Dylan Vogel, Staff Writer
The Pittsburgh Pirates are in spring training, as catchers and pitchers reported by Feb. 12, and the rest of the team is to report by Feb. 17.
Brandeton, Fla., has been the spring training home for the Pirates since 1969. It is also home to their single A affiliate team, the Bradenton Marauders.
The team heads there to try to see how their club shapes up against the rest of the league. Spring training is used to evaluate new and young talent on the rise from their minor league team.
The Pirates will have their hands full this season, with the changes in the staff. Manager Clint Hurdle was fired at the end of last season, and Derek Shelton was hired to run the club in November. Neal Huntington was also fired from the general manager position and replaced by Ben Cherington. The club even has a new president, as Frank Coonelly was also fired and replaced by Travis Williams.
As far as the team roster goes, the Pirates also have a different look. Cherington’s first big move as new GM of the team was to trade away veteran outfielder Starling Marte. Marte has been with the organization since his call-up in 2012. He had a .287 average and hit 108 home runs while with the pirates, but Cherington traded him away for young prospects Brennan Malone (RHP) and Liover Peguero (SS).
The Pirates also added some veteran players to the club, signing pitcher Derek Holland and center-fielders Guillermo Heredia and Jerrod Dyson.
The club will also have some returning faces, as Josh Bell, who was the Pirates’ most valuable player last year, will return to play first base. Another key piece returning to the lineup will be outfielder Bryan Reynolds. Bell hit .277 with 37 home runs and Reynolds hit .314 with 16 home runs in just 134 games in his rookie season.
The club is in a bit of a rebuilding stage, as the team is projected to finish with 70 wins this season, according to MLB.com. The Pirates continue to groom young talent and build up their farm system in hope of a winning team in the near future. For now, Pirates fans get to watch some of the young players make a name for themselves in the majors. Spring training is a great spot to seek out young talent that can make an impact in the near future.
The Pirates first spring training game will be on Feb. 23, against the Detroit Tigers. They begin their regular season on April 2, as they take on the Cincinnati Reds at PNC Park.