Buccos Cove

It was a big night for Pittsburgh Pirates rookie outfielder Troy Stokes Jr. in the Pirates 7-2 win over the Reds. It has been a crazy ride to the Big Leagues for Stokes Jr., and he is hoping to relish this opportunity given by the Pirates. On Friday, Troy Stokes Jr. found out that he was being put on the Pirates taxi squad, coming up from Triple-A Indianapolis. Five days later, he is a big contributor in a 7-2 Pirates win over the Cincinnati Reds, going 2-3 with a walk, a double, and two RBI. It has been a long and winding road to the Big Leagues for Stokes Jr., but now that he is finally here he is looking to take advantage of his opportunity. He was drafted in the fourth round of the 2014 MLB draft by the Milwaukee Brewers and spent the last seven years going through the systems of three different organizations before finding the Pirates. He was claimed off waivers by the club on January 12th, 2021, and has shown enough to get a Big League chance early in the season. It i...

With the struggles of many of the guys at the Big League level early this season, it has left many fans asking who we could call up from the Minor Leagues. Today, we look at some of those prospects available to the Pirates who could reasonably get a call to the Big Leagues this season. It is no secret that there have been some guys who are truly struggling for the Pittsburgh Pirates. Todd Frazier is sitting at 1-30 on the year, Kevin Newman can't seem to get his average over the .200 mark, and there are several young guys trying to develop but they are seeing some struggles. With this recent stretch that has seen the Pirates go 1-8 over their last nine games, these struggles have really been magnified. Because of this, I have seen many fans posting on social media saying "we have to have someone better in Triple-A." This got me thinking, who in Triple-A Indianapolis could the Pirates reasonably call up to try and produce for this team? A guy like Travis Swagge...

As the Pittsburgh Pirates alternate training site roles into its second week, there is a bounty of talent on reserve for the Pirates. Today, we look at who might be the first outfielder recalled should the need arise for the team. The Pittsburgh Pirates alternate training site is in their second full week of work, as they prepare for not only the Minor League season, but a possible shot at the Major Leagues. Everyone currently at the alternate training site is just one injury or ineffective performance away from getting their shot to show what they can do at the Big League level. With the Pirates currently in a rebuild, they will take a look at everyone and anyone to see what this team has for the future. Right now, the Pirates have four outfielders on their current active roster, and it has been a struggle early in the season. Aside from Bryan Reynolds, there really hasn't been much offensive production from the other two outfield positions in the early going. If the i...

Yesterday, the Pittsburgh Pirates announced their list of non-roster invitees for 2021 Spring Training. We look at which invitees have the best chance of making it onto the 40-man roster and heading to Chicago with the team on Opening Day. After four long months of waiting and wondering if the season would start on time, baseball is finally right around the corner. With 11 days before pitchers and catchers report to Spring Training on February 15th, the Pittsburgh Pirates announced their list of non-roster invitees to this year's camp. In total, 26 different players earned invites ranging from guys on the cusp of the Major Leagues to young guys who are looking to get experience with the Big League coaches. Some of the highlights of the list included 2020 first-round draft pick Nick Gonzales, top pitching prospect Quinn Priester, and newly signed infielder Wilmer Difo. At the end of camp, 90% of these guys will be back in the Minor Leagues, but there are some lucky few t...

Yesterday, the Pirates made a move to strengthen their outfield depth, claiming outfielder Troy Stokes Jr. from Detroit. Stokes is 24-years-old and had an impressive showing in 2020 Spring Training for the Milwaukee Brewers. The Pittsburgh Pirates made a minor move yesterday, as they aim to build on their outfield depth for 2021. It didn't get much media coverage, and if you weren't paying attention you might have missed it. The Pittsburgh Pirates claimed 24-year-old outfielder Troy Stokes Jr. off waivers yesterday from the Detroit Tigers and added him to the 40-man roster. In a subsequent move, the Pirates designated left-handed pitcher Nik Turley for assignment to make room for Stokes. Stokes has shown a good power stroke throughout his Minor League career, however like many other power hitters, with that power comes a strikeout ability. Still, he has kept his batting average right around the .250 mark and produced double-digit home runs in two of the last three s...