How Cruz, other Pirates rank in Statcast tools
This story was excerpted from Alex Stumpf’s Pirates Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.
Injuries & Moves: Priester optioned to Triple-A; Mlodzinski promoted
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Priester trusts process, finds groove after rough frame
MILWAUKEE – Pirates right-hander Quinn Priester got some run support for the first time while on the mound in any of his starts this season, but an otherwise stellar outing on Tuesday night was undone by a rough second inning in which he was tagged for six hits and four
Reynolds' career-high 5 hits lead resurgent Bucs offense
MILWAUKEE -- Bryan Reynolds’ career night at the plate breathed much-needed life into a scuffling Pirates offense on Monday night against the Brewers in Milwaukee. Reynolds went 5-for-5 with a homer, two doubles and a pair of singles to lead the Pirates past the Brewers, 8-6. The first career five-hit
Familiar foe strikes Pirates again despite Cruz's best efforts
PITTSBURGH -- A year ago, the Pirates and Cubs were both 73-76 in games they did not play against one another. The difference in their two seasons, in which the Pirates finished 10 games under .500 and the Cubs nearly made the postseason, was head-to-head play, where the Cubs won
A splinker? Skenes' hybrid pitch may be his most electric
PITTSBURGH -- When rehabbing with Triple-A Indianapolis last month, Yasmani Grandal got a chance to catch Paul Skenes and see his stuff first-hand. Much has been written about the right-handed phenom’s triple-digit fastball and wipeout slider, the two pitches he rode to the heights of the College World Series with
How to watch Roku MLB Sunday Leadoff FREE
There is a new place to watch free baseball every Sunday this season. Catch your favorite MLB action with Roku MLB Sunday Leadoff, streaming free on The Roku Channel every Sunday morning.
Who takes the hardest swings on each MLB team?
The Statcast era of baseball research has reached another milestone: bat speed is live on Baseball Savant. You can check out this page for more thorough details on what bat speed entails and how it’s calculated. But in the meantime, we’re kicking things off by breaking down the best of
Skenes strikes out 7, tops 100 mph 17 times in MLB debut
PITTSBURGH -- As if it were scripted, the rain clouds parted and the sun snuck through to the North Shore of Pittsburgh as Paul Skenes walked out of the dugout to go to his pregame bullpen Saturday. The fans who were already seated 40 minutes before first pitch gave him
Here's the freshly updated Top 100 Prospects list
Break out the caps and gowns. It’s time for a whole bunch of graduations and an updated Top 100 Prospects list. Young players who began the 2024 season on a Major League Opening Day roster with zero MLB service time exhausted their prospect status Sunday by way of the 45-day
Top moments from Skenes' historic debut
A little over 10 months removed from being selected first overall in the 2023 MLB Draft, flamethrowing right-hander Paul Skenes made his highly anticipated MLB debut, striking out seven across four-plus innings in the Pirates' 10-9 win over the Cubs on Saturday at PNC Park.
- Why the Pirates believe
Livvy Dunne chimes in on boyfriend Paul Skenes' MLB debut
Paul Skenes is the reigning No. 1 MLB Draft pick, the Most Outstanding Player in last year’s College World Series, MLB's top pitching prospect, and he ate up Triple-A hitters all spring with his electric stuff. For good reason, his arrival in the Major Leagues with the Pirates was highly
Leadoff hitter in Skenes and Strasburg debuts? The same former MVP
The anticipation and hype surrounding Paul Skenes’ Major League debut has been so reminiscent to that which followed Stephen Strasburg when he, too, made his debut just under a year after being selected first overall in the 2009 Draft. But the two dates have even more in common, something that
Why the Pirates believe now is the right time for Skenes
PITTSBURGH -- Ultimately, the decision to call up Paul Skenes was two-fold, the first being that the things he was working on with Triple-A Indianapolis -- such as certain pitch executions and use of pitches -- had been satisfied. The second, and more important in general manager Ben Cherington’s eyes,
Skenes arrives ready to go: 'Just want to put us in a position to win'
PITTSBURGH -- Paul Skenes woke up Wednesday to three missed calls from a number he didn't have saved on his phone. He had thrown his scheduled bullpen session before Triple-A Indianapolis' 11:08 a.m. ET game against Louisville and he needed a nap after the game. It turns out that call
'He’s a unicorn': Skenes from the eyes of his catchers
This story was excerpted from Alex Stumpf’s Pirates Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.
Gonzales' revamped swing finds immediate results in debut
PITTSBURGH -- Nick Gonzales went to bat in the first inning wanting to be aggressive, and that mindset paid off. He offered at the first pitch and lined a Javier Assad sinker up the middle for a two-run single. One pitch back in the Majors, one hit and two RBIs
Top MLB pitching prospect Skenes getting called up to Pirates
PITTSBURGH -- The wait for Paul Skenes is finally over. The Pirates announced on Wednesday that they are promoting their top prospect to the Majors. Skenes, a fireballing right-hander, is scheduled to make his first start on Saturday against the Cubs at PNC Park (4:05 p.m. ET), according to the
The making of Paul Skenes, a 'one in a decade' kind of pitcher
In the later part of the 2023 collegiate baseball season, the Pirates sent Dewey Robinson to Baton Rouge, La., on a scouting trip. A special advisor on pitching development, Robinson has more than 40 years of coaching experience under his belt and is one of the highest ranking members of
Get to know MLB No. 1 pitching prospect Paul Skenes
Paul Skenes was selected first overall by the Pirates in the 2023 MLB Draft. Less than a year later, he's already dominating at Triple-A ... and now he'll have a chance to dominate in the big leagues. Pittsburgh announced it will call up Skenes for his MLB debut on Saturday
Tale of the Tape: How two of the best pitching prospects ever match up
Paul Skenes could be Stephen Strasburg. Stephen Strasburg could be Paul Skenes. Send Skenes back in time or bring Strasburg forward, and one easily could stand in for the other. Both overmatched college hitters, leading NCAA Division I in strikeouts while posting the highest K rates in D-I history for
These are the most anticipated MLB debuts in Pirates history
The wait for Paul Skenes is almost over. The Pirates are set to start their top prospect Saturday against the Cubs in a game fans have been waiting for since Skenes was taken with the first overall pick in last year’s MLB Draft. In anticipation of Saturday, where does Skenes’