Kevin Gorman stories, Page 124
With Nick Gonzales, Pirates have stockpiled surplus of shortstop talentVideo
It was no surprise when the Pittsburgh Pirates selected Nick Gonzales at No. 7 overall in the first round of the MLB Draft on Wednesday, given multiple mock drafts had them picking the New Mexico State star. When Gonzales was announced as a shortstop, however, it raised eyebrows. It’s a...
‘Burgh’s Best to Wear It, No. 79: Bill Fralic served pancakes with pleasure for Pitt
When it came to Bill Fralic’s blocking for the Pitt Panthers, there is no shortage of superlatives. A new statistic was coined, and a legendary offensive line coach gave a ringing endorsement. The Pancake Block was created in Fralic’s honor, for the ferocity with which he flattened defenders. The late...
‘Aptitude and athleticism’ as position players factors for Pirates in draft run on righty pitchers
The Pittsburgh Pirates remained steadfast late Thursday night that they had no intention of drafting a handful of right-handed pitchers who were converted position players or pulled double duty. It just happened to work out that way. “Not a particular demographic we were pursuing, the position-player-to-pitcher demographic, but it just...
Pirates pick another right-handed pitcher in 5th round in Northwestern State’s Logan Hofmann
With their final pick of the MLB Draft, the Pittsburgh Pirates didn’t pull any surprises. Once again, they went with a right-handed pitcher. The Pirates chose Logan Hofmann of Northwestern State on Thursday night in the fifth found (No. 138), giving them five righties in six picks. The 5-foot-10, 190-pound...
Pirates make a run on right-handed pitching on second day of MLB Draft
The Pittsburgh Pirates turned the second day of the MLB Draft into a run on right-handed pitching. After taking New Mexico State shortstop Nick Gonzales in the first round and South Carolina right-hander Carmen Mlodzinski in the competitive balance round Wednesday night, the Pirates on Thursday picked three consecutive righty...
Pirates pick Appalachian State reliever Jack Hartman in 4th round of MLB Draft
The Pittsburgh Pirates are making a run on right-handed pitching in the MLB Draft, taking their fourth consecutive by selecting Appalachian State senior reliever Jack Hartman in the fourth round (No. 108) on Thursday. “I’m speechless,” Hartman said in a statement released by Appalachian State. “I know that might sound...
Pirates pick Division III pitcher with ‘huge upside’ in Nick Garcia in 3rd round of MLB Draft
The Pittsburgh Pirates selected another right-handed pitcher when they took Nick Garcia of Chapman University (Calif.) with their third-round pick (No. 79) of the MLB Draft. The 6-foot-4, 215-pound Garcia went 9-0 with a 0.64 ERA and recorded 12 saves as the closer on Chapman’s 2019 Division III national champion...
Pirates select Southern California H.S. pitcher Jared Jones in 2nd round of MLB Draft
The Pittsburgh Pirates selected Southern California high school pitcher Jared Jones with their second-round pick (No. 44 overall) on Thursday in the MLB Draft. The 6-foot-2, 175-pound right-hander from La Mirada High School, a University of Texas recruit, has a fastball that sits in the mid-90s and a plus-slider but...
Movement on pitches makes Carmen Mlodzinski a high-ceiling prospect for Pirates
When Carmen Mlodzinski committed to South Carolina before his sophomore year of high school, he was a shortstop with a strong arm who was warned that he might end up on the mound. How Mlodzinski (pronounced Ma-gin-skee) became a pitcher who was a first-day draft pick of the Pittsburgh Pirates...
Pirates place premium on Cape Cod summer league success with first-day draft picks
The first round of their first MLB Draft together was lining up in a way that had Pittsburgh Pirates general manager Ben Cherington and his baseball operations staff feeling “really good.” The order of the picks wasn’t what they expected, as Arkansas outfielder Heston Kjerstad went higher than expected at...
Pirates select South Carolina right-hander Carmen Mlodzinski with 31st pick in MLB Draft
With their second pick on the first day of the MLB Draft, the Pittsburgh Pirates selected college pitcher Carmen Mlodzinski of South Carolina 31st overall in the Competitive Balance Round A. With the 31st pick in the #MLBDraft, we have selected Carmen Mlodzinski from the University of South Carolina.Welcome to...
Pirates pick New Mexico State shortstop Nick Gonzales in 1st round of MLB DraftVideo
Nick Gonzales knew that multiple mock drafts predicted the Pittsburgh Pirates would take him in the first round of the MLB Draft, and it started to feel real when he saw a photoshopped image of him in a Pirates uniform. When the New Mexico State middle infielder was still on...
Pirates release 39 minor league players, including Jake Elmore, in cost-cutting move
Hours before the MLB Draft on Wednesday, the Pittsburgh Pirates released 39 minor league players in a cost-cutting move. Pirates general manager Ben Cherington warned last week that cuts were coming, a result of anticipated contraction of minor league teams and the likelihood there won’t be a full minor league...
For Pirates, top-10 picks have been mixed bag of blessings, curses over past two decades
The Pittsburgh Pirates have the No. 7 overall pick in the MLB Draft, and it’s the first chance for Ben Cherington to make his mark as general manager in a way that predecessors David Littlefield and Neal Huntington couldn’t. If the past two decades for the Pirates are any indication,...
A look at possible Pirates 1st-round picks as GM Ben Cherington keeps it a guessing game
When Ben Cherington conducted a call on Zoom last week to discuss the MLB Draft, the Pittsburgh Pirates general manager was jokingly asked to divulge the team’s first-round target. “If you want to tell us who we’re taking,” Cherington said, “you have as good a guess as I do, probably,...
First MLB Draft as Pirates GM will be telling for how Ben Cherington wants to build for future
Before his first MLB Draft as Pittsburgh Pirates general manager, Ben Cherington was asked about his philosophy on making a first-round pick and gave the type of answer that wouldn’t tip his hand. “The simple, boring answer is best player available,” Cherington said last week on a conference call with...
Pirates All-Star Josh Bell calls this an ‘awesome opportunity’ for athletes to voice injusticesVideo
In a radio roundtable discussion on racial and social injustice, Pittsburgh Pirates All-Star first baseman Josh Bell called for police accountability, voting for candidates who push for reform and said this is “an awesome opportunity” for athletes of all races to come together and voice their concerns so “real change...
Burgh’s Best to Wear It, No. 86: Hines Ward came up all smiles for Steelers in best gameVideo
The Tribune-Review sports staff is conducting a daily countdown of the best players in Pittsburgh pro and college sports history to wear each jersey number. No. 86: Hines Ward Whether for his joyful jump into the end zone in Super Bowl XL or one of the vicious crackbacks that earned...
Piecing together a decent rotation could prove problematic for Pirates
Since trading Gerrit Cole, the Pittsburgh Pirates have been searching for an ace for their pitching staff. After losing Jameson Taillon to Tommy John surgery and Chris Archer to neurogenic thoracic outlet syndrome surgery, they are faced with a more daunting challenge. Forget finding an ace. The Pirates will have...
Kevin Gorman’s Take 5: Cuts coming for Pirates, but will a baseball season soon follow?
As the NBA and NHL prepare for the playoffs, baseball’s return remains on hold as MLB owners and the players’ association continue to haggle over economic issues. On Thursday, officials from the MLBPA held a digital meeting with more than 100 players, including the union’s executive board, then released a...
Chris Archer’s health issues make Tampa Bay trade a disaster that haunts Pirates
Two weeks into spring training, Chris Archer was counting down the days until Opening Day and the possibility of pitching for the Pittsburgh Pirates against the Tampa Bay Rays. For Archer, it would have marked a return to Tropicana Field and a shot at redemption for the ill-fated and lopsided...
Pirates would hold spring training at PNC Park, GM Ben Cherington confirms
Pittsburgh Pirates general manager Ben Cherington confirmed Wednesday that an abridged spring training to prepare for an MLB season this summer would be held at PNC Park. “If it happens, and assuming it happens, it would take place in Pittsburgh,” Cherington said on a conference call, adding that the club...
Pirates starting pitcher Chris Archer will miss 2020 season following surgery
Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Chris Archer will miss the 2020 MLB season after undergoing surgery to relieve symptoms of neurogenic thoracic outlet syndrome. The Pirates said the surgery was performed in St. Louis by Dr. Robert Thompson, a vascular surgeon at Washington University Center for Thoracic Outlet Syndrome at Barnes-Jewish Hospital....
Pirates speak out against George Floyd killing, vow to invest and ‘help effect positive change’
The Pittsburgh Pirates on Tuesday spoke out against the killing of George Floyd by Minneapolis police, calling it “yet another in a long, sad line of senseless acts of racial injustice in our country” and vowing to invest “the time, energy and resources necessary to help effect positive change.” In...
Burgh’s Best to Wear It, No. 92: James Harrison evolved into dominant defender
The Tribune-Review sports staff is conducting a daily countdown of the best players in Pittsburgh pro and college sports history to wear each jersey number. If James Harrison had quit football after being cut a handful of times in his first two seasons, he would have been just another guy...
