Kevin Gorman stories, Page 129
Kevin Gorman: Pulse of Pirates can beat with Bryan Reynolds, his big batVideo
BRADENTON, Fla. There’s an expression baseball coaches have for hitters like Bryan Reynolds, a compliment as much for his approach to the plate as for the simplicity of his swing. When talking about Reynolds, Pittsburgh Pirates manager Derek Shelton borrowed a phrase his predecessor, Clint Hurdle, liked to use: Slow...
Mitch Keller will start Grapefruit League opener for Pirates, a reunion for Derek SheltonVideo
BRADENTON, Fla. — Pittsburgh Pirates manager Derek Shelton doesn’t want to take too much credit for naming Mitch Keller the starting pitcher for Saturday’s Grapefruit League opener against the Minnesota Twins at LECOM Park. “It’s the rotation of where Oscar has him slated,” Shelton said of pitching coach Oscar Marin....
Kevin Gorman’s Take 5: Baseball needs its best players to speak up like LeBron on scandalVideo
BRADENTON, Fla. — LeBron James might not play baseball but the NBA icon has earned the respect of professional athletes for using his platform to speak up on social issues. When the Los Angeles Lakers star called out MLB commissioner Rob Manfred on Twitter for his handling of the Houston...
Kevin Gorman: Joe Musgrove suffers in silence amid talk of Houston Astros’ tainted title
BRADENTON, Fla. Jameson Taillon held court with reporters Wednesday inside the clubhouse at Pirate City about MLB commissioner Rob Manfred’s handling of the Houston Astros’ cheating scheme that led to a World Series championship. Joe Musgrove stood in silence at the next locker. It was indicative of how tricky the...
After heartbreaking injury and complicated surgery, Nick Burdi fighting for job with PiratesVideo
BRADENTON, Fla. — Nick Burdi was nonchalant about being back on the mound Wednesday to throw live batting practice at Pirate City, considering what it took for him to get there. It wasn’t so much a monumental milestone to the Pittsburgh Pirates right-hander as it was a stride toward normality...
Pirates’ Pablo Reyes suspended 80 games by MLB for using performance-enhancing drugs
BRADENTON, Fla. — Pittsburgh Pirates infielder-outfielder Pablo Reyes has been suspended 80 games without pay for using performance-enhancing drugs, Major League Baseball announced. Reyes tested positive for the anabolic steroid Boldenone, according to MLB.com reporter Adam Berry. MLB announced that Pirates INF/OF Pablo Reyes has received an 80-game suspension without...
Kevin Gorman’s Take 5: For Derek Shelton, having Pirates alums at spring training is ‘awesome’Video
BRADENTON, Fla. — A trio of World Series champions for the 1979 Pittsburgh Pirates are familiar faces around Pirate City but their presence is profound for Derek Shelton. The new Pirates manager had one word for alums John Candelaria, Omar Moreno and Manny Sanguillen serving as special instructors at spring...
Confidence returns for Pirates reliever Kyle Crick after finding ‘huge tell’
BRADENTON, Fla. — Kyle Crick wants to put a forgettable season, one in which he faltered in a setup role and fractured his index finger in a fistfight, behind him. What might sound odd is the 27-year-old right-handed reliever is more confident than ever this spring training with the Pittsburgh...
Kevin Gorman: Miserable major-league debut fuels Mitch Keller to live up to expectationsVideo
BRADENTON, Fla. Mitch Keller can’t put his finger on what went wrong in a miserable major league debut when he gave up six hits, including a grand slam, and surrendered six runs in the first inning of a Memorial Day massacre at Cincinnati. It was painful to watch, even more...
Kevin Gorman’s Take 5: Pirates willing to give Erik Gonzalez a long look at third base
The Pittsburgh Pirates have failed to find a full-time starter at third base since Pedro Alvarez left the hot corner, trying Jung Ho Kang, David Freese and Colin Moran there to no avail. Where Freese was sent to the Los Angeles Dodgers at the 2018 trade deadline, Kang bombed out...
Pirates bring smiles to All-Stars’ faces by hosting Miracle League fantasy campVideo
SARASOTA, Fla. — One by one, Pittsburgh Pirates players were introduced to cheers and claps. The rousing ovations, however, were reserved for the All-Star lineup they were there to honor. After their first full-squad workout of spring training at Pirate City, the Pirates hosted a fantasy camp Monday at the...
Kevin Gorman: Derek Shelton’s intentions get Pirates’ attention for first full-squad workoutVideo
RADENTON, Fla. Derek Shelton understood the magnitude of the moment for his speech before the first full-squad workout of his first spring training as manager of the Pittsburgh Pirates. Now that he had their attention, he wanted their intentions. Shelton is sending a new, player-centric message to the team: He...
Pirates’ Adam Frazier wants to improve at plate after playing through pain in 2019Video
BRADENTON, Fla. – Adam Frazier revealed a secret that helps explain his inconsistency at the plate last season and gives an indication of his willingness to play through pain. The Pittsburgh Pirates second baseman broke his right index finger in spring training, then suffered a slight separation in his right...
Kevin Gorman: Making the majors a tall order for Pirates shortstop prospect Oneil CruzVideo
BRADENTON, Fla. – Things are looking up at shortstop for the Pittsburgh Pirates, as top prospect Oneil Cruz is officially listed at 6-foot-7 after being measured at his physical exam. Cruz is the tallest position player at the major-league camp in spring training at Pirate City, and hopes to become...
Kevin Gorman: Jarrod Dyson is nothing if not completely candid when it comes to the Pirates
BRADENTON, Fla. — Jarrod Dyson was with the Pittsburgh Pirates for all of a day when he had the clubhouse cracking up, pulling a stack of scratch-off lottery tickets out of his leather backpack that fell to the floor like a Slinky. “I’m messing around, trying to hit the lotto...
Pirates’ Trevor Williams works on building strong foundation, adds new pitchVideo
BRADENTON, Fla. — Trevor Williams dropped weight and got a new delivery in the offseason, a development he deadpanned had nothing to do with baseball. Instead, it was pure exhaustion. “It’s stress that’s taking the pounds off,” Williams said with a laugh, as his family expanded from three...
Kevin Gorman: Oscar Marin on mission to help Pirates pitchers understand analyticsVideo
BRADENTON, Fla. Oscar Marin is a man on a mission, one that looked impossible last summer: rescue and revive the pitching staff of the Pittsburgh Pirates. As pitching coach, the 37-year-old Marin has brought old-school values and new-age ideas to the Pirates in ways Ray Searage either couldn’t or wouldn’t....
Now longest-tenured Pirate, Gregory Polanco healthy, ready to playVideo
BRADENTON, Fla. – When Gregory Polanco reported to spring training Saturday and declared he was happy and healthy, the Pittsburgh Pirates had to be as relieved as they are thrilled. After missing a quarter of last season following surgery on his left shoulder, Polanco pronounced himself “way better”...
Kevin Gorman: Pirates’ search for shortstop of future starts with Kevin Newman, Cole TuckerVideo
BRADENTON, Fla. Kevin Newman and Cole Tucker are former first-round picks who play the same position for the Pittsburgh Pirates. When it comes to their performance, the shortstops are more opposites than anything. Where Newman had a nondescript debut in the major leagues in August 2018, Tucker made an unforgettable...
Kevin Gorman’s Take 5: Are you ready for some Pirates spring training football?
BRADENTON, Fla. – When Pittsburgh Pirates pitchers started to activate for workouts – a fancy way of saying to warm up – they found a football on the half-fields at Pirate City. Soon enough, Derek Holland had it in his hands. The left-hander got Kyle Crick, Keone Kela, Mitch Keller,...
Kevin Gorman: Adjusted arm angle has Pirates first baseman Josh Bell throwing like TekeVideo
BRADENTON, Fla. — When Josh Bell fielded the grounder at first base and spun for the throw to second, he did so in a way that should draw the instant attention of Pittsburgh Pirates fans. The short-arm throw that made you cringe every time he tried to turn two? Now,...
Jarrod Dyson reports to Pirates ready to be Starling Marte’s replacement in center field
BRADENTON, Fla — It wasn’t lost on Jarrod Dyson that he is not only swapping teams with Starling Marte by signing with the Pittsburgh Pirates but also will take his position and his number. Dyson, who arrived at Pirate City on Thursday after signing a one-year contract, is expected to...
Kevin Gorman’s Take 5: Signing Jarrod Dyson will force Pirates to make an interesting moveVideo
BRADENTON, Fla. — The Pittsburgh Pirates declared one important move Wednesday when manager Derek Shelton named Keone Kela the closer but are waiting to make a formal announcement on another. Their search for a center fielder to replace Starling Marte brought about an agreement to sign Jarrod Dyson, whose one-year,...
Kevin Gorman: A special start for new Pirates manager Derek SheltonVideo
BRADENTON, Fla. This was the first workout for Pittsburgh Pirates pitchers and catchers, so full uniforms were required for the first time in spring training at Pirate City. That meant something special to Derek Shelton, as it marked the first time he wore a black Pirates jersey and gray uniform...
Pirates manager Derek Shelton wastes no time naming Keone Kela the closerVideo
BRADENTON, Fla. — On the first day of pitchers and catchers workouts at spring training, Pirates manager Derek Shelton wasted no time announcing an important decision. After saying last month Keone Kela would have a prominent back-end role out of the bullpen, Shelton on Wednesday declared Kela will be the...
