Pittsburgh Pirates

The Pittsburgh Pirates officially named Travis Williams as the organization’s new Team President. “Travis’ leadership abilities, experience and passion for Pittsburgh sports makes him the ideal choice for this position,” said Bob Nutting, Pirates Chairman of the Board in a statement. “Travis was an integral part of the Penguins leadership team over the past decade of success. He has a keen understanding of Pittsburgh and appreciates how important our fans are. He will drive a culture of success within our organization.” Williams cited a commitment to a refresh of the entire baseball operations. “This is a homecoming for me, both personally and professionally. It is a tremendous opportunity to come back to a city and a team that I love. I am excited about working with Bob and the rest of the Pirates family to return this franchise to a winning tradition,” Williams said. “Today, we turn the page andRead More »

Statement from Pirates owner Bob Nutting “I have a great deal of appreciation for everything Clint has done for the Pittsburgh Pirates and our community. Clint is not only a great baseball man, he is a great family man. His leadership, inspiration, advice and friendship has helped make me a better person, as he has for so many others. It has been an honor to work with him for the past nine seasons. While we felt it was time to make a change at the managerial level, I strongly believe that Neal Huntington and the leadership team that he has assembled are the right people to continue to lead our baseball operations department. This has easily been the most difficult season of my tenure. Today we announced that we are parting ways with Clint, but make no mistake about it, this is by no means a statement that our shortcomingsRead More »

Pittsburgh Pirates closer Felipe Vasquez was arrested Tuesday morning on child pornography charges. Vasquez has been charged by Florida authorities with one count of computer pornography, solicitation of a child and providing obscene material to minors. Authorities also say other charges could be filed, too. Vasquez is accused of having a relationship with a 13 year old girl who is now 15 years old. Vasquez is in the process of being extradited to Florida.

If you want to talk about which coach in town has lost the room, look no further than Pirates manager Clint Hurdle. From players fighting coaches to players fighting players, More clubhouse drama has followed the Pirates into September, this time resulting in Kyle Crick having season ending surgery. Crick and star closer Felipe Vasquez got into a clubhouse fight Monday night that resulted in Crick needing finger surgery on Tuesday. It marks the second incident Crick has been involved in a clubhouse altercation. This summer Crick and bullpen coach Euclides Rojas were involved in an altercation that results in a suspension for Rojas. “The behavior exhibited by these two players last night is unacceptable of a Major League Player and will not be tolerated by the organization,” GM Neal Huntington said in a released statement during the middle of the Pirates – Giants game. There’s been evidence from anRead More »

The Pittsburgh Pirates today requested unconditional waivers for the purpose of releasing catcher Francisco Cervelli. The move gives Cervelli the opportunity to sign elsewhere. “As Francisco has worked through his rehabilitation, we have had multiple conversations with him and his agent regarding his projected playing time for the remainder of this season with the Pirates,” said GM Neal Huntington in a released statement. “Out of respect and appreciation for Francisco, we have chosen to honor his request to be released in order for him to pursue an opportunity that potentially gives him a chance at more playing time, as well as an opportunity this season to compete in the Postseason. We appreciate who Francisco is and all he has done for the Pirates and the city of Pittsburgh. We believe this was the right move for the right reasons and wish Francisco well.”

The Pittsburgh Pirates have acquired 25 year old RHP Cody Ponce from the Milwaukee Brewers in exchange for SP Jordan Lyles, the team announced. Ponce, the 55th overall pick in the 2015 draft, has a 3.29 ERA with 44K’s in 27 relief appearances for Double-A Biloxi.

The Pittsburgh Pirates selected RHP Quinn Priester (6-3, 200), a starting pitcher from Cary Grove (ILL) High School with the 18th overall pick of the 2019 MLB Draft. This marks the second time in three years the Pirates have selected a right handed high school pitcher, selecting Shane Baz with the 12th overall pick in 2017. Baz was traded to Tampa Bay in the Chris Archer trade last August. Scouting Report on Priester via MLB Pipeline: “Scouts love Priester’s athleticism and the ease of his arm action. His four-seam fastball can reach 97MPH with riding life, though his heavy two-seamer in the low 90’s may be even more effective because it gets exceptional horizontal and vertical movement. He also owns one of the better curveballs in the 2019 prep class.”