A Pittsburgh Pirates podcast

The Pirates are unwilling to go all-in during the Paul Skenes window

The Pirates made a splash (or probably just a ripple) at the annual MLB Winter Meetings on Tuesday when they acquired infielder Spencer Horwitz from the Cleveland Guardians in exchange for three pitchers–one promising young Major League starter and two prospects. The promising young Major Leaguer is Luis Ortiz, who had a bit of a… read more

A Pittsburgh Pirates podcast

Paul Skenes may not have won the Cy Young in 2024, but he will one day

As expected, Chris Sale, the Atlanta Braves veteran pitcher, was named the 2024 National League Cy Young Award winner on Wednesday. Sale, whose previous three seasons were either lost or compromised due to injuries and surgery, had an 18-3 record in 29 starts a season ago. He finished with a 2.38 ERA (best in MLB)… read more

Paul Skenes, Luis Gil Win MLB Rookie of the Year Awards

Starting pitchers won both Rookie of the Year trophies to kick off Awards Week in Major League Baseball. Paul Skenes of the Pittsburgh Pirates and Luis Gil of the New York Yankees took the honors. PAUL SKENES The Pittsburgh Pirates could not have made a better choice to start the 2023 MLB Draft than Paul… read more

Naming my picks for 2024 MLB Season Awards

While the Postseason gets underway, fans will be debating who will be named the recipient of the 2024 MLB regular season awards. Members of the Baseball Writers Association of America have already submitted their ballots and we won’t know the winners until after the World Series this month. I’m not a member of the BBWAA,… read more

A Pittsburgh Pirates podcast

The Pirates aren’t the only team struggling to make it as a small-market franchise

During the MLB offseason, I was on Twitter talking about the Pirates and their reputation as a small-market franchise that doesn’t know how to win and has an owner–Bob Nutting–with no real desire to try to win. I contended that, yes, it had been 45 years since Pittsburgh last appeared in and won a World… read more

A Pittsburgh Pirates podcast

I can’t wait to watch the Pirates play postseason baseball again

Tuesday, October 1, 2024, was the 11th anniversary of the Pirates’ exciting and demon exorcising 6-2 victory over the Reds in the 2013 National League Wild Card Game at PNC Park. Countless dignitaries–including the pitcher who recorded the final out in that game, former Pirates closer Jason Grilli–weighed in on the anniversary and shared their… read more

A Pittsburgh Pirates podcast

Paul Skenes briefly dominates Yankees in final start of his rookie season

Oh what could have been: The Pirates taking on the Bronx Bombers at the legendary Yankees Stadium on a rainy Saturday afternoon in the penultimate game of the 2024 regular season. Picture this: Pittsburgh, with rookie phenom Paul Skenes on the mound for his final start of a sensational first year, is looking to wrap… read more

A Pittsburgh Pirates podcast

Pirates end home portion of 2024 schedule with quiet loss to Brewers

The final hotdog of the 2024 campaign was sold at PNC Park on Thursday afternoon, as the Pirates closed out the home portion of their schedule with a 5-2 loss to the National League Central Division champion Brewers. Mitch Keller, who was having a pretty darn good year until, like a lot of Buccos, mediocrity… read more

A Pittsburgh Pirates podcast

Nobody should be shocked at the cheapness of Pirates owner Bob Nutting

Despite being all out of everything with just days to go in the 2024 regular season, the Pirates managed to make news in the most negative way on Tuesday when it was announced that veteran first baseman Rowdy Tellez was DFA’d (Designated For Assignment). In baseball lingo, that means Tellez, 29, was released. He’s no… read more

A Pittsburgh Pirates podcast

Pirates salvage final game of four-game series at Busch Stadium

I haven’t written much about the Pirates, lately. I wanted to, don’t get me wrong, but it’s September in Pittsburgh, and priorities change once summer bleeds into fall. Bleeds…I suppose that’s an accurate way to describe the Pirates’ plight since the end of July aka the much-anticipated trade deadline. Pittsburgh made a few solid moves… read more

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