However early it may be, interesting storylines are already developing from the Pittsburgh Pirates spring training camp in Bradenton, Florida.<\/p>\n
This is presented with the caveat that spring training performances can be largely meaningless, especially early on. Otherwise, former Pirates Mark Johnson<\/a> and Jim Opie would already be in the Baseball Hall of Fame. At this point, hitters should be ahead of pitchers, who take longer to get ready for the season. Veterans often opt out of spring training road games. Thus, teams frequently face less-talented squads at home while sending less-talented squads to away games.<\/p>\n This is Part One in a series of periodic updates from the Pirates spring training. Further updates will be forthcoming at undetermined intervals, if at all, depending on the author\u2019s motivation and inspiration levels.<\/p>\n Even the casual baseball fan is familiar with the resume of the Pirates big right-handed starting pitcher Paul Skenes<\/a>. After being selected No. 1 overall<\/a> in the 2023 Major League Baseball June Amateur Draft, he joined the Bucs in 2024 and won the National League Rookie of the Year<\/a> Award. All he did was finish 11-3 with a 1.96 ERA, .0947 WHIP, 214 ERA+, 11.5 strikeouts per nine innings, and a 5.31 strikeout-to-walk ratio while holding opposing batters to a .198\/.257\/.295 slash line. He did it with a four-seam fastball whose velocity ranked in the 100th percentile among MLB starters while mixing in a sinker, slider, curveball, and even the occasional changeup and sweeper.<\/p>\n This spring, Skenes announced he\u2019s working on adding a two-seam fastball and a cutter to his repertoire. His rationale may be to befuddle the two or three MLB hitters who could actually hit him in 2024. As the baseball world eagerly awaited his first spring start on February 24, alas, that game was canceled due to inclement weather, resulting in the phenom throwing a bullpen session. Skenes finally unveiled his new self on Saturday against the Baltimore Orioles. He pitched three innings, surrendering an earned run on four hits while striking out four. He looked better than that stat line would indicate, with his fastball frequently reaching 99 mph. Imagine trying to hit a guy who’s consistently throwing 99 while having to be aware of seven other pitches! Easier to write about this stuff.<\/p>\n Everybody knew his time in major league camp would be brief. Indeed, he was reassigned to the minor league camp after Sunday\u2019s game. But in his brief time, Konnor Griffin, 18, made quite an impression.<\/p>\n Griffin was the Pirates first-round pick<\/a> (ninth overall) in last year\u2019s draft out of high school in Flowood, Mississippi. Big at six-foot-four, 225 pounds, he was a shortstop and outfielder in high school. Predictably, he\u2019ll be strictly a center fielder in the Pirates system to take full advantage of his athleticism. Making his obligatory appearance on a Pirates telecast after he was drafted and asked to describe his game, he said matter-of-factly, \u201cI can run, hit, hit for power, field, and throw.\u201d<\/p>\n He wasn\u2019t wrong. Griffin didn\u2019t waste his customary invitation to Pirates spring training. In Saturday\u2019s game, his opposite-field, ninth-inning homer off Baltimore\u2019s Brandon Young<\/a> put the Pirates ahead for good. In the outfield, he displayed his speed and arm while getting exceptional jumps on balls. It was only a glimpse, but the kid is going to be a good one for a long time.<\/p>\n They called Matt Hague<\/a> \u201cThe Hit Collector\u201d when he hit his way onto the Pirates squad during spring training in 2012. Unfortunately, his robust minor league stat line of .298\/.374\/.427 never translated to the majors, and his Pirates career was short. Now he\u2019s their hitting coach<\/a>, replacing the unpopular Andy Haines. Viewers may have been taken aback by the shaggy dark gray that pushed its way from under Hague\u2019s Pirates cap when he was interviewed on Sunday\u2019s telecast. But they had to like what they heard from him. Of course, any honeymoon he has with Pirates fans will end quickly if he doesn\u2019t produce better results.<\/p>\n Haines was criticized for applying a cookie-cutter approach to each hitter and overloading them with information. Under his watch, Pirates batters froze as fastballs caught the strike zone, seemingly afflicted by what erstwhile Pittsburgh Steelers coach Chuck Noll used to call \u201cthe paralysis of analysis.\u201d Peering at the game through a pair of sunglasses, Hague told the Pirates broadcasters that he\u2019ll apply an individualized approach for each hitter based on his skill set and what he likes to do. We\u2019re in the analytics era, so naturally, Pirates hitters will continue to have access to a range of information. But once the game starts Hague won\u2019t allow clutter to get in the way of \u201csee ball, hit ball.\u201d Sounds good so far.<\/p>\n Yes, it\u2019s early, but in the first baseman spring training competition for the Pirates Opening Day, the only candidates who\u2019ve stood out are a trio of non-roster invitees. Right-handed hitting Matt Gorski<\/a>, 27, an outfielder\/first baseman who was the Pirates No. 17 prospect in 2023 but is no longer on the top prospect list, has impressed with his maturation as a player. At the close of Sunday\u2019s action, he\u2019s 4-for-10 with three home runs and 10 RBI. The latter two figures lead the team.<\/p>\n Left-handed slugging DJ Stewart<\/a> is also an outfielder\/first baseman. He has previous major league experience with the Orioles and New York Mets. So far, he\u2019s 7-for-14 with two homers, three doubles, and five RBI. The seven hits lead the team.<\/p>\n Taking longer to get going was another left-handed slugger with major league experience, Darick Hall<\/a>. While in the minor leagues at Lehigh Valley, Hall was known for hitting more than his share of tape measure shots<\/a>. On Sunday, after seven hitless at-bats, he finally got hold of one while Hague was chatting with the Pirates announcers.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Hall homer \ud83d\udca3 pic.twitter.com\/4eFrTaibLJ<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Pittsburgh Pirates (@Pirates) March 2, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\nStorylines from Pirates Spring Training<\/h2>\n
Look Out, MLB, Freaky Pitcher Wants to Get Freakier<\/h3>\n
The Kid is All Right<\/h3>\n
The Hit Collector<\/h3>\n
Bombs Away!<\/h3>\n
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