Pirates/MLB category, Page 183

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...

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...

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...

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,...

Chris Archer and Steve Nelson are among two dozen former or current professional athletes with ties to Pittsburgh that are supporting the Players Coalition’s effort to end qualified immunity for police officers and government officials. The Players Coalition gathered more than 1,400 signatures from athletes representing the NFL, NBA and...

Wednesday’s “First Call” was inspired by the flashbacks so many were dedicating to Mario Lemieux. Tuesday was the anniversary of his draft selection by the Pittsburgh Penguins back in 1984. And that got me thinking of how many home runs the Penguins hit with their high draft choices. If you...

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,...

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...

Bruce Meyer, the MLB Players Association’s chief negotiator, condemned MLB’s “cynical tactic of depriving America of baseball games.” Hey, Bruce … right now, nobody even notices. Thanks to Meyer for another example of baseball’s exaggerated self-importance. We’re never deprived of that. It seems MLB, as per an agreement reached in...

After a week off, the “Madden Monday” podcast is back. Mark Madden and Tim Benz take a long look at attempts to reboot the NHL and MLB seasons. Why are both leagues constantly getting in their own way? From a hockey perspective, the issue seems to be how long things...

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...

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...

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...

Between owner Bob Nutting so obviously prioritizing profit over winning and attendance not permitted at PNC Park for what figures to be well over a year, the Pirates might be in a load of trouble once tickets can be sold again. It’s hard to imagine anyone being interested. The Pirates...

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...

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....

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...

As MLB teams are releasing hundreds of minor-league players in cost-cutting measures, the Pittsburgh Pirates have committed to paying their 300-plus players in the minors $400 weekly stipends plus health care benefits through June, a source told the Tribune-Review on Saturday. With additional teams in short-season Class A and Dominican...

Pittsburgh Pirates bench coach Don Kelly and Pittsburgh police Chief Scott Schubert didn’t just distribute lunches to children at Paulson Recreation Center. They also handed out baseball cards. Pirates Charities and the Pittsburgh Bureau of Police Officers teamed with the Topps Company to launch a program earlier this month that...

St. Louis authorities on Thursday confirmed that suspended Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Felipe Vazquez is charged with sending pornographic pictures of himself to a minor last summer. Documents provided by the St. Louis Circuit Attorney’s Office said Vazquez was charged in February with one count of furnishing pornographic materials to a...

Gov. Tom Wolf issued an order Wednesday afternoon that allows Pittsburgh’s pro sports franchises to return to using their team facilities, albeit without spectators. The order, which provides guidelines for pro teams in counties in the yellow or green phase of the governor’s plan for reopening, paves the way for...