Buccos Cove

Before the 2021 MLB All-Star game gets underway on July 13th in Colorado, the stars of tomorrow will take the field in the 2021 Futures Game. A pair of Pirates pitching prospects will take part in the event as Quinn Priester and Roansy Contreras got the nod. While the Pittsburgh Pirates begin their build for the future, a lot of the excitement for the team is down in the Minor Leagues. With all four affiliate teams having winning records this season, it is pretty easy to get excited about what these players might do for the Big League club one day. As we head towards the 2021 MLB All-Star Break, the top players across Minor League Baseball will converge on Coors Field in Denver, Colorado for the 2021 MLB Futures Game. In years past, the Pirates have had guys like Mitch Keller, Ke'Bryan Hayes, and Gregory Polanco participate in the event who are now impacting the Big League club. This season, the Pirates have two of their top Minor League pitchers representing the organi

The battle for the nine All-Star starter spots is coming down to the wire and Adam Frazier is fighting to start the All-Star game at second base. We look at both players as the battle comes down to the final days as to who will be the starting second baseman for the National League. The Pittsburgh Pirates roster as a whole is built of young players still trying to find their way in Major League Baseball. Because of this, there aren't many players getting recognition on a National Scale. However, one player who has been getting recognition is second baseman, Adam Frazier. Not only is he one of the top hitters on the Pirates this season, but one of the best hitters in all of the National League. In 77 games this season, Frazier has hit .327 with four home runs and 28 RBI while walking 29 times and striking out 37 times. He is currently second in the National League in batting average and hits (98) and is tied for second with 24 doubles this season. However, standing in hi

The 2022 season hasn't been all that kind to Pirates Minor Leaguer Eddy Yean as he struggled mightily out of the gates. However, over the last week, he has started putting it all together and earned Low-A Southeast Pitcher of the Week honors. When the Pittsburgh Pirates traded first baseman Josh Bell to the Washington Nationals on Christmas Eve 2020, they received two pitchers back in the deal. The first pitcher is one the Pirates have already seen in the Big Leagues in Wil Crowe, but the other pitcher is down in Low-A Ball with the Bradenton Marauders. Eddy Yean is currently ranked as the Pirates #12 overall prospect and has helped a talented Marauders starting rotation that has helped lead the team to an organizational best 32-16. However, 2021 hasn't always been the easiest go of things for Yean, as he currently sits at 3-1 with a 5.72 ERA in nine starts for the Marauders this season. He had an absolutely horrendous outing in his first start of the year, giving u

On his Sunday radio show, General Manager Ben Cherington stated that the Pirates were going to a six-man rotation. We look at who that sixth starter might be moving forward, and if this is a method the Pirates should stick with all season. Every Sunday, General Manager Ben Cherington joins Pittsburgh Pirates broadcaster Greg Brown for his weekly radio show. He usually goes over the state of the Major League club, a look at the Pirates Minor Leagues, and any news surrounding the team. However, this Sunday he dropped some breaking news among the draft talk and Minor League reports. He said that the Pirates were going to a six-man rotation at least until the All-Star Break. It is a move that makes sense considering that the Pirates are currently in a stretch of 20 games in 21 days. However, the question now arises as to who will be that sixth man in the Pirates rotation at least until the all-star break. Manager Derek Shelton talked in the pre-game show prior to Sunday's g

After Max Kranick's "perfect" debut yesterday, another Minor League pitcher has come up and attacked the zone for the Pittsburgh Pirates. It is another step forward for the Pirate's new development team as they are having players ready when they make their Big League debuts. Yesterday's series win over the St. Louis Cardinals was special for a couple of reasons. Not only were the Pirates able to take a series from the Cardinals in St. Louis, but it was also a "perfect" Major League debut for 23-year-old starting pitcher Max Kranick. Kranick retired all 15 batters that he faced in the game and would have gone even deeper into the start had it not been for a one-hour and four-minute rain delay following the fifth inning. Pitching through the raindrops in the beginning of the game, Kranick showed great composure on the mound and was not intimidated by a very good Cardinals lineup that included Paul Goldschmidt, Yadier Molina, and Nolan Arnenado.

After earning a series win against the St. Louis Cardinals, the Pittsburgh Pirates continue the road trip as they continue to hitter-friendly Coors Field. We look at what to expect as the Pirates take on a Rockies team that has been much better at home this season. Earlier this season, the struggling Pittsburgh Pirates met the Colorado Rockies at PNC Park for a three-game series. The Pirates were in a slump, having lost six games in a row and eight of their last nine games. They needed a turnaround, and a rainout in game one of the series looked to be a bad omen for the Pirate's future. However, the battling Bucs would sweep the Doubleheader the next day and ended up with only their second series win during the entire month of May. The Rockies were a really bad road team, with only three road wins coming into play on May 31st, and the Pirates took advantage picking up some much-needed victories. However, the Pirates now have to head to Coors Field, where the Rockies hav

The Pittsburgh Pirates are in the midst of a 20 game 21-day stretch and are reaching into their pitching depth. After years of trying, Max Kranick is getting his first shot in the Major Leagues. A key to having a successful organization is having plenty of depth to dig into throughout the season. So far in 2021, the Pittsburgh Pirates have used nine different starting pitchers, and will once again be dipping into that depth on Sunday. With 20 games in 21 days before the all-star break, the Pirates have decided to call up right-handed pitcher Max Kranick to make Sunday's start. Kranick will be the 10th different starting pitcher used by the Pirates this season and has made a fast ascent through the Minor League system this year. He started out in Double-A, made four Triple-A starts, and is now ready to break through for a spot start at the Big League level. 2021 was Kranick's first season making the 40-man roster, and with him being available for Sunday, the ease of

After getting his first Major League Baseball win last night in a 5-4 win over the Cardinals, Wil Crowe breaks a 10-start winless streak. His second stint in the Majors has gone much better than his first so far, showing that the Pirates development team is taking steps forward. This off-season, the Pittsburgh Pirates made a surprise Christmas Eve move when they traded first baseman Josh Bell to the Washington Nationals. The return was a pretty modest one as the Pirates received two mid-level prospects in exchange for their power-hitting first baseman. The key piece to the deal was RHP Eddy Yean, the Pirate's #12 overall prospect who is currently at Low-A Bradenton. However, the other piece was right-hander Wil Crowe, who coming into the season was 0-2 with an 11.80 ERA in three starts with Washington. At 26-years-old, he would get a chance to fight for a spot in the starting rotation, to prove he could impact the team this year.  Crowe did end up making the Big League

As the Pittsburgh Pirates look to retool their Major League staff for the future, a lot of the success we are seeing in the organization is coming from the Minor Leagues. All four teams have winning records, showing positive signs of what's ahead for Pittsburgh. Taking a look at where the Pittsburgh Pirates stand right now, things don't look so good for the team. They are 27-46 on the season and currently sit in last place in the National League Central by a pretty good margin, sitting eight games behind the fourth-place Cardinals and 14 games back from the division-leading Chicago Cubs and Milwaukee Brewers. Because of this, the Pirates are in a rebuilding mode as they look to dump current Big League stars and retool their Minor League system from the ground up. They have done this several times since I was born, with the only winning seasons I have experience being between 2013 and 2025. So, why should this rebuild be any different you ask? The answer is in the Mi

Aside from the hitting clinic that Adam Frazier has put on this season, Bryan Reynolds has found a home consistently in the three spot of the order. The outfielder continued his strong June with a 3-4 night last night as he stays strong during the month of June. All season long, Adam Frazier has been the Pirates getting the most praise for his hitting ability, and rightfully so. He currently leads the National League with a .341 batting average and is the Major League Baseball hit leader. However, he has found a partner in crime at the top of the batting order during the month of June. Bryan Reynolds has been one of the hottest hitters not only for the Pirates but across the National League in the month of June. After a 3-4 night last night, Reynolds leads the Pirates with a .357 batting average in June with five of his 13 home runs and 15 of his 42 RBI. He is currently riding a nine-game hitting streak and is making a case to be the National League Player of the month. Wit

The MLB Trade Deadline is nearly a month away, and it is time to start thinking about what moves the Pirates may make this season. In our first edition of Trade Talk, we propose a deal that would send Richard Rodriguez to Oakland. It is that time of year again in Major League Baseball when the trade rumors start flying and the "mystery teams" will soon start flying. The 2021 MLB Trade Deadline is just over a month away, and for the Pirates, that means looking for deals that are going to help add talent to their system and build for the future. Unfortunately, this also means that the Pirates are going to have to say goodbye to some of their most productive players on the Major League club. The obvious names like Adam Frazier and Tyler Anderson have already been circling in rumors, but don't be surprised if other names you didn't expect start to be moved. For the Pirates, one of the strengths for their team has been the bullpen, and especially the work of cl

After a couple of weeks of playing outside of try division, the Pittsburgh Pirates head on the road to face the St. Louis Cardinals this weekend. They are looking for their first win of the season against St. Louis as they look to keep their roll going. After falling in 10 straight games last week, the Pittsburgh Pirates have bounced back nicely against the American League Central. They went 3-2 on their latest homestand, taking two of three from the Cleveland Indians and splitting a two-game series with the Chicago White Sox. Overall, they have won three of their last five games, and have gotten their record to 26-46. However, they are now heading back to National League Central play and will face divisional opponents in eight of their final 18 games before the all-star break, with all eight of those games being on the road. It all starts with a seven-game, two City Road trip as the Pirates are in a sprint to the July 12th - 15th All-Star Break. However, it won't be an

This season, Pittsburgh Pirates catchers have not only been decent offensively, but they are playing great defense. Jacob Stallings and Michael Perez are the only tandem in baseball not to allow a passed ball this season. A good catcher in Major League Baseball is a lot like a good cornerback in the NFL. When they are good, you barely hear their name during a game, but when they're bad they are all you talk about. For the Pittsburgh Pirates, their catching has been very good for a number of years and has been consistently good dating back to when Russel Martin was the catcher in 2012. Since that season, the Pirates have had just three primary catchers, Martin, Francisco Cervelli, and Jacob Stallings, with a few back-ups sprinkled in there. Last season, Jacob Stallings was nominated for a National League Gold Glove award and finished second in voting. To compliment him, the Pirates brought in Michael Perez, who was the back-up on the 2020 World Series runner-up Tampa Bay

Over the course of the 2021 Season, we have seen several Pirates pitchers be pulled before five innings, or with pitch counts in the 60s and 70s. Today, we look at the art of pulling starting pitchers and when is the right time to go to the bullpen. When scrolling through Facebook night after night during the Pittsburgh Pirates season, there is one common theme I see. There are always one or two posts questioning why the starting pitcher was pulled when he was. Whether it was taking a struggling Mitch Keller out after four innings or complaining that Wil Crowe was left in too long after giving up a three-run home run. It all leads to the question, when is the right time to pull your starting pitcher and head to the bullpen? It is one of the hardest decisions a Major League Baseball Manager has to make over the course of a game, and one that can have one of the biggest impacts. Pull a guy to early and the bullpen could blow the game, but leave him in and a great start can go