{"id":67806,"date":"2024-03-08T07:00:31","date_gmt":"2024-03-08T12:00:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/?p=67806"},"modified":"2024-03-07T12:49:39","modified_gmt":"2024-03-07T17:49:39","slug":"pirates-outfield-dark-horse","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/2024\/03\/08\/pirates-outfield-dark-horse\/","title":{"rendered":"These Dark Horse Candidates Might Go North With The Pirates"},"content":{"rendered":"

Gilberto Celestino<\/a> and Billy McKinney<\/a> have suddenly emerged as dark horse candidates to go north with the Pittsburgh Pirates. (\u201cGoing north,\u201d in this case, is a mere expression synonymous with making the 26-man major league roster. The Pirates open the season on March 28 in Miami against the Marlins. Technically, once they break camp in Bradenton, they\u2019ll go southeast.)<\/p>\n

These Dark Horse Candidates Might Go North With The Pirates<\/h2>\n

Gilberto and Billy Who?<\/h3>\n

Celestino, 25, is a right-handed batter who has seen most of his major league action in center field. He\u2019s an oddity in that he throws left-handed. He was with the Minnesota Twins organization from 2018-23, which overlaps with Pirates manager Derek Shelton<\/a>\u2019s time there as Rocco Baldelli<\/a>\u2019s bench coach. In two seasons with the Twins from 2021-22, Celestino has hit .222\/.292\/.300, 4 HR, and 27 RBI. However, his minor league record shows he possesses the on-base skills the Pirates covet, including a .385 OBP in 2023. As this is being written, Celestino is 8-for-19 with a grand slam in 10 spring games. (In the video below, the broadcaster erroneously describes it as a three-run homer.)
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