Buccos Cove

As the calendar turns to August, the Pittsburgh Pirates' six-man rotation is beginning to take shape. With new acquisitions and guys returning from injury, we will see who the Pirates are going to move forward with, and who doesn't have a place in the Pirate's future. After the 2021 Trade Deadline had passed, Ben Cherington and Derek Shelton agreed that the team would go to a six-man rotation. The Pittsburgh Pirates have a couple of different guys to fill that role, coupled with a few new additions and people returning from injury. Some of the mainstays who have been with the team all season will be part of that group as the Pirates try to eat innings and save their bullpen. As of right now, Chad Kuhl, Wil Crowe, and JT Brubaker are the only guys who can say their spots are locked into the six-man. The final three positions will be a battle between Mitch Keller, Steven Brault, Cody Ponce, Max Kranick, and Bryse Wilson. All but Wilson have had shots with the Pira...

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 ...

When the Pittsburgh Pirates called up Wil Crowe on April 25th, it was the right-hander's first opportunity to prove he can be a starter in the Big Leagues. He has taken that opportunity and ran with it, and is staking his claim to a full-time spot the rest of the way. When Josh Bell was traded to the Washington Nationals on Christmas Ever, it was a bittersweet move for the Pirates. They had to say goodbye to one of their most prolific power threats, but they welcomed in two young pitchers to help the organization in its rebuilding efforts. The big piece from the trade was RHP Eddy Yean, who is currently in Low-A Bradenton and is the Pirate's #8 overall prospect. The other name in the trade was a 26-year-old right-hander who has just three Big League starts under his belt. He was trying to prove himself in the MLB, but his three starts didn't go well as he pitched to an 11.88 ERA. However, over his last four starts in a Pirate uniform, he has been effective and h...

With Chad Kuhl on the injured list, the Pittsburgh Pirates needed to find a starter for Sunday's finale in Minnesota. They ended up going with taxi squad pitcher Wil Crowe, as he makes his first start for the Pirates as the team tries to win its third straight series. This off-season, General Manager Been Cherington made it a point to add to the future of this club by trading for high-upside prospects for the future. We already saw one of those prospects make their debut when Miguel Yajure got the start in game two of Wednesday's doubleheader. He did well enough, going 4.1 innings allowing four runs, but he was pitching great until running out of gas in the fifth inning. He was able to compete throughout the night, even though he suffered his first loss of the season. Now, the Pirates are relying on Wil Crowe to give them a similarly good start as they try to win their third straight series. However, this is not Crowe's first rodeo, as he got a few starts for th...

During the 2020 season, the Pittsburgh Pirates bullpen was one of their weakest links and led to the team going 19-41. However, if 2021 Spring Training is any indication, the bullpen might turn into the strength of this Pirates team. Last season, the Pittsburgh Pirates bullpen was in disarray for a majority of the season. It started out with the ineffectiveness of Kyle Crick in Spring Training and an injury that would keep Nick Burdi out throughout the year. Due to a lack of pitching depth on the team, the Pirates were scurrying to try to fill holes with guys who clearly weren't ready. However, General Manager Ben Cherrington has made it his personal mission to fill the organization with pitching depth so the Pirates don't run into the same trouble they did in 2020. So far, Cherington has been rewarded for his moves, as the bullpen is proving to be one of the strongest groups on the field. Entering play on Wednesday, the Pirates relievers rank fourth in the MLB with...

Last week, Pittsburgh Pirates' left-hander Steven Brault suffered an injury to his throwing arm that has his Opening Day status in question. We look at how Brault's injury affects the Pirate's rotation and how things may shape up at the start of the 2021 season. Last week at this time, the Pittsburgh Pirates starting rotation looked pretty much set for Opening Day. Chad Kuhl, Steven Brault, Tyler Anderson, and Mitch Keller looked to have locked up their spots with a slew of pitchers battling for the final rotation spot. However, an injury to Steven Brault last week may have just thrown a wrench into those starting rotation plans for the Pirates. Brault had to leave his last start after just two innings after dealing with tightness in his left latissimus muscle. The Pirates have not released any details about Brault's status, but with a week to go before the start of the season, it is concerning for the rotation. Luckily, the Pirates have the pitching depth t...

As the Pittsburgh Pirates enter the 2021 season, they don't have many experienced pitchers on their roster. However, those pitchers are leading the charge and are tied for the lowest ERA this spring. Looking at the Pittsburgh Pirates 2021 roster, there isn't a lot of experience on their pitching staff. Chad Kuhl and Tyler Anderson are the only starters to pitch for a full season in a starting rotation, and many of the bullpen guys are young guys with just one or two years of experience. While you would like to see some more experience on the team, sometimes young and hungry players can make the difference. So far, that formula has been working for the Pirates as their pitching staff is among the best in Major League Baseball at the start of Spring Training. Over the last two games, they have allowed just two earned runs and are starting to show their potential. The Pirate's pitching staff is turning heads league-wide and showing it in the stat line. entering pla...

So far the Pirates have traded away three of their big-name players this off-season and turned them into 13 prospects, 11 in the top 30 in the organization. One of those players was Wil Crowe, who is looking to impact the Pirates in 2021. The Pittsburgh Pirates are going through a rebuild in 2021 as they tear down the Big League roster and put the foundation in place for a winner in the future. This means that some fan favorites will have to leave the organization, and the players the team gets in return have a lot of pressure to succeed put on them. One of those players for the Pirates in 2021 is right-handed pitcher Wil Crowe, who the Pirates acquired in the Josh Bell trade on Christmas Eve. Crowe spent some time on the Washington Nationals Big League roster last season and will look to compete for a spot in the Pirate's starting rotation this season. With three open spots, and four pitchers battling for them, Spring Training looks to feature a lot of competition on t...

The Pittsburgh Pirates made their first major move of the off-season on Christmas Eve when they traded Josh Bell to the Washington Nationals. They brought in two of the National top 10 pitching prospects as they retool for the future. If it wasn't clear before, it is now that Pittsburgh Pirates General Manager Ben Cherrington is rebuilding the organization. He made his first major move as Pirates GM yesterday when he traded first baseman Josh Bell to the Washington Nationals. In return, the Pirates are receiving RHP Will Crowe and RHP Eddy Yean. Crowe has Major League experience, he made his MLB debut in 2020, and Yean was signed as an international free agent and is one of the best young arms at just 19-years old. Both are ranked as top 10 prospects in the Nationals organization and will both hopefully make an impact on the Pirate's future. However, to obtain those pieces, the Pirates had to give up one of the most prolific bats in their lineup, and the only player...