Buccos Cove

The 2020 Rule 5 Draft is scheduled to take place on December 10th, 2020, as part of the Winter Meetings and the Pirates have some interesting prospects eligible. We will break down all the Rule 5 players and whether or not the Pirates should worry about losing them or not. During a pitcher's rise through the Minor Leagues, their roles can change several times. They will jump around from starter to reliever based on how their pitches are developing, new players entering the system, or to give them a change of pace. For pitcher Oliver Garcia, he is in the middle of a transition from the starting rotation to the bullpen, and he is thriving. A move to the bullpen helped him jump three levels of the Minor League ladder and allowed him to go from a low-90s pitcher to a mid-90s pitcher with a fastball reaching 95 miles per hour. At 22-years-old, this former outfielder converted pitcher is looking to show his chops on the mound in 2021. He is in his first year of Rule 5 Draft e...

The non-tender deadline is coming up on December 2nd, and all players on the 40-man roster must have a 2021 contract by that time. Today, we look at Pirates who might not make the cut for the 2021 season. When people think of off-season moves, they normally think of the big free agent signings and the blockbuster deals that see stars go from one team to another. However, possibly the bigger part of the off-season is arbitration season where players receive performance bonuses before they hit their years of free agency. Coming into the off-season, the Pittsburgh Pirates had 19 arbitration-eligible players accounting for nearly half the roster. Some of those have already been cut out, with the designation of guys like Trevor Williams, Nick Burdi, and Luke Maile. Even with the cuts, 13 arbitration-eligible players remain for the Pirates to tender contracts to. However, it is likely that not all 13 players will get contracts by the non-tender deadline on December 2nd, making th...

The 2020 Rule 5 Draft is scheduled to take place on December 10th, 2020, as part of the Winter Meetings and the Pirates have some interesting prospects eligible. We will break down all the Rule 5 players and whether or not the Pirates should worry about losing them or not. The transition to professional baseball can be hard, but if you are able to get over those initial struggles, it can have its rewards. Pittsburgh Pirates pitching prospect Osvaldo Bido has faced several hurdles throughout his professional baseball career but has hit a late spurt of success that has him rising through the Minor League ranks. He went from almost being off the Pirate's radar in 2017 to becoming the ace of the Greensboro Grasshoppers staff in 2019. The loss of the 2020 Minor League season hurt Bido big time not only from a development standpoint but from an age standpoint as well. He is entering his age 25 season in 2021, he is already one of the oldest prospects in Class Low-A baseball. ...

The 2020 Rule 5 Draft is scheduled to take place on December 10th, 2020, as part of the Winter Meetings and the Pirates have some interesting prospects eligible. We will break down all the Rule 5 players and whether or not the Pirates should worry about losing them or not. When you think of some of the top prospects around Major League baseball, you usually see them coming from Big Schools. However, a deeper look into the prospect poll will show talent around the collegiate levels. Community Colleges have produced top MLB stars like Albert Pujols, Bryce Harper, and Mike Piazza. A pitcher in the Pirates system who is trying to be the next Community College standout is right-handed pitcher Alex Manasa. Man as a has gotten better in every one of his Minor League seasons as he develops his arsenal. He is one of the most athletic pitchers in the Pirates organization, being a former outfielder at Jackson County Community College. He is now in his first year if eligibility for the...

The Pittsburgh Pirates have had a lot of players grace the team in their history, but one of them is connected to a Super Bowl Champion. Pat Mahomes, father of Kansas City Chiefs Quarterback Patrick Mahomes, was a pitcher for the Pittsburgh Pirates at the end of his career in 2003. Last season, the Kansas City Chiefs won the Superbowl for the first time in 40 years when they defeated the San Francisco 49ers. Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes has been highly regarded as one of the best in the NFL. However, his roots began in baseball watching his dad Pat Mahomes pitch in the MLB for parts of 10 seasons. Mahomes senior pitched for six Major League teams over his ten-year career, and Patrick Mahomes took influence from his dad, playing both baseball and football growing up. One of those teams that Mahomes would pitch for towards the end of his Major League career was the Pittsburgh Pirates. He pitched mostly out of the Pirates bullpen, aside from making one spot start, and ha...

The 2020 Rule 5 Draft is scheduled to take place on December 10th, 2020, as part of the Winter Meetings and the Pirates have some interesting prospects eligible. We will break down all the Rule 5 players and whether or not the Pirates should worry about losing them or not. A power arm under twenty years old is an MLB Organizations' dream. Young talent from within is always beneficial and you can develop that young arm into what you want him to be as a professional pitcher. That is exactly what the Pirates have in right-handed pitcher Noe Toribio. Toribio was signed by the Pirates prior to the 2016 season and has spent four of his five professional seasons climbing the ladder as a starting pitcher in rookie ball. In fact, it wasn't until 2019 that he broke the barrier between Rookie Ball and Short-season ball as he continued to work on his control and command of his pitches. This leaves the Pirates in a predicament as Toribio enters his first year of Rule 5 Draft eli...

A true power bat is something the Pirates have desperately needed one the last several seasons. Today's Free Agent Friday looks at an outfielder who could bring some pop to the Pirates bench at a relatively cheap price. One of the biggest holes in the Pittsburgh Pirates batting order in 2020 was the power. The Pirates ranked 27th in the league with 59 total home runs, and Colin Moran was the only Pirate to hit double-digit home runs during the year. With Josh Bell being the only proven home run guy, there is no protection for him as the Pirates get towards the middle of their order. Guys like Ke'Bryan Hayes and Bryan Reynolds provide a little bit of pop, but not the dangerous presence at the plate that would scare off opposing pitchers just yet. With the outfield makeup still fairly uncertain, there is an option available on the market that could bring power at an affordable price. Outfielder Domingo Santana has spent the last three seasons bouncing around three dif...

Infielder Phillip Evans burst onto the scene for the Pirates in the early part of 2020, proving to be a utility man with a good glove and power in his bat. Looking at the make-up of the 2021 Pirates roster we look at where Evans fits in the Pirates plans this season. Before Ke'Bryan Hayes ever graced the PNC Park field in 2020, there was another infielder who was making his mark on the Major League club. After being released by the New York Mets in 2018 and Chicago Cubs in 2019, the Pirates took a chance signing Minor League free agent Phillip Evans. They gave him an invite to Spring Training, and he impressed the Pirates coaching staff hitting .333 (11-33) with two home runs, nine RBI, and six total extra-base hits. He earned his way onto the Big League roster for Opening Day and was a bench player through the early part of the season. He was never guaranteed playing time but ended up earning his way into the Pirates lineup. He filled in at first base, second base, thi...

The Pittsburgh Pirates added depth to their pitching staff yesterday when they claimed pitcher Asthon Goudeau. However, they had to say goodbye to first-round draft pick Will Craig, who was designated for assignment to make room for Goudeau. For the last five years, the Pittsburgh Pirates have been pondering what to do with former first-round draft pick Will Craig. He had been blocked by Josh Bell and Colin Moran at first case for the last two years and he has only had four at-bats in the Major Leagues. Many were questioning if 2021 was going to be Craig's year, but the Pirates had different plans. They designated Will Craig for assignment making him a free agent and clearing up space on the Pirates 40-man roster. However, the spot wouldn't remain open for long as the Pirates claimed starting pitcher Ashton Goudeau from the Colorado Rockies off waivers. Goudeau had been a rising star in the Rockies Minor League system, going from a bullpen arm to an ace in the Doubl...

The 2020 Rule 5 Draft is scheduled to take place on December 10th, 2020, as part of the Winter Meetings and the Pirates have some interesting prospects eligible. We will break down all the Rule 5 players and whether or not the Pirates should worry about losing them or not. Heading into the 2018 season, Travis MacGregor was one of the top pitching prospects in the Pirates organization. He ranked as the #19 overall prospect and was projected to be a middle-of-the-rotation arm for the Pirates. However, disaster struck during the 2018 season when MacGregor had to undergo Tommy John Surgery. He hasn't been on a Big League mound since and was looking to get back to action in 2020. However, the shutdown sent him back home and forced him to train and rehab from his home in Tarpon Springs, Florida. 2021 is a season of redemption for MacGregor as he looks to get back on track to the Major Leagues. However, after being away from the game for two years, the come back is going to be...

The Pittsburgh Pirates ushered in a new era of Pirates baseball when they hired manager Derek Shelton. It was seven months later when Shelton got his first professional win against the St. Louis Cardinals. After working as a coach in Major League Baseball for 15 seasons spanning four different organizations, Derek Shelton finally reached his goal of being a Big League manager in 2020. He was hired by the Pirates on November 27th, 2019, and was ready to hit the ground running. When he got the team into Spring Training, he wanted to establish a culture of fun, but with winning as the top priority. He had a group that many counted out at the beginning of the season, and he and the baseball operations staff wanted to get a good look at the talent they had. This meant moving some guys around and getting bench guys more playing time as they evaluated each player's value. Then, the baseball world was struck by the COVID-19 shutdown-ending Spring Training right then and there. ...

The 2020 Rule 5 Draft is scheduled to take place on December 10th, 2020, as part of the Winter Meetings and the Pirates have some interesting prospects eligible. We will break down all the Rule 5 players and whether or not the Pirates should worry about losing them or not. Coming out of high school, pitcher Hunter Stratton wasn't getting much attention from Major scouts at the college or professional level. He had a fastball that topped out at just 87 miles per hour but was looking for a place to continue playing baseball. That is when he went to Walters State Community College, and he ended up refining his craft. Now, he has a fastball in the mid-90s and has bounced around between the bullpen and the starting rotation. His higher velocity has been a strength for him, but his road in professional baseball has been full of ups and downs. As Stratton enters the 2021 season, he is looking to make the biggest jump of a Minor Leaguer's career, going from Advanced-A to Do...

2020 has been a weird year for everyone in professional sports, but it has been that much weirder for the 2020 class of MLB Draft picks. Today, we project where Pittsburgh Pirates' first round picks Nick Gonzales and Carmen Mlodzinski will start their professional careers. The 2020 season had its fair share of ups and downs and surprises for all 30 Major League Baseball teams. From COVID-19 outbreaks on two teams to playing in a bubble, things were different as all 30 teams tried to navigate a regular and post-season all during a pandemic. However, the harder transition came for the draft class of 2020. They didn't get the opportunity to start right in with their organization but instead had to either work at the team's satellite camp or begin their professional training in their own backyards. The Pittsburgh Pirates' two first round draft picks had very different introductions to their organization. While seventh overall pick Nick Gonzales got to work out a...

The 2020 Rule 5 Draft is scheduled to take place on December 10th, 2020, as part of the Winter Meetings and the Pirates have some interesting prospects eligible. We will break down all the Rule 5 players and whether or not the Pirates should worry about losing them or not. During the 2016 Major League Baseball draft, the Pittsburgh Pirates were stockpiling pitching talent, especially left-handed pitchers. Seven of their first 10 picks we're pitchers with three of those seven being left-handed. One of the top high school pitchers they signed that year was one of those left-handed pitchers, Braeden Ogle. Ogle came to the Pirates from Jensen Beach High School in Florida and has found success at every level he has pitched at so far. He made it as high as Advanced-A Bradenton in 2019 and has seemingly found a home as a middle-reliever in the Pirates system. It has allowed him to use his fastball more effectively and he can in turn use his breaking pitches better. Even though...

Coming off the worst record in Major League Baseball in 2020, the Pirates are trying to rebuild for the future. With player's names circulating on the rumor mill, we break down some of the latest rumors surrounding the team. We are about a month into the 2020 Major League Baseball off-season and so far the Hot Stove has been more like a low simmer. With only, a couple shot signings taking place, and many of the top free agents on the market are still out there for the taking. After finishing 2020 with the worst record in Major League Baseball, Ben Cherrington and the Pittsburgh Pirates are starting the rebuilding phase of their plan as they try to get back to contention. That means that some of the team's top players are going to be getting interest from teams that are looking to compete right now and in turn, it will allow the Pirates to try and stockpile young talent that will eventually help the team turn things around. Despite a slow offseason so far, the rumor ...