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
Team USA Roster Announced
Joe Torre, the manager for the USA team in the World Baseball Classic, has submitted his roster for the tournament today. There are no Pittsburgh Pirates on the list. The World Baseball Classic is a tournament of the best baseball players in the world that is held in March, before the regular season. Players in the MLB have the option of either playing for Team USA or playing for their home country. Previously, players have said that they did not want to play because they didn’t want to take ... Read More
Examining the Pirates Starting Pitching options for 2013
Right before the holidays, the Pittsburgh Pirates agreed to sign left-handed pitcher Francisco Liriano, pending a physical. Over the holidays though Liriano hurt his right elbow, and has put the signing in major jeopardy. The Pirates aren’t too thrilled with the fact that he got hurt even though it is his non-throwing elbow. Going into the 2013 season the Pirates have only three starters penciled into their rotation. Those pitchers being A.J. Burnett, Wandy Rodriguez, and James McDonald. ... Read More
Andrew McCutchen enjoys offseason, but remains focused
To say the 2012 Pittsburgh Pirates season was a roller coaster for the team and fans alike would be a tremendous understatement. You all know the story by now. A team that is 16 games over .500 in August just collapses like we've never seen before. Ok actually, we saw the same thing take place in 2011, but not to this magnitude. There is one man who stayed consistent throughout the season for the Pirates winning awards and becoming exposed to a national audience. Don't let the recognition or ... Read More
The 2013 “Keep Your Eye On…” List – Steel City Edition
The Pittsburgh sports scene never fails to churn out new household names, even in those rare years when we aren’t blessed with any new championship hardware being added to a trophy case somewhere in the city. The year 2012 won’t be fondly recalled in the great annuals of Pittsburgh sports lore, but the past twelve months did provide us all with some newly-christened stars to discuss at the water coolers and Sunday dinner tables. From A.J. Burnett to Todd Haley, Rushel Shell to James Neal, ... Read More
Cooperstown not adding any new faces
One of baseball’s brightest days has turned into a disappointment today. For the first time since 1996, no new members will be inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame. The most notable members of this year’s potential class were one-time Pirate Barry Bonds, Sammy Sosa, Mark McGwire, Rafael Palmeiro, Roger Clemens, Mike Piazza, Craig Biggio and Jeff Bagwell. Players like Bonds, Sosa, McGwire, Palmeiro, and Clemens may never see Cooperstown because of their involvement during the Steroid ... Read More
Pittsburgh’s New Years’ Resolutions
]As the sun sets on 2012, many people look back on the year that was and develop new ways to better themselves. It’s an honorable exercise. It takes a tremendous amount of self-awareness to objectively analyze things you wish to be doing differently. For the big three Pittsburgh sports teams, 2012 was a year mired in disappointment and heartache. The Steelers finished with a whimper, losing five of their last seven games to finish at 8-8, on the outside of the playoffs looking in. The ... Read More
Is this another ‘what if’ offseason for Pirates?
Looking at the Pirates moving forward into the 2013 many people keep hearing the same thing like they have for the last 20 seasons - The ‘if’ Factor. For two decades they would either trade for or sign a player that may have had good numbers in a previous season and always say things like, “If he returns to form it will be a great deal.” After two epic season collapses in a row, it is time to get the guarantee players instead of continually getting gambles. Taking a look at the first ... Read More
Pirates/Red Sox finalize six-player deal
While the deal was finalized until today, the Pirates and the Red Sox agreed to a six-player deal that would send Joel Hanrahan and a player to be named to Boston for Jerry Sands and three other Red Sox prospects a few days ago. Today, the other names were released as the deal was complete. Along with Hanrahan, the Pirates shipped out infield prospect Brock Holt in the deal and received Mark Melancon, Stolmy Pimentel and Ivan DeJesus Jr. along with Sands. For the Pirates, Hanrahan was set to ... Read More
A familiar face hopes to return a winning culture back to Pittsburgh
When Pirates hitting coach Gregg Ritchie opted to coach his alma mater George Washington University following the 2012 season, the search for a new hitting coach was on. Clint Hurdle, Neal Huntington and company decided on a familiar face to the Pittsburgh faithful. Jay Bell was manning the middle infield when Pittsburgh last had a winning team. With his hire as hitting coach, Bell is looking to do his part in returning a winning culture back to Pittsburgh. “One of the things that really ... Read More