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The Bae Effect: How Ji Hwan Bae Could be a Game Changer for the Pirates

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Ji Hwan Bae showed how some of the new rules in Major League Baseball can be used to generate runs. With his speed, he could prove to be a gamechanger for the Pirates in 2023 It was a strong start to the season for the Pittsburgh Pirates (1-0) as they won the opener on Cincinnati against the Reds 5-4. Amongst the ok start from Mitch Keller, the offenses inability to get a big hit, and the excitement of the first win of the season, one of the things I noticed was the Pirates ability to use small ball to their advantage. Of their five runs scored, four came by the Pirates showing patience at the plate and using small ball to generate runs. While most recap stories I have seen are gushing about Oneil Cruz's start to the season, the thing that stood out to me was the work of second baseman Ji Hwan Bae. He made his first career Opening Day start and went 2-3 with a double, a walk, two stolen bases, and two runs scored. He was a guy who I was hoping would make the trip north
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Yinzer USA: David Bednar Strong WBC A Sign of Things to Come

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David Bednar was one of the most dominant relievers for Team USA in the 2023 World Baseball Classic . The right-hander is hoping it's a sign of things to come for the 2023 Season. Renegade may not have been blaring through LoanDepot Park when Team USA reliever David Bednar entered the World Baseball Classic Championship game on Tuesday, but it was a big moment for Team USA. Bednar was staring down some of the best left-handed hitters in the Japan lineup, including MLB sensation Shohei Ohtani. Bednar showed the world what he has been showing Pittsburgh for the last two seasons, facing just three batters, with the lone hit being an Ohtani infield single. Although his team didn't win the WBC,   he showed the National stage what he has been showing Pittsburgh each of the last two seasons, that he is one of the most dominant relievers in the game right now. Bednar is once again slated to be the Pirates closer in 2023, although Manager Derek Shelton won't use that ter
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We're Back: Buccos Cove is Making a Return

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After a long hiatus, I'm back to writing about what I love, Pittsburgh Pirates baseball. Can't wait to be putting out content again. Hi everyone! First of all, I know it has been a long hiatus since my last post so I figured I would explain what a whirlwind it has been. I started this blog back in July of 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic as a way to use the free time that the pandemic offered us to pursue writing about one of my passions in life, our Pittsburgh Pirates. I was working as a Promotions Coordinator at a local radio station and the job allowed me the opportunity to grow professionally as well as continue writing on a regular basis. We went strong through the COVID-shortened 2020 season and kept it going through the off-season and into the 2021 season. I have been a Pirates fan since the age of 12 and have regularly throughout my middle school and high school years, and even today, been constantly asked "Why do you like the Pirates when they stink?&
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The Best Lineup on Paper: The 50th Anniversary of Pirates History

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On September 1st, 1971, the Pittsburgh Pirates were the first Major League Baseball team to field an all-minority starting lineup. We look back on the players who made up that lineup, and the significance it had on the game of baseball. The 1971 Pittsburgh Pirates were a team full of talent, and it showed when they claimed the 1971 World Series Championship. With guys like Roberto Clemente, Willie Stargell, and Steve Blass in the prime years of their careers, no matter who you had in the lineup night in and night out, you were bound to have a strong lineup. So, on September 1st, 1971, manager Danny Murtaugh was filling out the lineup card like he had all summer long. He was trying to construct the best lineup he could as the 82-56 Pirates took on the 57-78 Philadelphia Phillies. He wrote down the names of the eight best guys he had to back up star pitcher Dock Ellis on the mound. He didn't realize it at the time, but those nine names on that lineup card would end up mak
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Tsutsugo Flexing Muscles in Pirates Uniform, Earning Playing Time

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So far, Yoshi Tsutsugo has been one of the best Pirates pick-ups of the season, hitting five home runs, including a walk-off home run yesterday. We look at what has made him more successful and how he is earning his way into next season's plans. If there is one thing the Pittsburgh Pirates have been lacking this season, it is a true power threat. Bryan Reynolds has emerged with 21 home runs this season setting a career-high, but there is no one in the lineup that when they come to the plate they strike fear into their opponents. The closest thing they have to that is still in the Minor Leagues in the form of Mason Martin, who has struggled mightily as of late. So, when the Pirates had two on and one out in the ninth inning while being down 3-1 to the St. Louis Cardinals yesterday, no one was really getting their hopes up. However, stepping to the plate was a guy who in 12 games with the Pirates had four home runs and was hitting over .300 in his first 26 at-bats. That g
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COVID Stint Doesnt Slow Down Chad Kuhl in Move to Bullpen

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Before he landed on the COVID IL in late July, Chad Kuhl was one of the hottest pitchers in the starting rotation. Now that he is back, he isn't stopping and is embracing his new role in the bullpen. At the beginning of the 2021 season, Chad Kuhl looked like a broken starting pitcher. He had trouble just getting out of the first inning, and control issues plagued him throughout the early part of the season. He had a 6.32 ERA through the month of May and was not pitching like the Opening Day starter that he was named coming out of Spring Training. He had walked 16 batters and struck out 14 batters over 15.2 innings of work. He had an opponents batting average of .222, but his control issues were setting him up for failure every time out. He ended up landing on the 10-day IL with "right shoulder discomfort" and would be shut down for nearly a month before going on a rehab assignment. He came back at the end of June and, after a sub-par June, he came back with a
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The Sweep Eludes Pittsburgh Again: Why the Pirates Can't Complete a Sweep in 2021

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The Pittsburgh Pirates entered Wednesday night's game with a chance to sweep for the 11th time this season. For the 11th time, they failed to pick up a sweep, and are the only team in the MLB without a sweep this season. You haven't gotten the chance to say it much this season, but the Pittsburgh Pirates entered Wednesday night's game as the better team on paper. The Pirates were 46-80 entering play against the Arizona Diamondbacks, who sat at 42-85. The Pirates had taken the first two games of the series and entered Wednesday still looking for that first sweep of the year. In ten previous chances, the Pirates were 0-10 this season, but this time it looked like they had a shot. Bryse Wilson did his part, throwing five shutout innings and the Pirates rewarded him with a 2-0 lead. However, that lead would fade as the Diamondbacks tied the game in the sixth and scored five runs in the past three innings to win 5-2. It moved the team to 0-11 this season when they ha
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