and that's all. "We can't run this play. If we lose this game, it's going to hurt our playoff chances." - Oh really? Tell me ... Read More
Pirates agree to revised deal with Liriano
What an offseason for Francisco Liriano. It was first reported that he and the Pittsburgh Pirates had agreed to a two-year deal worth $14 million. After learning that he injured his non-throwing arm over Christmas, the deal looked to be over. As an insurance piece, the Pirates went out an re-signed Jeff Karstens to replace Liriano. As it was announced today however, the wheels started spinning again with Liriano. As Fox Sports has announced, the Pirates have agreed to a revised two-year deal ... Read More
Why Starling Marte gives Pirates fans hope
If you're a Pirates fan and someone asked you to name the biggest bright spot on the roster, most likely you'll spit out two words: Andrew McCutchen. Now look a couple years into the future. Picture a possible future Hall of Famer in McCutchen standing in center field and then look just a little bit to your left. There you'll find Starling Marte. Marte has the potential to be up there with the likes of Bryce Harper and Mike Trout, the two rookies who took Major League Baseball by storm this past ... Read More