'Thank you, Pittsburgh:' Jameson Taillon writes long, fond farewell to Pirates fans, city

As he leaves town after being traded, Jameson Taillon wrote a long, fond farewell letter to the Pittsburgh Pirates, their fans and the city on MLB.com titled, “Thank you, Pittsburgh.”

Taillon, 29, was traded Sunday to the New York Yankees for four prospects, rejoining former teammate Gerrit Cole for baseball’s most storied and successful franchise.

The No. 2 overall pick in the 2010 MLB Draft out of The Woodlands High School near Houston, the right-handed Taillon was billed as a future ace for the pitching staff. One of the team’s most popular players, Taillon said he envisioned winning a world championship with the Pirates before his promising career was sidetracked by surgeries.

Thank you, Pittsburgh. Going to miss Yinz. https://t.co/sKIK06RqKA

— Jameson Taillon (@JTaillon50) January 28, 2021

“I had some of those clear-cut plans when I signed with the Pirates in 2010,” Taillon wrote. “I was going to make the big leagues by 2013. We were going to win a World Series by 2015. Those were the things I thought about when I entered pro ball at 18 years old. That was what I had in mind for my career.

“Clearly, that didn’t work out. This was not the super smooth, super easy path I dreamed of. I wish I’d had more time, pitched more often and won more games with the Pirates. I wish I had brought a World Series championship back to Pittsburgh playing alongside the guys I came up with.

“But I wouldn’t change my journey here for anything.”

Taillon twice had Tommy John surgery on his throwing elbow, sandwiched around procedures for a hernia and testicular cancer. He reminisced about the diagnosis and the date — May 8, 2017 — of the surgery to remove a testicle. He returned five weeks later, pitching against the Colorado Rockies at PNC Park.

“I could just feel the support,” Taillon wrote. “I remember running from the bullpen to the left-field line and back and reading the signs in the stands at PNC Park. You all went through a lot with me. I felt your excitement after every win and your backing through every bit of adversity. I truly can’t imagine going through what I went through anywhere else or with any other fanbase behind me.

“Unfortunately, that wasn’t the first or last time I needed that support. It’s not fun to go through the Tommy John rehab process once, much less twice, and it’s not fun to always be the ‘hurt guy.’ But I learned the value of patience, and I learned first-hand over the years that my teammates, the city of Pittsburgh and the Pirates organization will have your back.”