Last week, I wrote that Oneil Cruz — probably the the team’s top prospect, with the graduation of Mitch Keller and Ke’Bryan Hayes — would likely never play baseball again. When I wrote about the deadly car crash that Cruz was involved in last week, I mentioned that the accusation that Cruz had driven under […]
It is fittingly Pirate-y that this season is coming to an end just as the Bucs are heating up and the team is having fun. The last game of the season was an entertaining one, even if the Pirates lost. Sunday’s game capped a week of downright competent play from the Bucs. Ke’Bryan Hayes continued […]
If you want to take a guess at who the best position player and pitcher currently on the Pirates are, Saturday night was a convincing tableau. Ke’Bryan Hayes continued his tear at the plate, going 5-for-5 with two doubles and three singles. His approach continues to be impressive; Hayes only swung five times last night, […]
It’s been a busy 24 hours for yours truly, so I haven’t been able to rattle off my thoughts about Game 1 of the Pirates’ last series of the season until half an hour before first pitch for Game 2. Mitch Keller pitched an ugly no hitter through 5 innings, walking 8 and striking out […]
The Pirates might just blow their shot at Kumar Rocker yet. On Thursday, the Bucs closed out a series victory over the Cubs with a 7-0 domination over the likely NL Central champions. The Texas Rangers were beat just as badly as the Cubs last night, meaning they’re now just a game back of the […]
The Trevor Williams era will not be remembered fondly by Pirates fans. He arrived in Pittsburgh in 2016, the team’s first losing season in four years, and the Pirates were mostly incompetent during his tenure. His best year, 2018, also happened to be the only year the Bucs finished above .500 while Williams was on […]
In May 2019, the Pittsburgh Pirates felt they were so loaded with catching talent that Jacob Stallings was expendable. When Stallings was sent back down to AAA, Pirates management knew there was a nonzero chance another team would claim him. But he passed through the waiver wire untouched. Less than a year later, Stallings was […]
9/29/20: An update on Cruz’s situation can be found here. Before I even get to the baseball aspect of this news, let me start by saying the loss of a prospect is nothing compared to the loss of a life; that as disappointed as Pirate fans feel right now, it’s nothing compared to the pain […]
I guess I’ll be sad when the season ends, for the Pirates at least, on Sunday. I’m glad that we were able to get some baseball in during this wretched year. There are some positives to take away from 2020, like Ke’Bryan Hayes’ performance or the fact that the Pirates might pick first in next […]
After years of watching Ray Searage try to stuff square pegs into round holes, I and many other Pirate fans were ready for a pitching coach with a new approach. There weren’t a lot of reasons to look forward to the 2020 season as a Pittsburgh baseball fan, but seeing what Oscar Marin could do […]
Bucco Ball 